In this blog, I’ve talked a lot about healthy eating, but to date, I’ve not given a lot of guidance on how to do so. So I thought I’d start a new segment sharing recipes that my family and I enjoy that include macro breakdowns and keep calories low. These are recipes that won’t leave you feeling like you’re dieting, and in general aren’t too difficult to pull together, so you won’t spend hours in the kitchen (a huge plus if you’re into meal prep!)
Since Fall seems like it’s finally on us and the weather is getting cooler, I thought for our first recipe, I’d go with a soup. This variation on a Tuscan chicken soup is a great comfort meal that’s loaded with protein. Unlike MANY store bought soups, it’s low sodium. It’s also packed with dietary fiber – which means that it will stick with you, helping you to feel full for longer once you’ve eaten it. It’s a little high in carbohydrates, but the source of those carbs are complex, fibrous carbohydrates (vegetables), so it won’t spike your blood sugar.
If you need guidance on fitting this into your daily macros, check out the post on macronutrients.
Tuscan Style Chicken Soup
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups soup and 1 teaspoon cheese on top
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup kale
- 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped (look for no added sugars)
- 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, rinsed, drained, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (look for no added sugars)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
- 6 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and onion; sauté 5 minutes or until just tender. Add ground chicken, and cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble.
Add broth and next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 22 minutes or until orzo is done (check packaging for directions, as they vary).
Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts.
Top with 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese
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