My workouts have been quite intense this week (check out the average hear rate for one of my workouts). I guess I shouldn’t wish for Sunday, I just want it to be Saturday afternoon so I can chill.

Anyways, I wanted to share a soup recipe with you that Marc made this past weekend. He had a recipe that he has been wanting to make and without me asking he started prepping and cooking soup on Sunday!! A break from cooking is always nice for me!

These past couple of weeks, it has been so cold and snowy around here. I don’t know about you guys but we have definitely been making more “comfort foods.” Soup is very comforting for me. It warmed me right up and left me with a full belly! We all know a Full Belly= Satisfied!

SAUSAGE, KALE, & POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 package chicken sausage
• 1 bunch Kale, pulled or cut into small pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4-5 white potatoes cut into small chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ tablespoon oregano
• 1-teaspoon basil
• 1-teaspoon crushed red pepper flake (more if desired)
• 2 cups low sodium chick broth
• 2 cups of water
• ¼ cup milk
• Add Salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

Place sausage in a large pot on medium-high heat. Turn occasionally until all sides are brown. Remove from pan and cut into slices ¼ wide. In same pan add onion and olive oil cook on low heat until golden brown. In another pot boil potatoes for 5-10 minutes to soften. Add all remaining ingredients except the kale, into the large pot with the onions and cut sausage and simmer for 35-40 minutes. Before serving the soup, add the kale to the pot and cover for 10 minutes to wilt the kale.

I love the Kale in this soup, it adds a nutritious punch, but the potatoes keep it hearty and filling. If you aren’t into kale try subbing in spinach. ENJOY!

What is one of your winter comfort foods?

Are you a big soup fan?

When I got home from picking up Ava at daycare yesterday I had nothing planned for dinner. I literally opened the fridge and found a bag of kale and a pint of grape tomatoes in my vegetable drawer and thought, what can I do with this? Luckily I had some chicken sausage in the freezer that I quickly thawed and was excited I had something to throw together. While Ava napped I got to prepping… this meal literally took 20 minutes and was a huge hit. The flavors were on point.

We will definitely be making this recipe again.

Chicken Sausage with Kale, Chickpeas, & Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 package Al Fresco Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage

1 bag of chopped kale

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup sherry wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp oregano

salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat a large pan to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add in grape tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add in kale, chicken broth, & sherry wine and cook for 5 minutes.

Drizzle remaining oil and seasonings, mix well. Remove kale mixture from pan and place into serving dish. Add chicken sausage to pan and cook 8-10 minutes or until cooked (as directed by package). Add the Kale mixture back to the pan and mix well. Return everything back to serving dish and eat!

This meal would also be great served over whole grain pasta or rice… or even on a sandwich!

I just took Cooper for a walk, he’s feeling much better and has tons of energy. He recovered nicely from his surgery and has come a long way these past 10 days. On our walk I had to deter him from all the leaf piles…. he wanted to jump and roll around in all of them!

On the menu for dinner tonight is Sauteed Chicken with Kale & Tomatoes. It’s a fairly simple dish to make and packs a nutritional punch. Kale is high in Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A. It has a slightly bitter taste, but a little salt and olive oil helps cut out some of the bite.

If you haven’t tried Kale before, give it a shot

Healthy Sauteed Chicken with Kale & Tomatoes!

Ingredients:

1 1/4lb Chicken Breasts

1 bunch Kale, chopped

3/4 can of petite diced tomatoes

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon of crushed pepper or more if you like it spicy

1 small onion diced

2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

Directions: 

In a large pan saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil, after about 3 minutes push onions to the side. Cut chicken breasts into small chunks and add to pan. Brown chicken about 4 minutes on each side over medium heat. Add kale, tomatoes, white wine, 1 tablespoon and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix ingredients well and let cook for another 10 minutes. Add seasonings and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese over the top. Reduce to low heat until you are going to serve dinner!

Optional (serve over pasta)

If you don’t have any of the vegetables that are listed in your fridge you can always substitute! This is a simple recipe that makes a ton and can feed a whole family or makes great leftovers for the week.

Healthy Chicken & Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

3 Chicken breasts (about 1.25lb)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped kale

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup organic low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons any jarred marinara sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot with about 6-8 cups of water, place chicken breasts in the pot and boil for 30 minutes. Scoop out any chicken fat from the top of the pot. Add in remaining ingredients (veggies & seasonings). Boil for 30 minutes and then remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork. Return chicken to the pot and continue cooking on medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot in a bowl and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese!

Serves 6, per serving approximately 195 calories, 4g fat, 8g carb, 2.2g fiber, 32g protein

Optional: Cook up and type of small pasta or noodles and cook separately. Serve the soup over the noodles.