Busy Moms Need Easy, Healthy Recipes

It's been a busy couple of weeks recently, and unfortunately one of the first things to give when the going gets tough is our blog. Thanks for sticking with us! Amidst our busy lives, I can't help but notice that everyone is looking for really simple, cheap recipes, so....

This week, our focus will be recipes that can be made quickly and inexpensively that also match the rapidly cooling temperatures (we'll also keep them as healthy as possible).

Yesterday, it was one of those Sundays- the hubs was raking leaves and doing yardwork, the air was chilly, and I needed an easy something to make since I'm erring on the easy side of things lately (I'm 17 weeks pregnant). I found this recipe that I used to make in college, and thought it was worth trying again- hearty, healthy, and of course cheesy- what more could we ask for? Here you go! Hope you like it as much as the three of us did! This would be a great soup, blended a tiny bit, for 9-12 month olds also. Use organic frozen veggies- they're much better tasting and free of pesticides.


Vegetable Cheese Soup


2 tablespoons butter
1 9-10 oz russet potato peeled, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 T all purpose flour
4 cups veggie broth
1 15 ounce can creamed corn (if you don't like the sugar content leave it out)
1 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
1 10 oz package frozen mixed veggies (you can really use any veggies here- green beans, broccoli, we used corn, peas, and carrots)
2 cups packed grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
chopped fresh parsley


Directions:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium high heat. Add potato, celery, onion, and thyme. Saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Gradually mix in veggie broth. Add all vegetables and creamed corn and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, add grated cheese and stir until smooth. Mix in hot pepper sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley.