Make-Ahead

Mighty Minestrone Soup

Published February 19, 2012 | By Hallie Klecker

Never underestimate the power of a humble bowl of vegetable soup.

On bone-chilling winter days, nothing says comfort like a steaming bowl of warm broth and vegetables. A treasure-chest of nutrients, this easy minestrone soup packs loads of vitamins and minerals into every spoonful. If, like me, you’re continually making an effort to incorporate more fresh produce into your diet, than you’ll definitely want to add this nourishing one-pot meal to your arsenal!

With colds and flus spreading like wildfire through our communities this time of year, we have all the more reason to support our immune systems with megawatt nutrition so that our bodies can combat whatever bug comes their way. Vegetables are the foundation of an immune-boosting diet.

Let’s take a look at a few of the vegetables you’ll find in this soup and just what it is that they do for our bodies:
Keep reading for health benefits and Hallie’s recipe!

14 Comments

Comforting Chicken Pot Pie & the Benefits of Coconut Oil

Published February 16, 2012 | By Kelly Brozyna

As I mentioned last month, one way I simplify my life (as a family who sometimes goes for weeks without eating out) is by making double batches of everything. Leftovers are a beautiful thing

At this time of year, when it’s cold (and often snowing) outside, I love to make a double batch of chicken pot pie. Chicken pot pie was one of the first comfort foods I made as an adult. I have fond memories of cooking chicken pot pie in our first townhouse, the winter after we were married. It felt so cozy.

I still get that cozy feeling every winter making chicken pot pie for my family. Only now I make it much healthier. One way I make it uber-healthy is by using coconut oil in the crust. Have you heard that coconut oil is unhealthy? It’s a common misunderstanding. Dr. Mercola explains how this misunderstanding happened here: Is Coconut Oil REALLY Healthy?

Keep reading for more tips and recipes from The Balanced Platter…

42 Comments

Menu Planning & Ham Chowder

Published January 19, 2012 | By Kelly Brozyna

I don’t make weekly menu plans, but I secretly admire those who do. Menu plans appeal to my love of organization, much like this pantry of canned goods.

However, I wanted to show you what a week of meals looks like at my house. So I wrote down a week of meals like a journal. You can use it as a menu plan, or let it be an inspiration to you for the beauty of leftovers

As you can see, I rarely make a single batch of anything. I double most of my recipes so we have leftovers. It saves me so much time and energy.

Also, you can see a theme running through this week’s meals — beans! I save so much money buying dry beans and using them in my cakes, breads, and more. Plus, soaking dry beans and cooking them yourself makes them much easier to digest than canned beans.

Planning your menu for the week starts the weekend before, and for this week in particular it starts with cooking lots and lots of beans. But when you realize that this meal plan is for four people, you see that it isn’t really so many beans per person.

Saturday: Soak 7 cups of dry Navy Beans in enough water to cover the beans, plus three inches.

Sunday: Strain the soaking water and simmer the beans in enough fresh water to cover, plus about two inches. Simmer beans for about one hour.
Store half of the cooked beans in the fridge and freeze the other half for later in the week. (Beans usually last about four days in the fridge.)
Bake Coffee Cake for breakfast Monday and Tuesday.

(Recipes below that are made with beans include: Coffee Cake, Ranch Dressing, Szechuan Bean Burgers, Buckwheat Soda Bread, Ham Chowder (recipe below), Walnut Brownies, and Cherry and Almond Scones.)

One week menu plan for four people:

Monday: Coffee Cake (one batch serves us for two mornings), Salad with Ranch Dressing, Paprika Chicken (double for leftovers)

Tuesday: leftover Coffee Cake, Easy Oven Omlette, Szechuan Bean Burgers (double for leftovers)

Wednesday: Smoothies from this ebook, leftover Szechuan Bean Burgers, leftover Paprika Chicken

Thursday: German Pancake, Buckwheat Soda Bread from this cookbook of mine with Eggs in Ramekins, Ham Chowder (double for leftovers, recipe below)

Friday: Smoothies from this ebook, leftover Ham Chowder, Chicken Mole (double for leftovers) from this cookbook of mine, Ali’s Creamed Kale, Walnut Brownies (double for leftovers)

Saturday: Cherry and Almond Scones (double for leftovers) from this cookbook of mine, Elana’s Quiche (double for leftovers), leftover Chicken Mole, leftover Creamed Kale and Walnut Brownies

Sunday: leftover Cherry and Almond Scones, Turkey Wraps (double for leftovers), leftover Quiche

Print recipe

Ham Chowder (photo above):

Puree in high power blender or food processor:
2 cups Navy Beans
1/2 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 cups broth

Set aside.

Saute for about ten minutes:
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup celery

Add to onions and celery:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Saute about five minutes more, being careful not to burn the garlic

Add the puree to the onions, celery and garlic.
Also Add:
6 oz chopped cooked ham
2 cups broth
2 cups Navy Beans

Simmer (without lid) about thirty minutes, stirring periodically.

Add:
1 tsp Herbamare

Thickens as it cools.