Southwestern Broccoli Cheese Soup

The broccoli cheese soup was good, but came out a little too spicy for our taste. If I were to do it again, I would probably cut out the pepper all together or put in just a little. That is the only thing we can think of that could be making the soup spicy since we used a mild chunky salsa. We also used No Salt in place of the salt and regular chicken bouillon instead of the reduced-sodium  version.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 9 servings

• 4 cups water
• 4 reduced-sodium chicken bouillon cubes or vegetable bouillon cubes
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 bunch)
• 3 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup chopped carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 6 ounces reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 1 cup chunky Salsa

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, bouillon cubes, vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add salsa; cook and stir until heated through.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 173 calories, 2.7 g fat, 1.4 g saturated fat, 9.0 mg cholesterol, 856 mg sodium, 28.3 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fiber, 7.4 g sugars, 7.9  g protein.

Cheesy Potato Soup

The soup was very thick and cheesy and had a lot of vegetables in it, but not a lot of flavor. It tasted alright after we added some salt to add a little more flavor. The leftovers didn't taste as good as it did right out of the pot.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 10 servings

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 1/2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
• 2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, carrot, onion, celery and broth. Cover and simmer until potato is tender, about 12 minutes. Mash mixture with a potato masher.
2. Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; gradually add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 173 calories, 3.1 g fat, 1.6 g saturated fat, 8.0 mg cholesterol, 153 mg sodium, 26.0 g carbohydrate, 1.0 g fiber, 12.8 g sugars, 9.8 g protein.

Asian Shrimp Soup

A very flavorful and delicious Asian soup. Shelby said it reminded her of the soup you get at the Japanese steakhouse, but this version has a lot more vegetables in it. Tammy and Shelby both don't like shrimp, but they ate it in the soup and liked it. If you don't want to use shrimp, you could substitute a little bit of cooked chicken or pork. Very low in calories, but if you're watching your sodium intake, the soup has more than half of your daily allowance per serving.

Cost: About $13. - Spaghetti ($1.59), mushrooms ($1.96), corn ($1.25), teriyaki sauce ($2.75), lettuce ($1.99), shrimp ($2.69), green onion ($0.59).

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

• 2 ounces uncooked thin whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 6 cups water plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
• 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 oz package sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• 1 can (4 ounces) small shrimp, rinsed and drained
• 4 green onions, sliced

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
2. In a saucepan, combine 6 cups water, chicken bouillon and salt; bring to a boil.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and corn. Reduce the heat; cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender.
4. Combine cornstarch, teriyaki sauce and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
5. Reduce the heat; add the lettuce, shrimp, green onion and spaghetti; heat through.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 69 calories, 0.4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 28.8 mg cholesterol, 1435.5 mg sodium, 11.3 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber, 2.2 g sugars, 4.1 g protein.

Three-Bean Chili

We made the chili on a cold Wednesday night, and it really hit the spot. The chili was surpisingly tasty, which was a little surprising since I'm a meat eater and there was no meat in it. The entire family loved it, and it was one of the few times we didn't have to fight with the children to eat their dinner.

The chili was really easy to make since most of the recipe is just putting in different canned goods. I had Shelby help me make the meal, and she had a good time cooking. It was really easy to cook since there was not a lot of prep time and the only thing needing to be cut was the squash. When we made the chili, squash wasn't really in season, but we were able to find three small yellow squash in the organic section that tasted just fine.

The serving size is big, yet only 179 calories, so it was not a problem for me to have two servings and feel full after. The 10 g of fiber and 10 g of protein per serving was also a plus and helped control hunger after.

The meal was under $10 and made plenty of leftovers. The cost of our supplies were Tomato paste ($0.60), Chili Beans ($1.19), Tomato Sauce ($1.19), Kidney Beans ($0.69), Stewed Tomatoes ($1.00), Pinto Beans ($0.69), Frozen Corn ($1.25), Yellow Squash ($0.81) for a total cost of $7.42. We used the leftovers for lunch the next day, and even Shelby wanted to take some with her to Daycare for lunch, which we allowed.

Prep/Total Time: 30-45 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) chili beans, undrained
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no-salt added stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow summer squash

1. In a Dutch oven, combine the water, beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. Add the corn and squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes longer or until the squash is tender.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 179 calories, 1 g fat, Trace saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 491 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 10 g protein.