It is so easy
to put on weight over winter, as we wrap up in our winter warmers we don’t
notice the kilos piling on. Until that is - spring hits and then we panic – how
to take the weight off!
Best thing is
not to put it on in the first place!
One way to
help maintain our weight over winter and stay healthy too, is eating delicious home-made
soups.
Not only are they healthy but they are
full of vitamins with hardly any calories. So long as you
keep out butter, cream and sugar you will probably be only consuming about 100
calories per serving!
Soup for
lunch is ideal whether you eat at home or take it to work. Make up a batch
enough for several days and keep it in the fridge, then take out just enough each
day.
It is proven
that soup stays longer in our stomach than whole vegetables – so you shouldn’t
get hungry again until that terrible 4 o’clock time!
Because soup is not bulky food like
bread it won’t swell up in your stomach making you look bloated throughout the
day! It is the perfect flat tummy food! Anti-aging and anti-fattening!
Soup is a great
way to add more vegetables to your diet, topped with a dollop of non-fat
yoghurt or soy yoghurt and some slices of nuts...mmmmm so divine!
Bon Appétit
Denyse
Here is one of
my many favourite soup recipes…
Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped up
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 medium potato, chopped up (about 1 cup)
- 450 grams of frozen spinach
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- A dash or two of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Non-fat plain yogurt or soy yogurt
- 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan and
add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for about five minutes or
so or until the veggies are nice and tender.
Stir in potato, spinach, and stock.
Turn the heat up to high until you have a boil and then reduce to medium low
and allow to simmer for about twenty minutes or until the potato is fork
tender.
Allow the soup to cool a bit
before spooning it into a blender or food processor. DO NOT blend when it is super-hot
because everything will explode and you will get burnt!
Pulse soup a few times to get it
started and then blend until you have a smooth consistency. Stir in, nutmeg,
salt and pepper and blend one more time.
Give it a taste, adjust your
seasonings, and top each bowl with a dollop of yogurt and 2 teaspoons of sliced
almonds. Enjoy!
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional
Analysis
Calories: 150; Total Fat: 0g;
Saturated Fat: 0.5; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 260mg; Carbohydrate: 19.4g;
Dietary Fibre: 3.6g; Sugars: 4g; Protein: 7.8g
