Zesty Italian Soup + Weekly Menu
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I grew up at ice rinks. I anxiously purchase tickets to outdoor beer fests. In January. In Michigan. The cold doesnt scare me. And yet, I seem to become more and more sensitive to those low temperatures. If my crows feet werent a sign of aging, my intolerance of cold certainly would be.
I was sitting in a somewhat climate-controlled room yesterday at the rink for a meeting. I asked my friend if I could use his jacket to drape over my legs. SO COLD. And yet, no one around me was cold, it seemed. Some of them had even removed their jackets. Whats the deal?
As I was sitting here editing images, I was looking out the window at the gloom. It is so very grey this time of year and its a bit exhausting. If the sun comes out, it happens to be when Im at work, in my office without a window, of course. Ill walk out of my office, catch a glimpse of sunlight, and immediately to just jet out of the office.
January and February are long and after the unpredicted temperate November and December weve had, it is sure to seem all the longer. At this rate, itll be snowing Memorial Day weekend. PLEASE prove me wrong, mother earth.
The holidays behind us, the gym busting at the seams, PELOTON CRASHING (WTF?!)tis the season for health and wellness. Healthy food bloggers, such as myself, love this time of year.
My mom turned me on to this recipe. She loves her Taste of Home recipes. I tweaked it a bit to include spinach and omitted the crock pot, becauseunnecessary. Stove top is much quicker!
- 20 oz sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried minced garlic
- 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook italian sausage until no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon, about 6-8 minutes.
- To the pot, add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, jalapeno, Italian seasoning and garlic. stir well. Cook on medium-low for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook macaroni according to package directions, until al dente. Add to the pot, along with the spinach, during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Serve hot.
Weekly Menu: January 5th 9th
- Sunday: Easy Meatball Subs with green beans and broccoli
- Monday: Seasame Soba Noodles with roasted salmon
- Tuesday: breakfast for dinner scrambled eggs, hashrbowns, toast, fruit
- Wednesday: Spicy Thai Basil Chicken with rice
- Thursday: leftovers/takeout/lasagna from the freezer with salad
Be well,
