Healthy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was just what I needed. Friday our younger son was sick (and cranky!) so it felt like a long day, although it was really nice to be home with the boys. J did NOT want to go to day care when he found out I would be home with C, but he was kind of sad to miss show & tell, so we did it at home (which was adorable! He was so proud, and C clapped for him, which made it even more exciting to him). Anyway, C felt better Saturday morning and the weekend has been a nice mix of down time & productivty at home and getting some errands accomplished. I even got to have a pedicure Saturday and go see a movie with a friend last night! I felt pretty pampered. AND I get to be home with the boys today, which I’m excited about. I’m going to try to NOT be productive, but just have fun with them. I always have to remind myself that even one year from now I won’t care at all that the dusting was forgotten, but I’ll cherish the memories with the people I love. And I know the boys don’t care if the house is messy – it really feels like they prefer it that way, with the way they contribute to the situation!

Ok, on to the menu plan for the week! I have officially signed up for Weight Watchers thanks to inspiration from some friends and am hoping to lose the baby weight (I can still call it that almost 2 years later… right?) plus eat healthier. I’ve done some searching online to find low point meal options, and I’ve found two new ones to incorporate this week that I’ll share. Also, read below about a really cool food-related giveaway I’ll be posting later today!

Monday: Grilled chicken with spinach & baby greens, cucumbers, and carrots. We found, through a friend, some salad dressing that’s yogurt-based and has a much lower fat & calorie content.

Tuesday: Chick-Fil-A – I’m going to go ahead and get either nuggets or strips (I have to look up and see which is healthier) but am going to forego fries for fresh fruit, and have water instead of coke or (sigh) sweet tea.

Wednesday: Paninis and sweet potato soup. The soup is one of the new recipes and I’m hoping it’s as good as it sounds! WW people, one serving is 2 points (6 servings total with this dish):

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free half & half
• 2 packets Truvia (this is my first time cooking with stevia, but my mom and dad have used it for years and love it)
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:

1. At night, bake the sweet potatoes at 375 degrees until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then store covered overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Right after you get home from work, blend the sweet potatoes and chicken broth. You can either use a blender/food processor or an immersion blender (We have an immersion blender and it is WORTH IT! I love that thing).
3. Pour the mixture into a large pot. Add the half & half, Truvia, salt, dry mustard and allspice.
4. Cook on medium-low, covered, for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Thursday: We never ended up making the Asian beef with bell peppers from last week, so we’ll give that one a try!

Friday: Another new recipe- Lemon Garlic Chicken. This one’s a crock pot recipe, yay! This makes 8 servings, and each one is 3 points on WW. We’ll also be serving it with roasted new potatoes & carrots.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning
• 4 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Directions:

1. Mix together lemon pepper seasoning, paprika, and salt. Coat the chicken with the spice mixture.
2. Place the coated chicken in the crock pot. Cover with chicken broth, garlic, parsley, onions, and lemon zest.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (I’m going to try letting it go for 8 hours or so while at work – I’ll let you know how it goes).

Saturday: Leftovers! Exciting Saturday night meal plan, I know. It’s funny to me how in college that was the night to go out for dinner and now it’s the night we just want to crash!

I mentioned earlier that I’ve got a giveaway to post later today – it’s from freshology.com, and it’s a good one! I’m really excited about it & think you’ll like it too.

Edited to Add – Here’s a link to the giveaway!