6 Secrets to Speedy Soups

Pictured Recipe: Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto »

Try these 6 cooking tricks to make a flavor-packed soup recipe in 30 minutes

At the end of a long and tiring day, spending a lot of time cooking dinner is not always appealing. But with a hungry family ready for dinner, you need a meal that’s quick and easy, has minimal cleanup and is healthy and satisfying.
The solution? A soup pot and some on-hand ingredients are all you need to get a wholesome dinner on the table fast. Soup is inexpensive, too; most can be made for less than $3 a serving. Find out EatingWell's 6 secrets to speedy soup success

Eating Clean? 6 Processed Foods You Can Avoid & Easily Make at Home

iet. With easy homemade recipes, cutting back on processed foods and eating clean is easier than you might think.

We may never all agree on just what "eating clean" really means, but if cleansing your diet means you think about your food, learn more about where it comes from and how healthy it is for you, that's a good thing. Start by eating wholesome fruits and vegetables, especially those that are in season. Choose whole grains and whole-grain products over refined ones. Try limiting (but not necessarily eliminating) saturated fats, sodium and added sugars in your cooking and in the prepared foods you choose.
For many of us, the easiest way to eat clean is to cook at home. While we don't all have time to make everything we eat from scratch, it can be fun (and easy!) to try your hand at making a few of the convenient processed foods you’d usually buy.
What are processed foods? They often come in a box or a jar, are can be high in added sugars, low in fiber and whole grains, processed with sodium, high in fat or include trans fat and lots of saturated fat.
While snack foods, candy, cookies and crackers are certainly considered processed foods, “healthy” foods can fall into this category too. Here is a list of 6 common processed foods that you can easily make a healthier homemade version of:

Day Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan

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See how to eat 1,200 calories a day.

EatingWell's 7-Day Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan is designed to provide an overall healthy-eating program at five different daily caloric levels: 1,200, 1,400, 1,600, 1,800 and 2,000. The menus are packed with nutrient-rich foods, including whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Find out which calorie level is best for your with this simple calculation. Using that daily calorie goal, cut 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week. To lose two pounds, cut 1,000 calories.
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EatingWell 7 Day Diet Meal Plan

7 Day Weight Loss 1200 calorie menu - Day 1

• Breakfast

  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • 1 Orange, medium
  • 1 Cup Cheerios Cereal

• Morning Snack

  • 1 Cup Cantaloupe Melon

• Lunch

  • Vietnamese-Style Beef & Noodle Broth
  • 1 Whole-Wheat Pita Bread, small
  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • 1 Fudgsicle, no sugar added

• Afternoon Snack

  • 2 Tablespoons Prepared Hummus
  • 3 Ounces Celery Sticks

• Dinner

  • 1/2 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
  • Green & Yellow Beans with Wild Mushrooms
  • Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade
  • 1/2 Banana, small

Cheesecake Pancakes

Make restaurant-inspired cream cheese pancakes at home and there's no limit to how many you can have.

• Prep Time 30 min
• Total Time 8 hr 30 min
• Servings 5

Ingredients

Pancakes

1

package (8 oz) cream cheese

2

cups Original Bisquick® mix

1/2

cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4

cup sugar

1

cup milk

2

eggs

Strawberry Syrup

1

cup sliced fresh strawberries

1/2

cup strawberry syrup for pancakes

Shrimp Fried Rice

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• Prep Time 30 min
• Total Time 30 min
• Servings 4

Ingredients

1

tablespoon sesame oil

2

eggs, slightly beaten

1

tablespoon olive oil

2

cups chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) broccoli

1

cup chopped carrots

1

cup fresh or frozen (thawed) snow pea pods

2

cups cold cooked white rice

1

clove garlic, finely chopped

1

teaspoon grated gingerroot

3

tablespoons soy sauce

1

lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled (tail shells removed), deveined

1

cup chopped green onions

• 1 In wok or large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Cook eggs in oil, stirring constantly, until thickened but still moist. Remove eggs from skillet to plate; cover to keep warm.
• 2 In same skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, carrots and pea pods; stir-fry until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in rice, garlic, gingerroot and soy sauce. Add shrimp. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is hot and shrimp are pink.
• 3 Stir in scrambled eggs and green onions; cook 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Brown rice is a nutritious option that can be used in this recipe.
Use your favorite combination of veggies in this fried rice.

