The key is filling your plate at every meal with a healthy balance of foods filled with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins such as fish, chicken or plant-based proteins. Keep in mind Dr. Bernstein’s recommendations for healthy, balanced meals.
Breakfast: 75-80% protein (eggs, shake, oatmeal with protein powder) ~10-15% fruits, ~10% fats (nuts, avocado).
Lunch: 40% veggies, 30% proteins, 10% fruits, 10% quality carbohydrates (grains, quinoa, beans or legumes), and 10% fat flavoring for salads or vegetables.
Dinner: 20% veggies, 40% proteins, 10% fruits, 10% qualified carbohydrates as indicated for lunch meal, 10% fats (olive oil, avocado, etc.)
Healthy, fresh and clean ingredients promote a healthy heart!
To healthy eating!
Melissa
Build Your Own Heart-Healthy Soup
Using a one-pot concept is so versatile. This can be made on Sunday making many meals for the week or to freeze. Heart-healthy recipes full of fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes or other proteins ... what could be better? I am providing lots of options to create your healthy soup to your taste. Print out the ingredient list and choose your items to include prior to making it. You can make a very light soup with just one grain, no potatoes, or make it more hardy with multiple beans. Items with a ** are those that are choices based on your taste as you build your heart-healthy soup!
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups Choose your base of soup broth ** I begin all my soups with a vegetable broth base. You can use chicken or beef broth too.
- 4 medium Potatoes, chopped ** I prefer sweet potatoes as they sweeten the soup. Red, gold potatoes also work well.
- 2 15oz cans Cannellini beans ** Optional instead of potatoes or quinoa. Other options are kidney, garbanzo or pinto beans.
- 2 med-large Onions Chopped
- 8 squash Yellow squash and/or green zucchini Sliced. Add broccoli, cauliflower, green beans if you wish.
- 4 whole Carrots Chopped
- 1 cup grains Quinoa or black rice Uncooked
- 1 15oz Can diced or crushed tomatoes Entire can, undrained.
- 1 cups Kale and/or spinach
- 10-16 oz Add protein of your choice ** Chicken, fish, sausage or plant-based meats. If not precooked, be sure to do that before you add to soup.
- 1 can Tomato paste
- 4 cloves Garlic Minced or 4-6 tsp of already minced, based on taste.
- Ground black pepper To taste
- Smoked Paprika To taste or optional
- Water As needed
- 1-2 tbsp Curry, Tumeric, Cumin Spices Depending on your taste, adding one of these spices can add flavor and health benefits.
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil As needed
- 1-2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Amino's or Low Sodium Soy Sauce Bragg's is a healthy replacement for salt.
- 1-2 tbsp Bragg's Nutritional Yeast Seasoning Adds great flavor to food. Salt-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and kosher!
Instructions
- All soups start with prep of your veggies. Making a big pot of heart-healthy soup is so easy. Choose your soup base, then veggies and proteins to add in prior to cooking. I've provided options to make a delicious soup no matter what ingredients you choose to add. 🙂
- Slice, chop your veggies of choice.
- Saute onions, carrots and potatoes with vegetable broth or olive oil for a few minutes to get the cooking process started.
- If you add quinoa or rice, you can prepare beforehand, following the package directions or, my preferred method, just add additional water to the soup and cook along with the other ingredients.
- If you add organic beans to the soup, be sure to rinse beans prior to adding to soup.
- In a large stock pot, add soup broth, spices, all sauteed and chopped vegetables, beans, and grain of choice.
- Add pre-cooked meat the last 15 min of soup cooking time. If not pre-cooked, such as most plant-based products are, cook them first. Either saute with seasoning or buy already cooked.
Notes
Melissa's Modifications:
I make delicious soups several times a week as a main meal or side dish to accompany our dinner. I hope you will enjoy taping into your creativity by choosing your ingredients to build a delicious soup this weekend!
Nutritional Value: 224 Calories (no meat);1.6g Fat;0mg Cholesterol; 104mg Sodium; 50.8 Carbs-9.6g Fiber, 9.9g Sugars; 10.4g Protein.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
