For all of us Floridians, the beginning of this Pandemic felt a bit like preparing for a hurricane, leaving shelves at the store bare. Except this time around, even produce was sold out! I don’t know about you, but I love having fresh fruit and produce on hand at the house, so having to resort to pre-made and boxed (snack-type) items made me feel really off my game.
Once I wrapped my head around all of this and realized my kids love to eat allllllll the snacks, I got back on the wagon of having snacks and a meal prepped and ready to go. Here are a few ideas from our kitchen last week!
Immune Boosting Soup
Admittedly not the best picture – I managed to take a video as this colorful soup was a brewing, but completely forgot to snap a photo once it was in our bowls!
I love emptying out the fridge and making soup. I grew up watching my dad and granny doing this and have followed in their footsteps. I am not the best cook, and I love that I don’t have to measure anything when making these delicious, nutritious meals.
Ingredients and why they’re so good for you below! Add all ingredients together to taste.
- Lentils – 1 bag – low in calories, rich in iron and folate and an excellent source of protein. They also may reduce several heart disease risk factors
- Bone Broth – 2 packets of Isagenix Bone Broth – helps boost immune health, supports skin hydration & elasticity, includes 8g of high-quality collagen peptides, and is never treated with hormones or antibiotics (AND with these packets, you don’t have to wait 24 hours for your bone broth to be ready – easy peasy!
- Turmeric – 1 ‘root’, diced. potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis
- Carrots – particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants
- Butternut Squash – abundant source of powerful antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene and can help reduce inflammation
- Spinach – rich in vitamins A, C and K, magnesium, iron and manganese. Eating this leafy green veggie may benefit eye health, reduce oxidative stress and reduce blood pressure levels
- Cumin – can regulate digestion, is rich in iron, can lower cholesterol and can help increase bone density, just to name a few!
- Ginger – contains anti inflammatory properties, may lower blood sugars and & improve heart disease risk factors and can reduce menstrual pain as well as help with nausea
- I also added salt and pepper to taste
The entire family LOVED this soup, and we ate off of it for several days – such an easy go-to meal that is healthy and delicious!
Hard Boiled Eggs
One of my all time favorite snacks – and especially perfect since most of us don’t have to worry about stinking up our office eating them right now – ha!
Hard boiled eggs are high in quality protein and contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratios. They are filling, easy to take when you’re on the go or as you’re trying to just get something to eat quickly. They are incredibly nutritious and have been shown to increase HDL – the good cholesterol. Add them to a salad or eat it by itself!
Fruit Bowl
A fruit bowl on a shelf that the kiddos can have access to is the perfect, easy to grab snack! Purchasing the whole fruit and cutting yourself adds a huge cost savings, and you can rest in knowing that the whole family is getting their share of fruit each day. Last week we added cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple and mango. I probably won’t add mango to the medley of fruit again because it did make the other fruit a little slimy and the kids were not into that!
Fresh fruit is excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber. Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants. Add some to your grocery list this week if you haven’t already!
