January Nutritional Article


Enjoy a Bowl of Warm Healthy Soup

Winter can be long in Wisconsin so here’s a way to make the short days, cold nights, snow banks, and icy streets pass by quicker. Warm up big and little tummies with healthy soup that the kids can help prepare. Soups are an easy food to add loads of nutrition, and can even be a way to use up leftover prepared ingredients.

 

Delicious Soups:

· Tomato Florentine (tomatoes, milk, spinach)

· Broccoli-Cheese (broccoli, milk, cheddar cheese)

· Vegetable Barley (carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, barley)

· Cheddar Chicken (chicken breast, carrots, milk, cheddar cheese, rice)

· Garlic Potato Chive (garlic, potatoes, chives, milk)

· Taco Soup (ground beef, taco seasoning, red beans, corn)

· Roasted Fruit Soup (cranberries, apples, pears, prunes)

Easy Add-Ins to Soups:

· Homemade whole grain (wg) dumplings

· Beans

· WG Pasta, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Farro, or WG Barley

· Cheese

· Mini shrimp

· Zucchini Noodles

Unique, Yet Tasty Combinations:

· Potato Soup with Apples and Brie

· Sweet Potato Minestrone

· White Bean, Spinach, and Barley

· Pumpkin Chili

· Tomato Orzo

· Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Ginger

Ways the Kids can Help:

· Pick out vegetables from the refrigerator

· Wash the vegetables

· Use a spoon to scoop grains into measuring cup

· Stir the ingredients together in a bowl or kettle (before ingredients are hot)

· Add herbs and spices from a measuring spoon

· Sprinkle cheese, chips, or herbs on top

You can also experiment with different textures of ingredient pieces in the soup. For example:

· Keep large pieces of ingredients

· Chop the ingredients

· Cut the ingredients in different shapes8

· Puree the ingredients for a smooth texture