One of my favorite things about cooler weather is the satisfaction of including more soups in my family meal plans. I like these one-pot wonders for their flexibility, nutritional value, and large quantities.
The USDAs Food and Nutrition Service uses the MyPlate program to help people recognize the five basic food groups necessary to a daily healthy and nutritious diet.
MyPlate is a reminder to find your healthy eating style and build it throughout your lifetime. Everything you eat and drink matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. This means:
Focus on variety, amount, and nutrition.
Choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
The MyPlate graphic helps you recognize that half of your plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits. On the other side you will see that you also need grains and protein. Not to be overlooked, dairy products are attached to the graphic as part of a balanced diet.
Upon closer look at the MyPlate logo, you will see that you need slightly more vegetables than fruit and slightly more grains than protein. Within the grain foods, MyPlate guidelines recommend that half of your grain sources come from whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread products, or whole grain pasta. These guidelines also recommended lean protein sources such as lean beef, chicken, or beans.
Is it any wonder that soups can often include all of these food groups? Take a minute to evaluate each of the recipes below and think about the foods groups they contain to help you see how easy it is to incorporate a large number of the five food groups in a single soup entrée. Then, identify side dishes you could add to round out the meal so that all five food groups are present to complete a well-balanced meal.
Ground Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef, or ground turkey, or venison (lean)
1/8 t salt (optional)
1/8 t pepper (optional)
1 can tomato soup, condensed (10 3/4 ounce)
