Power Stewish Soup
10-12 cups of water
20 oz lean ground turkey
1 bag (16 oz) yellow or regular lentils
1 cup of brown rice or whole grain mix (can be barley, bulgur, wild rice)
chicken or veggie bullion
1 large yellow onion
3 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 bell pepper
2 small (plum sized) red or yellow potatoes or turnips
2 bay leaves
2-4 tbsp garlic (more if you love heavy garlic taste)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 can or 3 oz of tomato paste
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
cornstarch if needed at end to thicken
*Add everything except turkey to large crock pot and cook for six hours on high and then cook on low until at right consistency for personal taste. I cook it until everything is very soft and it has cooked down some to make it thicker.
* You may need to add or subtract the amount of lentils and turkey if you have a smaller crock pot. Add turkey in about five hours into cooking.
* I prefer to dice all of my veggies but if you prefer a more chunky veggie then cut larger. It takes longer to cook with large pieces.
*Let cool significantly before putting into freezer. If needed let it sit in your fridge overnight. If you freeze it when it is still warm it will develop ice crystals (I am not a fan).
I am not a hardcore calorie counter, so I don't know the calorie content of this Power Stewish Soup. You can probably figure it out. The important thing for me is that it has lean meat, whole grains, lean protein and plenty of veggies. It covers all of the bases. If you are into creamy soups- this is not for you because it tastes healthy (I don't know how to describe it but some people prefer to make things that imply a richer or creamier content- this does not fake that taste but it is yummy). I have substituted ground lamb with the addition of curry powder to make a different flavor (middle eastern/indian). One thing I try to control is the amount of starch veggies I add. I stick to a small amount of potatoes or turnips and pass on the corn but add it if you like it.
I really like this because it helps me feel full. I am all about full these days!
