Healthier to you Potato and Ham Soup Recipe

Today has been a lot about food to me.  I’ve been PMS’ing B-I-G time today and incredibly moody.  When this happens I tend to redirect my moodiness to something creative.  Today I’ve been cooking up a storm – and trying to be healthy.

Now – before you get all excited – I’m not one of those New Year’s resolution kind of gals.  I’ve never really worried about my weight too much and never really had to diet.  However, as you reach mid-thirty (I mean 29) your metabolism does slow down.  The hubs has been eating healthy and exercising for about a year now and looks younger and more fit than the day we met. 

I’ve been on the all-you-can-eat-breastfeeding diet for two years now and haven’t really cared too much about what I put into my body.  Sure it has to be healthy because I’m feeding Lil B as well – but I’ve never been overly concerned with watching my figure.  So I eat chocolate (alot), drink sodas (less than I use to), and love CHEESE! 

Yesterday we made our traditional ham, black-eyed peas and turnip greens for New Years Day and I’m now stuck with a TON of ham in the fridge.  This lead me to searching the web today for leftover meal ideas.  I didn’t really find what I was looking for…but I found something better…and healthy!

Here is my modified recipe for a Healthier to You Potato and Ham Soup (Original: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1088659)

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• olive oil
• 5-6 medium potatoes (any variety will work – you’ll need about 2 lbs roughly)
• 2 cans veggie or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cauliflower puree (I used this recipe: http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipe_white_puree.php)
• 2 small containers of Square One organic super food puree- butternut squash variety (recipe called for 1.5 cups butternut squash puree)
• 1 cup milk (recipe called for Buttermilk – gag!)
• added: leftover ham cubed
• optional: cheese
• salt and pepper to taste (won’t need much salt if you add the ham)

Directions:

1. Bake potatoes in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until squishy (yes – I said squishy – real technical!)
2. Heat stock pot/dutch oven over medium heat
3. Add olive oil, diced onion, and diced/minced garlic – sweat until onions are almost clear
4. Add broth and ham to pot
5. When potatoes are squishy remove from oven and allow to cool to the touch (about 5 minutes)
6. While still warm remove skins from potatoes and place in a separate bowl for mashing
7. Mash potatoes until slightly lumpy in texture
8. Take 1/4 of potatoes and puree with cauliflower puree until smooth
9. Add all of the potatoes (pureed and mashed) to pot
10. Add containers of Square One butternut squash or butternut squash puree to pot
11. Add milk, cheese and salt and pepper to taste
12. Eat and enjoy!

I made a similar potato soup without the added veggies (and a ton of butter and cheese) a few weeks ago and the family devoured it.  In an effort to make it a little less fattening and a little more healthy I tried this recipe.  It turned out really well and both my children (ages 7 and 2) asked for seconds.  Hubby didn’t enjoy it as much as the fatty version – but he was polite and ate it without much added commentary.  I was really impressed that you couldn’t taste the added veggies and that my kids asked for more.  I personally felt much better about eating a second bowl tonight as compared with the fattier version. 

Never heard of Square One Organics?   They are a brand of frozen organic baby food that is available on Amazon, locally in Chicago, and I’m sure will be popping up at a store near you soon.  I received a sample set of 6 of their flavors geared for babies and tots starting at 6 months.  Since my baby is almost 2 I decided to find creative ways to incorporate already pureed organic vegetables into our meals.  The above recipe was my own modification but Square One does have a list of additional recipes that you can try with each of their purees.  I’m actually really excited to try the Chocolate and Spinach Cupcakes.  I have more to share with you about Square One this week so stay tuned for some Healthier to You recipes from The Eco Chic Kitchen. 

Oh – and Happy New Years!  Do you make resolutions?  Do you set goals for the New Year?  I’ve never written mine down and when I’m done PMS’ing I’ll work on that.