Awsome Lentil Minestrone Winter Soup

1 cup of split lentils (I used green and yellow, you could use any lentils you want as long as they are split)

1 cup of ABC tiny pasta or Orzo Pasta

1 cup of carrots chopped into bite sized pieces

1 can of crushed tomatoes 28oz

1 daikon radish or 1 large potatoe chopped into small pieces

2 tsp of thympe

2 tsp sage

1/3 cup of heavy cream (optional)

Nutritional yeast (optional) or Parmesean cheese to taste (for a bit of flaver added when serving)

Mini Meatballs made with Gimme Lean ground beef style mock meat (found at Giant Grocery) if using these which is a tasty addition, roll them into really tiny meatballs and saute in olive oil till brown on all sides then throw them in the soup. Gimme lean is awesome, you don't have to mix egg or bread crumbs to make yummy low fat no cholesterol meat balls and in the soup they don't even taste like fake meat.

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or mock chicken broth bouillon cubes or the liquid already made up. If using the already mixed liquid type broth do not add water just use the broth. If using the little bouillon cubes obviously mix that with water.

5 cups of water or chicken broth

Instructions:

Boil the water with bouillon or your chicken broth, then pour in the lentils, turn down heat and simmer for 45min. Then add the carrots and potato or daikon radish, the pasta,  and simmer until soft (if you cut it into really small pieces it shouldn't take that long about 10min) add in your crushed tomatoes. Then season your broth, keep tasting to see if it's enough seasonings, add salt and taste again. Add cream if using (more if you like but no more than a half cup. Simmer to let the flavors meld about 10 more min. While it's simmering you can saute the mini meatballs if using.

The whole thing was super easy and took about one hour and 45 min. I started it at 6pm. The main reason I love cooking soups and stews is that in between the simmering, you can simmer and forget it only checking once in a while so that nothing is burning and stirring about every 5 to 10 min. I sit in the kitchen while my girls color and read my kindle. This soup sounds hard but really it's a breeze, if I can do it with a 2 year old and 4 year old running a muck so can you LOL.

This soup is super nutritious for your family and offers up hardly any fat at all (pretty much close to zero). Yes I know the heavy cream is fattening but your putting only 1/3 cup in and you have about 6 cups of liquid in, you are getting very little of that cream. Also if you want additional flavor you can use a low fat (good fat) butter, try Smart Balance butter with flax oil. If you use this use about 2 tablespoons.
Enjoy

Oh, you could also throw in some chopped kale or spinach too! Or green beans.

Here is a link to more information about GIMME LEAN:
http://www.lightlife.com/

If you don't know what a daikon radish is, you should, it's a really super nutritious food, it's a healing type of food like dandilion is, here is a good link to some more info:
http://www.rwood.com/Articles/Daikon.htm

Shave some daikon into your salads or chop up small and add to soups and stews. It is said to promote weight loss among other good things for your body, some people use it to detoxify their system.

Mango Banana Breakfast Smoothie

1 mango

1 banana

1 small tub approx 4-6 oz of yogurt (whatever flavor you like, i use the kids trix yogurt because that is what I always have on hand lol)

1/2 cup of warm water (more if needed)

2-3 cubes of ice

1 packet of stevia or 1 tsp of stevia (or sugar to taste if not diabetic)

How to blend:
Put in yogurt first then banana, then mango, then ice. Blend and while blending pour in the warm water (don't worry it will still be cold but I find the warm water helps to melt the ice and blend easier and better with less strain on your blender. My blender has a top, then a tiny top so I can pour stuff in while I am still blending, if yours does not do this then stop the blender then pour water in put top back on and keep blending on puree. You may need to shake your blender around and stop the blender and stir it around. Pour in the stevia last to taste.

Green Smoothie:
Do the same as above but add some spinach or kale. (My little ones never know it's in there and I tell them the leprechauns turned it green, they love it lol)

Crunchy smoothie:
Add some wheat germ for extra nutrition (you may need to add a touch more water if  you do this, the taste and consistency should be tasty to your palate.

Just mango or Just banana smoothie:
If I don't have a banana or mango just use two of each

Black Smoothie:
Substitute or add in a addition to above with blackberries or blueberries.

ENJOY you very nutritious smoothie!
I do this for my girls at least 3 times a week.

Kale, Swiss Chard, and Feta Cheese Pie

This is sooo versitile, you can eat if for breakfast lunch or dinner. Or you can cut it into small squars and serve at a party as an appitizer. You could also use spinach and swiss chard or spinach and kale or greens.


2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of kale ( I used Lacinato Kale, but you can use any type)
1 bunch of swiss chard
6 eggs (use egg beaters if your trying to cut fat)
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese for topping (if your trying to cut fat this is good without it)
1 cup approx 4oz of feta (or light feta) cheese
2 tablespoons of pine nuts or walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup of bread crumbs
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with olive oil or pam.
2. Wash kale and swiss chard. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil, throw in your greens and boil for a minute. Then drain in a colander squeezing out as much liquid as you can, then set on a cutting board and coarsley chop. Set aside.
3. In a bowl wisk the eggs (if your using egg beaters skip this step), stir in some salt and pepper to taste, then stir in bread crumbs nutritional yeast if using and the feta cheese, then stir in the chopped veggies. Pour this into your baking dish and bake in oven for approx 35 to 40 min or until golden brown around edges. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if using. Enjoy
P.S my meat loving hubby loved this and got thirds, so you know it's tastey!