Friendship Bread How-To Prepare It

1

Make a starter then make a loaf of delicious cinnamon bread. We've detailed everything you need to know to kick off this fun tradition—from a simple starter mix to the first, fresh-from-the-oven slice. 

Amish friendship bread is a quick bread made with a sweet, sourdough starter. The starter ferments for 10 days then doubles in size. Every day the starter must be tended to (Don’t worry: it’s as easy as you squishing the bag it comes in!). On the 10th day you share some of the starter with friends (so they can begin making their own loaves) and bake two delicious loaves of cinnamon-scented bread for you and a new friend.
Check out the recipe for instructions on how to get started. After your starter has been stirred and squished for ten days, you're ready to make a batch of bread.
This recipe isn't just simple and delicious; it's also a fun way to teach your kids basic baking skills. Begin by mixing the ingredients together to make a smooth batter.

Spray two large loaf pans with nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour in the mix). If you can't find baking spray, generously butter and flour the pan instead. The more the merrier when it comes to greasing a pan so that the bread won't stick!

This is where the bread takes a turn for the delicious! Traditional Amish Friendship bread is a loaf of cinnamoney goodness. But we amped things up with an extra cinnamon swirl. (It’s so beautiful to slice into!) To give your loaves a final flair, scoop about 1/3 of the batter into a medium bowl, add cinnamon (lots and lots of cinnamon), then whisk until the batter changes to a deep, brown color.

Now place little dollops of the cinnamon batter into the bowl with the remaining batter and use a fork or knife to gently swirl together, but just a little!

You want to keep those nice, big swirls intact by not overmixing.

Now pour the batter into your two, prepared loaf pans…

And get ready to bake in a hot oven. The loaves will need about an hour to bake—the perfect amount of time to clean the kitchen.

Once your loaves are out of the oven and cooled, wrap them up with a note and share with a new friend.

They'll be so glad you did, and you will too!

Don't forget to give your bread with a bag of friendship bread starter to keep the fun going for everyone, all year long.

How to Make Gbegiri (Beans) Nigerian Soup

When some people think of beans, they assume there are only few ways you can make it. Gbegiri is soup made from beans and it is easy to make and very tasty. This is a traditional Nigerian recipe that is specific to the Yoruba People. Many Nigerian Soups have their variations. Gbegiri is on of those dishes. You can add or subtract from it to fit your taste buds. Some like it really spicy and some like it mild. Gbegiri is a Yoruba word which means ‘beans’. Vegetarians can have their version of this dish by skipping on the meat, chicken etc but still getting the protein requirement from this meal. Enjoy the Pot Pourri version of the Gbegiri Recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of beans

Red Oil

Stock (Dry) Fish

Meat

Salt

Cube

Grounded Crayfish

Dry Pepper

Blended pepper and Tomato

Recipe 

Soak the beans in some hot water; this makes it easier for the back of the beans to come off

Wash the beans until it is completely clean.

Put it in a pan and allow to boil for an hour and 30 minutes or until it is completely soft and mushy.

In another pot, boil your meat and add the necessary seasoning.

Using a sieve, extract the liquified beans. Use a spoon as this is easier, and it will help remove all the water completely.

Transfer the extraction into a clean pot and add the red oil, a little blended pepper, and dry pepper.

Allow to boil for 3-5 minutes, then add the meat stock.

Season to taste

Add the dry fish( ensure you soak the dry fish in some hot salted water before using it)  and the cray fish.

Allow to boil on low heat for 10 minutes.

You can serve with ewedu (jute leaves) and pounded yam or amala.