Over the years I have told a number of people a recipe that I use to make a very healthy homemade vegetable soup. I really like to prepare food ahead of time so it’s always available.
Recently, I’ve been asked some specific questions, so I thought I’d write all about the ingredients and preparation.
A 6-quart crockpot is needed.
The ingredients are sourced primarily at my local Trader Joe’s and are all organic.
Ingredients:
• Kale – 1 10 oz bag – chopped
• Power Greens- 2 5 ounce bags- chopped
• Broccoli- 1 20 ounce bag cut up
• Carrots- 4-cut into chunks
• Mushrooms- 6 large mushrooms- cut into pieces
• Diced and Fire Roasted Tomatoes – 1 can
• Molasses- 1 tablespoon
• Honey- 1 tablespoon
• Sea salt: a pinch
• Olive oil- 1 tablespoon
• Flaxseed (ground flour) – one third of a cup
• Onion- 1 small
• Garlic-various gloves
Start by lightly sautéing the onion and garlic.
Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Fill pot to 1/2 inch from the top with filtered water. Cover the pot and seal the lid. Cook on low heat for nine to 10 hours.
When the cooking process is over and the ingredients have cooled, stir all the contents evenly.
Typically, the contents will provide enough to fill four or five Tupperware containers. Place the containers in the freezer for storage.
I keep a thawed container in my fridge so I can portion out the ingredients each day. I’ll put some in a pot, add some Trader Joe’s Vegetable Broth, turmeric, pepper, and Peruvian sea salt (which I get from the Steel City Salt Co. in Millvale, PA).
In the winter, I like to come home at lunchtime and have a bowl of some chicken breast. It really warms me up and energizes me on those cold dark days. During the warmer months, I have a bowl in the morning with a separate batch of fried eggs.
Kale, greens, and broccoli all belong to the cruciferous family of vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables are very important for detoxification. It is important to eat vegetables in this family every day.
Organic molasses is produced from sugar cane. Sugarcane roots extend deep into the soil and absorb a large amount of minerals. Since organic molasses is not processed, it is definitely okay to consume. It is the processed white sugar that we want to avoid.
It is good to combine pepper and turmeric. The pepper activates the powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients of turmeric and allows for better digestive absorption.
Food preparation is very useful to maintain a good diet. We can prepare many foods in advance. Some examples would be preparing a salad for the next day. Also to defrost chicken breasts, fillets, fish or any other type of entree for the next day. Having a readily available bag of frozen vegetables in the freezer for stir-frying is convenient.
By having food prepared, we are much less likely to grab anything convenient at home or, worse, stop for fast food.
