Skinny Veggie Soup

It's after Christmas and I ate WAY too much the past week (ok, maybe it's a month!), time for something light and basic that tastes great!
Nothing better than soup, and I LOVE soups! This soup is great as a side, or as a quick and easy lunch.

This recipe is based on an old Weight Watchers recipe called Zero Soup, but I found that I would get hungry after a few hours and needed to add more veggies. This is super flexible, if you hate some of the veggies, substitute them for something you love.

Recently I gave in and got an Instant Pot...so you're gonna see some of my favourites with Electric Pressure Cooker options.

Skinny Veggie Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 onion (1 cup), diced

1 cup Carrot, diced

1 cup Celery, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3 cups Cabbage, finely cut/shaved in 2 inch ribbons or bigger chunks if you like the crunch

1 large can of diced tomatoes (796ml/28oz)
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1/2 cup green beans (I use frozen)
3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1/2 cup Zucchini, chopped

1/2 tsp dried Basil

1/2 tsp dried Oregano
bay leaf

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop veggies. Heat olive oil in a soup pot and saute onion, carrot and celery in the oil for 5 minutes, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients except for Zucchini and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes until carrots have your preferred texture. Add Zucchini and simmer for 5 more minutes.

If you want to use your Electric Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot, saute veggies as above then set Pressure for 1 minute, and do a manual release to let the steam out of your pot right away.

This soup freezes well and is amazing with Biscuits or Buns on the side! 

Happy fitting back into your clothes season!

~Adel~ 

BC Chicken & Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This weekend, I thought it would be fun to go to a new store to do our weekly grocery shop. While the grocery shopping experience was a bust with two major meltdowns in the store (yes I was the meanest mom in the world and wouldn't let them buy popsicles on a very cold day), we managed to learn something new in the process that quite honestly blew my mind and I'm sure I'm not alone, so I thought I'd share what I learned.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I've been working to reduce additives, chemicals, and sugars - trying to live a more natural & healthy life. It's been a long process of learning to make more from scratch and making healthier choices in the store. I've been slowly changing us over to organic, local, and homegrown/homemade food. 

While we were shopping at Save On Foods, we saw some local chicken farmers called the Chicken Squad working to dispel some myths about the chicken farming industry. I don't know about you, but I've always understood that the meat & poultry available in my local store is full of hormones and steroids and that the chickens are force fed to get really fat. This has influenced my decision to buy mostly organic, thinking it was the healthiest choice for my family. I've been researching and learning about where my food really comes from and discovered that I've been given some misleading information. Did you know that the use of steroids and hormones has been banned in Canada since the 1960's? Really! I had no idea. This discovery has really made me think and I'm reconsidering my choice to not purchase regular chicken from the store.

The Chicken Squad even made a great little movie trailer to help spread the word (check it out at chickensquad.ca)! Lady & Bug thought the action packed trailer was funny, especially the growing chicken! Bug even asked me if we could do that at home (of course I said no!). Instead I managed to calm the popsicle meltdowns with the promise that we would go home with our chicken and make our own Chicken Nuggets.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

4 Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Milk

1 Sleeve of Crackers (your favourite of course)

1 Tbsp Flour

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-2" bit sized pieces.

In a shallow bowl, combine egg and milk. Beat well to mix.


Crunch up crackers using a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin. Add Flour, thyme, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, pepper & salt and mix well. This recipe works best if crackers have been crushed very fine (like cornmeal).

Coat a few chicken pieces at a time in egg mixture and then toss into a bag with the cracker mixture. Twist bag at the top and shake to coat. Place chicken on a baking sheet at least 1/2" apart and repeat until all the chicken has been coated with the cracker mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Turn chicken over and bake for 5-10 more minutes until chicken reaches at least 165F internal temperature.


Yum! Lady & Bug (and Daddy Ladybug) approved.

Thanks BC Chicken Farmers for helping our family learn something new and for all your hard work so that we could have some really yummy chicken to make nuggets.

~Adel~

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Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

Daddy Ladybug loves all things convenience. He especially loves the food of his childhood, so today I decided to try my hand at Pizza Pockets.

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2/3 cups Regular or Butter Flavoured Shortening

1/2 cup Cold Water (more or less as needed)

1 cup Pizza Sauce, divided in 2 (make your own!)

1/2 cup Pizza Pepperoni, chopped in small chunks

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 egg, beaten

Make pastry crust by mixing flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening until it is the consistency of oatmeal and slowly add cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing with hands, until the dough sticks together but not sticky. Roll out to about 1/4" thickness and cut 5" circles. Should make about 12 circles.

In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup of pizza sauce to bowl, saving remaining sauce for dipping. Mix in pepperoni, mozzarella, parmesan and seasoning.

Spoon 1 Tbsp of filling into the middle of each circle, fold in half and crimp edges together with a fork, fingers, or a pastry pocket maker, ensuring edges are well sealed. (note: It's easy to want to overfill, but I've learned that adding more than a Tbsp of filling makes it run out or be difficult to seal well) 

Place filled pockets on a greased baking sheet and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake for 20 minutes at 375F until tops start to become golden.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup of pizza sauce and serve on the side as a dip.

A great homemade lunch option, or make a double or triple batch and freeze partially cooked (about 15 minutes) and cook in the microwave to heat up for a quick snack. Great for kids, hungry teens, and Daddy Ladybug's post-hockey starvation!

~Adel~

Pizza Subs

Daddy Ladybug has been working on perfecting one of his favourite lunches, so I thought I'd share it!

Pizza Subs

6 Submarine Buns

Pizza Sauce

Sub Sauce (I use Maple Leaf Ezee Sub Sauce) or Zesty Italian Dressing

18 slices Pepperoni Sausage

18 slices Salami Sausage

18 slices Ham

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated

Italian Seasoning

Slice sub buns horizontally (leaving it hinged on one side) and open. Place open on a baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce on both halves and squeeze a bit of sub sauce or italian dressing on each side. Place 3 slices of each kind of meat on each sub. Top with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with italian seasoning. Bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese gets bubbly and starts to brown. Fold closed, slice in half, and serve. 

Delicious hot or cold. I wrap any leftovers individually in the fridge and save for snacks or lunches. Can also be done on the grill if you don't want to use the oven. Add other toppings (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, pineapple) if desired - my family likes them plain!

~Adel~

Ladybug Soup

Ladybug Soup

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

2 strips Bacon, finely chopped 

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Carrots, diced 

2 sticks Celery, chopped

1 Zucchini, chopped 

1 large Yam, diced
1 large Sweet Potato, diced 

1 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Basil

1 can Diced Tomatoes 

1 can Chick Peas (garbanzo), drained and rinsed 

4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth

2 cups Fresh Spinach (whole)

½ cup Pasta (any kind)

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1/4 tsp pepper 

In a stock pot, heat oil and cook bacon until crispy. Add Onion and cook until browned, Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add carrots, celery, zucchini, yam, oregano & basil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chick peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach, pasta, salt & pepper. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Serve with fresh basil, sour cream or green onions as desired.  

Best fresh off the stove, but will freeze nicely and reheat in a slow cooker! 

Great hearty soup for a cool rainy day.

~Adel~

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

6 slices Bacon, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 potatoes, cubed

3 cups corn

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup milk

4 tsp flour

salt 

pepper

red pepper flakes

In a large sauce pan, cook bacon until crisp. Add onion & pepper, cook until soft but not brown.

Add chicken broth & potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add corn and cook for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and corn are tender. 

Add milk, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

In a small bowl, combine a small amount of water with the flour. Add slowly while stirring  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute until thickened.

Delicious!

~Adel~