Skinny Weightloss Veggie Soup

A big bowl of vegetable loaded soup that is delicious, warm, comforting and oh, so nutritious,  is one of my favorite Instant Pot meals. I love making it in the winter and store it in the fridge for my lunch. 

I call this my skinny weight loss soup because it's filling, and contains a bowlful of nutrients that reduce bloating, inflammation, and aid in overall health. 

I'm saving time by making this in the Instant Pot, which takes 25 minutes instead of letting it simmer all day, and f I want an even bigger time saver, I buy as many pre-chopped veggies as I can.

The star veggies in this soup are cabbage and leeks. Cabbage is a nutritious and filling leafy green. Leeks, and all of the veggies in this soup are nutrient-dense, meaning that they’re low in calories yet high in vitamins and minerals. However, leeks specifically are a good source of manganese, which may help reduce premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms and promote thyroid health. Leeks are also great for the skin, and may help with inflammation, bloating, and heart health.

Tips for making Instant Pot Vegetable Soup:
You can use any beans you like. I used white beans, but you can use kidney beans, navy beans, or black beans.
Don’t like cauliflower? Use broccoli instead. Use the veggies you like and enjoy. 
I use chicken stock, but you could use vegetable stock as well. I love adding turmeric to any dish I can and I used it in this soup too. If you have it on hand, add 1/2 teaspoon.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
5 garlic cloves minced
4 leeks, trimmed and sliced
5 white mushrooms washed, sliced
2 cups riced cauliflower (or florets if you prefer)
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2 zucchini, chopped

2 yellow summer squash, chopped
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 15 oz. can white beans drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

**Option: I like to puree my beans, tomatoes and chicken stock in a blender before adding them to the Instant Pot. It thickens the broth.
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Press "saute" button on your Instant Pot. Add olive oil to the stainless steel insert. Wait 2 minutes for it to preheat.
2. Add garlic and leeks to Instant Pot. Saute, stirring often, until the leeks soften. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes, until the mixture is fragrant.
3. Press "off/stop" button.
4. Add remaining ingredients to Instant Pot.
5. Place lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the valve is set to "sealing".
6. Press "pressure cook" setting and timer to 25 minutes.
7. The Instant Pot will beep and start cooking. It may take about 5-10 minutes for it to come to pressure and then start the timer.
8. When done, the Instant Pot will beep. Let the pressure release naturally for about 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure by carefully switching the valve to "venting".
9. Carefully remove the lid, away from your face, and set aside.
10. Stir the soup. Let cool slightly before serving.
11. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is loaded with vegetables: cabbage, garlic, zucchini, carrots, celery, cauliflower, leeks and beans. It will help with bloat and inflammation, keep you full. The addition of turmeric, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika and bay leaves add a delicious flavor.

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Immune Boosting 40 Garlic Cloves Chicken Soup

After traveling to NYC, taking a ton of public transportation, attending a fitness conference with thousands of people, teaching my students, working at the gym, mothering my kids, and the flu going around, I started to feel a bit run down. Before taking over-the-counter remedies, I like to try boosting my immune system naturally.

Garlic is a natural antibacterial and anti parasitic. It can also relieve stuffy noses, and it's an immune system booster. 

Try it! The chicken and garlic broth will warm you right up. The most surprising aspect you'll discover is the garlic cloves melt in your mouth. They also break down slightly in the soup to create what feels like a cream of garlic broth. There will be no such thing as leftovers with this recipe, so you may want to double or triple it (don't worry, your Instant Pot can handle it).

Read all the instructions of the Instant Pot before cooking with it! This recipe may not contain all of the specific safety instructions as they appear in the manual.

To make this gluten-free, sub flour with arrowroot starch.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
40 cloves of garlic (prepeeled to make life easy or 3 whole heads garlic, peeled)
1 pound frozen (about 2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup white wine
2 sprigs of thyme or 2 TBSP
1 quart chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt, to taste
Parsley leaves, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Plug in the Instant Pot and press the [Saute] button. When it beeps and "Hot" appears on the LED display, add butter, olive oil, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until garlic becomes completely caramelized. Add wine and continue cooking until it nearly evaporates. Add chicken, thyme, and broth. Close lid as manual instructs, making sure the pressure release handle is secured in the sealed position.
2. Press [Manual] button and use the [+] or [-] buttons to choose 8 minutes of cook time. Once Instant Pot has finished the cook time, unplug Instant Pot. Use the "Quick Release" method of opening the cooker by carefully turning the pressure release handle to the "venting" position to let out steam until the float valve drops down. Carefully open the lid.
3. Remove chicken breasts and place on a cutting board. Shred using two forks.
4. In a small bowl, add about 1 cup of broth. Slowly whisk in flour to form a smooth slurry with no lumps. 
5. Remove and discard thyme stems. Pour the slurry into the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Salt to taste (I used about 2 teaspoons).
6. Spoon into bowls and garnish with parsley.

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Instant Pot Chicken Cauliflower Rice Soup

Instant Pot chicken and cauliflower rice soup was amazing, and we have been eating leftovers all week long. Canned chicken soup is always so full of sodium and half the time you aren’t even sure if it’s real chicken in there. So homemade is our way to go!!
Here is a new recipe I made with my Instant Pot that was delicious!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery sticks, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP thyme
Any vegetables of your choice (I used broccoli, chopped red pepper, and peas)
3 large frozen chicken breasts
6 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
One package of frozen cauliflower rice (I get mine at Trader Joe's)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set Instant Pot to Saute function.
2. Heat olive oil and onions until onions start to soften and become translucent, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add garlic, carrots and celery and saute for another minute.
4. Add frozen chicken to Instant Pot, followed by chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, 2 teaspoons of salt and several turns of freshly ground pepper.
5. Turn off Saute function, lock Instant Pot lid in place, make sure pressure valve is set to sealing and set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes, via manual mode.
6. Instant Pot will take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure, then will countdown from 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes at high pressure, Instant Pot will beep and switch to keep warm mode.
8. Turn pressure release valve to Quick Release pressure.
9. Carefully open Instant Pot, keeping lid angled away from you to avoid very hot steam.
10. Remove chicken and set aside to shred.
11. Turn Instant Pot back to Saute function and let chicken broth come to a boil.
12. Shred the chicken.
13. Add frozen cauliflower to the soup.
14. Return shredded chicken to the pot.💓
15. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

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Zucchini Cashew Soup

This is a recipe I had on Day 6 and Day 7 of the Ultimate Reset, a 21 day cleanse, I'm doing, which I started the Monday after Easter.

This soup was one of the recipes that saved me! Creamy, and flavorful, I wanted to make 4 more servings! It's also easy and quick to prepare, although the cashews have to soak for at least an hour. But I set them aside, went and did other things and let them soak!

The recipe below is for one serving.

INGREDIENTS

1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into chunks and steamed
¼ cup raw cashews
Himalayan salt or Bragg® Liquid Aminos (to taste)
Lots of fresh dill (to taste)

PREPARATION

1. Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 1 hour. 

2. Boil one cup of water. Add chunks of zucchini to water and continue to boil about 4-5 minutes. 

3. Combine cashews, cashew water, drained zucchini, salt or aminos, and dill in blender and mix until smooth, adding water as needed for desired consistency. 

**For chunky soup, add steamed chopped vegetables of your choice. 

**Can also be served cold. 

**I thought I added enough dill, but when I made a second batch I added even more and it was much better!

Nutrition

250 calories
17 g fat
3.5 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
30 mg sodium
21 g carbohydrate
4 g fiber
9 g protein
1,036 mg potassium

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Easy Chicken Noodle Soup - Fixate Style

Always warm, comforting, and good for helping to cure a cold, chicken soup is a staple! Made with whole, clean ingredients this recipe is from Autumn Calabrese's Fixate Cookbook and it fits perfectly into the 21 Day Fix or any nutritious meal plan.

Serves 4 (1 1/2 cups each) Prep Time: 15 min. Cooking Time: 20 mins.

21 Day Fix Container Equivalents (per serving): 

1 Red

2 Green

1 1/2 Yellow

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups sliced celery (about 4 medium stalks)
4 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. sea salt (I use himalayan salt)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups dry whole wheat pasta (like penne, rotini, shells, or farfalle) I used gluten-free brown rice and quinoa blend shells I bought at Trader Joe's.
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Add broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add pasta, reduce heat to low; gently boil for 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley or cilantro on top before serving

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving): Calories: 357 Total Fat: 8 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 96 mg Sodium: 518 mg Carbohydrates: 25 g Fiber: 5 g Sugars: 5 g Protein: 44 g

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Hammer and Chisel Mixed Veggie Soup

This recipe, from Beachbody's newest program,  Hammer and Chisel, is bursting with veggies...veggies I normally couldn't get anyone in my family to eat: kale, cabbage, onions are just few. But adding almond milk and then blending all the ingredients hides the vegetables and it just tastes smooth and creamy!

I added some chunks of left over grilled chicken breast for me, but for my husband and sons I, not only added chicken, but I added brown rice ziti pasta as well. It made a hearty, stew-like dinner on a cool, December night! Perfect, healthy, clean comfort food, packed with veggies!!

It's also the perfect snack to tide me over when I'm hungry. I made a big pot on Sunday, put it into individual containers, froze them, and good them with me to work all week.

 INGREDIENTS
4 Cups hot filtered water (I used low sodium vegetable broth)
2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
4 oz green beans, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
1.25 Cups coarsely chopped cabbage (about 4 oz)
3 Cups fresh kale or spinach (I used kale)
3 medium celery stalks, coarsely chopped
3 TBSP reduced sodium tamari soy sauce (gluten-free)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk, warm
Fresh parsley for garnish
The ingredients above are the original recipe. I altered it by adding one small, chopped onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic.

DIRECTIONS
1. Spray large soup pot with olive oil or coconut oil baking spray. Saute onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for about 5 minutes.
2. Add water or broth.
3. Add green beans, cabbage, kale, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes or until soft.
4. Add tamari, and almond milk. Stir.
5. Place soup in a blender or food processor, and blend in batches if necessary, or use an immersion blender to blend until soup is smooth.

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