The idea for our Sunday Soup was hatched a few years ago out of pure necessity. Our garden had gotten so prolific and only two of us to feed. I got into the habit of doing a major harvest on the weekends, taking whatever was on the cutting board and turning that into something that would feed us during the work week. By the end of the summer we had gotten so used to grabbing those perfectly portioned containers every morning that we carried the tradition on past our growing season.
The concept is simple and there are a million variations ~ create a low-calorie, low-fat dish with a balance of protein and vegetables in large enough quantity to feed you for lunch for the next five days. It ensures that you’ll have a nutritious balanced meal to get you through your work week and you don’t have to worry about grabbing an expensive lunch on the fly.
There are a couple of recipes on the Harvest section of the website, but you don’t really need to follow a recipe. Just keep a couple of concepts in mind and you’ll be ready to whip up a Sunday Soup:
- Use a low-calorie base for your concoction. We love Rachel Ray’s low sodium chicken stock or Pomi’s crushed and strained tomatoes. If you aren’t into soup one week, try quinoa as a starting place.
- Use lean, low-fat proteins and cook them in a pan before adding to your dish. This gives you the chance to drain any fat before adding it to your healthy meal.
- Throw in whatever veggies you have coming out of the ground or that you can find at your local market. You can’t go wrong here, just add what you love. Shredded cabbage is a an easy and inexpensive way to bulk up your dish if you are looking to go big one week.
- Change up the spices so you don’t get bored. Curry works great, standard Italian spices are always a winner or go for a cayenne kick and make a chili.
- Low-sodium canned beans are an awesome way to change up the textures and add in some extra protein.
- Most importantly, have fun. This isn’t meant to feel like a Sunday chore. You should be proud of yourself for making the time to care for your body in the coming week.
Since I started posting some Sunday Soup recipes on the website, people have been sharing what they have created and I have gotten some great ideas. If you have anything to add to the discussion, share your thoughts on facebook or email me through the website. I would love to spread the word about what’s cookin’ on Sundays amongst the friends of Grow More Beets.