I have been fortunate enough to have a husband who frequently prepared and made the meals in our household. So now that I have pretty much taken over the responsibility for every meal (with the exception of some breakfasts) to ensure our Whole30 compliance, it has added quite a bit to my hypothetical “plate.” I have never been very good or consistent for that matter at creating a weekly or monthly menu, heck, even my daily meal plans are often last minute. So part of my anxiety when deciding to start the Whole30 was partially due to the fact that I was going to have to be very diligent about planning and meticulous about following the program so closely. I initially began by planning a week’s worth of meals and jotting down ideas of what would work for main courses the following week. As week 3 began I sat down on Sunday night and made a plan through Thursday. My goal was to mostly eat leftovers and use the meat that we have in our freezer to develop our meals around. And we did pretty well with that approach.
My goal is to create a little bit of a recipe database (in some way or another–it will be a learning process so bear with me) to share some of the recipes we’ve enjoyed during this experience as well as how some of my old, everyday recipes I’ve adapted to be Whole30 compliant. One of the meals I made consisted of this Homestyle Creamy Tomato Soup, Applegate Organics Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sausages, and a spinach mix salad with Tessemae’s Southwest Ranch dressing. The only thing that would have made this meal more complete would have been to have a nice piping hot grilled cheese sandwich with it. But, that will have to wait until another time when the Whole30 is not in full effect. I cut my sausage up and added it directly to my soup, but my husband and son simply ate theirs on the side. Either way it was a relatively quick and easy meal with items I already had on hand.
Homestyle Creamy Tomato Soup
I love homemade tomato soup that has texture to it. This is a delicious recipe that doesn't take long to make, is Whole30 compliant, and great for a cool day!
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Servings |
Prep Time |
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4 |
15 minutes |
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Servings |
Prep Time |
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4 |
15 minutes |
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Homestyle Creamy Tomato Soup
I love homemade tomato soup that has texture to it. This is a delicious recipe that doesn't take long to make, is Whole30 compliant, and great for a cool day!
|
Servings |
Prep Time |
|
4 |
15 minutes |
|
Servings |
Prep Time |
|
4 |
15 minutes |
|
|
|
Instructions
In large stock pot, heat 1 Tbsp EVOO over medium-high heat. Add onion & garlic & cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.
Add tomatoes & juiced, gently crushing whole tomatoes, if used, with back of wooden spoon. Add 2 C. water, 1/4 C. basil, & dates; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low, simmer partially covered until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, remaining basil, & season with salt & pepper.
Use immersion blender in pot or transfer in batches to food processor or blender and puree until smooth. If some lumps remain that's ok, because that's what gives it texture.
Stir in coconut milk over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat & cover with lid until ready to serve. Garnish with Avocado slices or chunks.
Recipe Notes
Dates/sugar are not necessary for this recipe, and it would probably be more appropriate to leave them out for Whole30 compliancy, but I chose to leave them in. 2 Tbsp. sugar can be used in place of the dates, if dates aren't available.
I have been fortunate enough to have a husband who frequently prepared and made the meals in our household. So now that I have pretty much taken over the responsibility for every meal (with the exception of some breakfasts) to ensure our Whole30 compliance, it has added quite a bit to my hypothetical “plate.” I have never been very good or consistent for that matter at creating a weekly or monthly menu, heck, even my daily meal plans are often last minute. So part of my anxiety when deciding to start the Whole30 was partially due to the fact that I was going to have to be very diligent about planning and meticulous about following the program so closely. I initially began by planning a week’s worth of meals and jotting down ideas of what would work for main courses the following week. As week 3 began I sat down on Sunday night and made a plan through Thursday. My goal was to mostly eat leftovers and use the meat that we have in our freezer to develop our meals around. And we did pretty well with that approach.