Hi Friend,
Today I'm bringing color to your life with the best soup and salad recipes out there!
Soups and salads are two favorite ways to easily pack nutrients in any meal. They also require minimal prep and you can easily make them hardier or lighter, depending on how hungry you find yourself.
I do want to take a moment to address the elephant in this email, as salad seems to be the quintessential diet food. If you've been reading my blogs for any amount of time, you should know that I am not a proponent of under-fueling in any form and I am not even suggesting that you have to consume salads to be healthy. However, when done well, salads can be pretty great and feel nothing like a forced diet food.
The problem with typical diet salads is they leave you still hungry and unsatisfied because they aren't well balanced. While leafy greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes are filled with micronutrients, they aren't considered a meal and they won't leave you energized hours after consumption.
In order to fuel properly, salads can be a great option, as long as you are eating them in balance with other nutrients. Below I've selected some delicious recipes, but notice how a number of the recipes are lacking in macronutrients, asthey do not include a complex carbohydrate, a protein and a fat source.
When planning your soup and salad meals at home, ensure you get a blend of complex carbohydrate (rice, quinoa, bean, etc), protein, and fat (avocado, coconut cream, turkey bacon etc). Consuming a blend of the macronutrients will provide you with lasting energy and better satisfaction after the meal.
If both your salad and your soup recipes are lacking in macronutrients when combined, here are some easy ways to make them more balanced.
If your recipes lack protein:
Add grilled chicken breast strips atop your salad of choice
Throw lean ground turkey into a soup
Add beans to a salad
If your recipes lack fat:
Top either your salad or soup with avocado
Mix in a spoonful of full fat yogurt or sour cream in your soup for extra creaminess
Chop nuts and add as a crunchy salad topping
If your recipes lack carbohydrates:
Add roasted sweet potato to a salad or throw uncooked, chopped, sweet potato into a soup as it simmers
Incorporate pearled barley to any salad or soup for more fiber
Experiment with topping a soup or salad with dried figs for a hint of sweetness
I hope these recipes help you nourish your family and encourage you to welcome fall!
If you make any of them, make sure to tag me in a social media post with the finished product @mikyahhonestnutrition!
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​Quinoa Chili
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Heaps of blessings,
Mikyah, RDN, LD, CD
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