I’ve been kind of obsessed with making soups lately. Well, I’m not sure if obsessed or just looking for healthy and quick options to make for dinner. Truly with my pregnancy my energy levels are not what they used to be! Looking at the bright side, I’ve been experimenting with new soup recipes that are balanced husband and balanced baby approved (oh I hope she likes my soups when she is born!).
Also, good homemade soups come with plenty of healthy benefits such as:
Increased vegetables intake:
The American Heart Association recommends that we eat 8 or more servings or vegetables per day, that’s about 4 to 4 ½ cups. Let’s face it, this is not easy to accomplish and a good vegetable soup can help us with that goal.
Increased nutrient intake:
A soup is like a multivitamin injection and your body will thank you for it.
Filling:
They keep you full without excess calories. If you are like me then you eat a soup as an appetizer and by the time your main course comes you are almost full, and full of veggies.
For this recipe in specific I want to highlight the benefits of asparagus, the skinny vegetable that can indeed make you skinnier. I just love everything about them, everything except the smell of pee after you eat them haha.
- They have a ton of nutrients including folate (attention preggo friends), vitamins A, C, E and K. They are also high in chromium a mineral that helps insulin transport glucose into our cells.
- They protect us against cancer because they are rich in glutathione, a detox compound that helps break down free radicals that cause cancer.
- It’s a brain booster. The folate in them along with B12 found in other foods has been shown to prevent cognitive impairment and increase mental flexibility.
- It’s a natural diuretic. This is especially important for people suffering from edema and hypertension. If you are wondering why the smell of pee when you consume them, It’s because they contain a sulfuric compound that when metabolized causes that odor. However, there is nothing harmful about it.
- 1 lb asparagus (with 1” of the stem removed)
- 1 medium shallot sliced
- 1 tb olive oil
- 2 garlic clove sliced
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 2 cups of water (more if needed)
- 3 cups of spinach
- Juice of 1 large juicy lemon
- Salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a baking pan place the asparagus along with the shallots, olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, and salt to taste and insert in the oven for about 25 minutes.
- In the stove top, heat the water with the broth until warm, add the spinach for just about 2 minutes until wilted.
- Transfer the water, broth spinach mixture into the blender along with the asparagus with the shallots, the lemon juice, extra garlic clove, and salt to taste and blend until smooth.
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