Happy New Year + MAKEOVER + Creamy Crock Pot Tomato Soup

HAPPP-py New Year!  It's a new year ya'all!  Time for a fresh start, a fresh attitude, a fresh YOU! Joining forces to start EAT ME with my cousin was one of the most exciting and motivating things I did in 2013, and I can't wait to continue to inspire each of you to eat your way to a healthier lifestyle in 2014.  Will this be the year that you reach your health goals?  Will it be the year you fit into those jeans?  Will it simply be the year that you just BEGIN to learn about eating healthy and take one step to doing so by following this blog? Will it be the year that you get into the kitchen for the first time and learn that cooking your own wholesome meal tastes so much better than anything you could pick up at a drive through?  All of these are good intentions (a word I prefer over resolutions), so get EXCITED! This is YOUR year! (ok I am tearing up I have to stop)

With 2014 we bring you.....our UPDATED layout - hurray!  We are pretty proud of how this turned out, especially considering our skillz in the kitchen heavily outweigh our HTML blog design skillz.  We are learning and always open to feedback, so let us know what you think!

We have a lot planned for 2014 including some fun recipe makeovers, contests, and guest posts. But for now, I bring you our FIRST recipe for the New Year!

Get out your SLOW COOKER!  The crock pot is something that I am super intimidated by.  I don’t know why, I think it is because there are too many possibilities (and I don’t love meat).  I challenged myself to find a delish New Year’s Day recipe to show you that eating healthy can be FUN AND super-duper easy.  The addition of these itty bitty teeny tiny grilled cheeses makes this comforting meal a must. This recipe is adapted from Skinnytaste.

Servings: 6

Servings Size: 1 1/2 cups soup + ½ grilled cheese

Points Plus: 5 pp

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent!

Photo from Here

Ingredients

Soup

1 t. olive oil

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 cup finely diced onions

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup fresh basil

3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)

Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional but HIGHLY recommended)(Easy to find at your local health food store such as Whole Foods)

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 3/4 cups fat free milk, warmed

Salt + Pepper

Itty bitty teeny tiny grilled cheeses

6 reduced calorie bread

3 Kraft singles

Spray Butter

Cooking spray

Directions

Soup

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and add celery, carrots, onions and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes then add to slow cooker.

Pour the juice of the tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands; add to slow cooker. Then add your chicken stock, cheese rind (if using) thyme, basil, and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours. After 6 hours remove the cheese rid and, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you don’t have in immersion blender 1) get one 2) be very careful, I have made a huge mess while trying to do this because blending hot soup is hard people!.

Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth. Pour back into the slow cooker and stir. Add salt + pepper to taste.  Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes.

Grilled Cheese

Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Lightly spritz one side of each piece of bread.  Working in batches if necessary, place 1 piece of bread butter side down on pan, top with one piece of cheese and one piece of bread butter side up.  Cook grilled cheeses until brown and toasty.  When sandwiches are finished cut each in half, and then each half into 8 small sandwiches. 

To Serve

Place ½ cups of soup into a bowl and top with 8 tiny grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Tip

Have you ever added a parmesan cheese rind to your soup for a low calorie boost of creamy flavor? The parmesan rind is the hard part of fresh parm that you would normally throw away.  Next time you have one layin’ around, stick it in your freezer to pull out during an upcoming soup making sesh.  OR – you can buy these at your local health store such as Whole Foods or co-op.  I found one for 66 cents!

Enjoy & Happy New Year!

XOXO - Katie