Lentil and Kale Soup

1 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 cup dried barley
2 T olive oil
10 cups stock, veggie or chicken
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped celery
2-3 cups chopped sweet potatoes (chunks)
3-4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1 large can diced tomatoes (791 ml or 28 oz)
½ - 1 tsp thyme, oregano
1+ T cumin
A few shakes of cayenne
Salt/Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in pan and sauté onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and kale until softened. Add stock, sweet potatoes, lentils, barley, and herbs. Cook for an hour or more until veggies and cooked through and barley is softened. Add more water or stock as needed. Add more seasoning if needed.

1 ½ cups is about 200 calories.
3.5 g fat, 35 g carb, 8 g protein

Black Bean and Rice Soup Recipe

I can't remember where I got the original recipe which has been adapted to suit my tastes. If I find the source, I will post it here.


1 T olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
3-4 stalks diced celery
2-3 diced carrots
1 large can diced tomatoes (790 ml / 28 oz)
3-4 cups cooked black beans (I soak 1 cup overnight then drain. I cook them in a crockpot with fresh water, all day on low before I make the soup. You can also used canned, drained beans.)
1 cup dry brown rice
6-8 cups chicken broth (use veggie if you want)
salt and pepper
1-2 T cumin
1-2 T chili powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
Fresh lime juice

• Saute chopped onion, garlic, diced celery and carrot in a little olive oil (and/or butter).
• Add beans, tomatoes, chicken stock and herbs/spices
• Simmer gently for awhile until rice is cooked. Add more stock as necessary.
• Serve in a bowl with a big squeeze of lime juice.
• You could add cilantro but I don't like it.

1 ½ cups is about 220 calories.
2.5 g fat, 39 g carb, 9 g protein

Butternut Squash and Kale Soup

Adapted from a recipe in the Canadian Living cookbook "Eat Right: Your Guide to Good Health."

2 T butter or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tsp diced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper
5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large potato, peeled and cubed (try sweet potato next time)
4 cups chicken broth (veggie broth might also work)
2 T tomato paste
2 T fresh lemon juice
2-3 cups finely chopped kale.
1/2 c. milk if desired

Experiment with the seasonings. I added some thyme and savory. Oregano, basil, and/or cumin might also be nice.

Saute onion, celery, garlic in butter. Add ginger, curry, S&P. Stir in squash and potato. Stir to coat. Add broth, tomato paste and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash in pot with potato masher (or hand blender). Stir in kale and simmer covered 10 minutes or until kale is soft. Adjust seasoning. Serve with 1-2 T milk stirred in to each bowl. Yum!

Edit Update: I made this again today and added 2-3 cups of grated carrots that I had left over. I also used a sweet potato (dark orange) instead of regular potato. Still delish!

Something New!

I've been trying to figure out how to add recipes and other nutrition information that I have found useful but I wanted it to be easily accessible and not all mixed up with my training talk on my Kelownagirl Blog. I decided to add a separate blog just for recipes and tips and will try to add new information and ideas whenever I come across them. Please feel free to post your own recipes and tips in the comment section!