The temperature has dropped, and the days are getting shorter. Plus, I just learned that January is soup month. But for us, it’s officially soup season when the temperature is below 40 (so in NE Ohio, that can be in September!) We love to make and eat soups as soon as it starts getting cold outside. I would eat homemade soup even during the summer, but we prefer to grill during those months. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out how to make soup on the grill without the liquid falling through the grates. During the summer, our diet kind of took a hit. We didn't gain any weight, which is great, but we didn't lose weight as fast as we did during the cooler months.
Soup season makes it easier to diet!
We are always excited for soup season so we can make homemade soup. It's the perfect way to stick to our diet while enjoying delicious meals. And if we're lucky enough to get some snow in NE Ohio in October, that would be the icing on the cake! (Now I want cake!) There’s nothing quite like the comforting smell of homemade soup cooking in the kitchen while the snow falls outside.!
Diet and Soup
Homemade soup is a great addition to a diet, and there are several reasons why you should enjoy it. The reasons we enjoy soup are:
- A hearty bowl of soup can fill you up.
- Soup is a comfort food for many and is incredibly satisfying.
- It warms you up from the inside out, making it perfect for colder days.
- Soup is an inexpensive meal option that can be made with ingredients you already have at home.
- It's easy to prepare, even for novice cooks.
- When you have a cold, soup can feel like a warm hug.
- You can use almost anything in your fridge or pantry to make it, making it a versatile meal option.
- Compared to sandwiches or salads, soup can be a low-calorie option, allowing you to eat more without overindulging. SCORE!!!
Please let us know your reasons for eating soup.
Favorite Soups
During Soup Season, our favorite recipes are Ham and Beans, Chicken noodles, Chicken Vegetable, Chicken Tortilla, Baked Potato and Cheese, Posole, Beef Barley, Beef Vegetable, Tortilla, white bean, Corn Crab, Bean Chili, Turkey Chili, Corn and Black Bean, French Onion, Hoppin' John (for new years) and more (I told you we REALLY like soup). All of our homemade soup recipes are reimagined, so they are low in calories and high in flavor. So check them out and let us know what you think.
We welcome you to share your favorite homemade soup recipes with us. Amy and I would love to reimage them into a low-calorie and low-fat version. Don't forget to sign up for our emails to receive these recipes as we develop them.
Homemade Chicken, Turkey, and Beef Broth
We prepare our own chicken, turkey, and beef broth from scratch, which we use in our soups. Making your own broth gives you the ability to regulate the amount of sodium, eliminate the fat, save money, and, most importantly, the taste is far better than store-bought. In case we run out of broth and don't have any readily available, we resort to buying the low-sodium and non-fat version.
To Make Homemade Broth:
- Don't waste the bones and skin from chicken, steak, or turkey. Instead, freeze them until you're ready to make delicious, nutritious broth. It's a great idea to keep a separate freezer bag labeled for each type of bone add more bones as you accumulate them.
- For chicken broth, use chicken bones; for beef broth, use beef bones; for turkey broth, use turkey bones.
- Put the bones in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by a couple of inches. This will ensure that there's enough liquid to make a good broth. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer for 3-4 hours. This will allow the flavors to develop and the nutrients to be extracted from the bones.
- Once the broth is simmering, pour it into a strainer to separate the bones from the broth. This will give you a clear, smooth broth. Don't forget to catch the broth in a bowl!
- After letting the broth cool, skim off and discard the fat that rises to the top. This reduces calories while preserving flavor.
- Make sure the broth is cool before pouring it into freezer bags for storage if you're not using it right away. This is important, as hot broth can melt plastic bags and cause freezer burn. Once cooled, pour the broth into labeled freezer bags and freeze until you're ready to use it. This way, you'll always have homemade broth on hand for soups, stews, and other recipes.
Adding vegetables to bones while cooking can enhance the flavor of the dish. However, I prefer not to add vegetables anymore. I discovered that I enjoy the taste of chicken or beef broth without the addition of vegetables. Besides, it saves time and money as it requires only a few minutes of preparation.
I hope you are as excited about soup season as we are!!!
Pablo Caldarola says
Hey S+A, that really summed it up. Thanks for your work. Have you got any advise on products that actually help to speed up your metabolism? I do intermediate fasting, and it worked really well for me (I am a 37 yo male, that does some sports) For my mother it did not work so well to begin with, but it then she started drinking a tea that she found out about on an educational program that made a huge difference, Cindarella Solution https://cutt.ly/ve5aUfl. Have you heard about this product? Can you recommend it or something even better?