With fall in full force and the weather starting to cool off, we all want to be warm and cozy, cuddle up with a warm blanket, wear sweaters and eat soup. It just feels right!
In today's blog I am sharing some of my favorite soup recipes that are easy to make. Ranging from hearty soup to smooth and creamy, there is something for everyone. This time of year it is easy to spend more time eating out and overindulging. So what's the secret to stay on track with your nutrition? Let's look at a few ways to practice self control this fall.
How To Have Self Control With Your Favorite Fall Recipes
Whether you love pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween candy or other Fall favorites, it can be hard to have self control. The key here is to live with moderation...Completely cutting things out leads to an all or nothing mindset. The problem with this sort of thinking is, the second you want something unhealthy, all self control goes out the window…
Here are three ways you can keep yourself from over-indulging using self control and moderation:
DON’T BUY IT
Learning to control your environment is key. There may be social gatherings you attend, or other special events, where it is inevitable there are sweets or some of your favorite Fall recipes. This is a good time to let yourself have a few bites. This being said, you can make the conscious option not to bring these sorts of foods into your home where they’re easily accessible on a daily basis.
HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES
If you love Fall recipes, you can find healthy alternatives! This way, you can have them in moderation for dessert or snacks throughout the day. Most recipes always have a way to make them a little healthier. Any of our recipes on the BTES App have already been modified for you!
ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
Learning to have just one bite or just one serving is hard, especially with sweets or your favorite foods! Having a family member, friend, or online community to keep you accountable is a great way to learn to indulge in moderation. Sometimes we aren’t as great as being accountable to ourselves as we are being accountable to others.
Now it's time for the good stuff. Let's kick these recipes off with a classic....
Hearty Chicken & Veggie Soup
COOK TIME: 50 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 cup white onion
- 2 large carrots peeled, sliced
- 1 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 3 cups chicken, cooked
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 can tomato paste
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 sweet potatoes, diced
- 1 cup green beans, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, diced
- 1 tsp oregano
Directions:
- In large pot, melt the ghee over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrots, sweet potato and celery to pot.
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Cook for 7-8 minutes or until veggies become tender.
- Stir in garlic and oregano.
- Add the chicken, cilantro, tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth and sweet potato to the pot.
- Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight container and save for another meal.
NUTRITION
Serves: 4 | Serving Size:1 Bowl
Calories 415 | Protein 41g | Carbs 46g | Fat 7g | Fiber 8g
Italian Turkey Orzo Soup
COOK TIME: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3/4 cup uncooked whole-wheat orzo pasta
- 3 cups spinach
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
Directions:
- Place large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add oil; swirl to coat.
- Add turkey; cook until lightly browned, around 6 minutes.
- Place oregano, mushrooms, and garlic in the pan.
- Sauté 5 minutes.
- Add stock, 2 cups water, salt, red pepper, and tomatoes.
- Loosen browned bits and scrape the pan, then bring to a boil.
- Add orzo rice.
- Cook for 7 minutes.
- Stir in spinach and rind.
- Cook for 2 minutes.
- Let cool & serve!
NUTRITION
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 2 cups
Calories 322 | Protein 26g | Carbs 29g | Fat 11.3g | Fiber 7g
Curried Lentil Soup
COOK TIME: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups dried lentils, washed and picked over
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (13.6-oz) can coconut milk
- Chopped cilantro, optional
Directions:
- In a large pan, warm oil over medium heat.
- Cook onion, carrot and celery, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add garlic; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Add curry powder; sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in broth, lentils, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Working in batches, puree half of soup in a blender until nearly smooth.
- Return pureed soup to pan.
- Stir in coconut milk and reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro just before serving.
NUTRITION
Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1 Bowl
Calories 401 | Protein 20g | Carbs 39g | Fat 21g | Fiber 16g
Seafood Soup
COOK TIME: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 cups fish broth
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded, and chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 9 oz. white fish
- 20 shrimp
- 16 fresh mussels
- 8 scallops
- 1⁄3 oz. fresh thyme, to decorate
- ½ lime, sliced, to decorate
Directions:
- Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until translucent.
- Add the crushed garlic and, stirring frequently, cook until lightly golden.
- Add the fish broth, white wine, bay leaf, tomatoes and salt.
- Increase heat to high.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium low and simmer partially covered for about 25 minutes.
- Lastly, add the fish fillets, shrimp, mussels and scallops and simmer for about two to three minutes until the mussels have opened and the fish and scallops have turned opaque.
- Before serving, decorate the soup with the fresh thyme and lime slices.
NUTRITION
Serves: 1 | Serving Size: ⅙ Recipe
Calories 389 | Protein 27g | Carbs 10g | Fat 15g | Fiber 2g
Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets (about 4 cups total)
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 5 clove of garlic, peeled
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
Garnish:
- Reserved roasted cauliflower mix
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh thyme leaves
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets, chickpeas and garlic cloves (just leave them whole) with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the cumin, salt and paprika.
- Roast in your pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.
- Remove from your oven and set aside.
- Reserve about 1/2 cup for the garnish.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the cubed potatoes and black pepper.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the vegetable broth and the water and increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to maintain a simmer.
- Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are very soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir in the roasted cauliflower mix.
- Puree the soup using an immersion blender.
- Alternatively, you can use a food processor or blender, working in batches if necessary and being careful when transferring and blending hot liquids.
- Return the pureed soup to the stovetop and gently rewarm it.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the reserved roasted cauliflower mix, red pepper flakes, and fresh thyme leaves.
- Enjoy immediately.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days.
NUTRITION
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 Bowl
Calories 429 | Protein 18g | Carbs 41g | Fat 18g
No matter what your preference is, there is nothing quite like getting all nice and cozy with a bowl of soup in the fall. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do. Let me know in the comments what your go to fall soup is!
See you on the next live workout,
xoxo Rebecca
