Free Meal Plan: Very Veggie Minestrone Soup

The holidays are coming!  This week we have a great soup you can make in your slow cooker, some kid friendly chicken tenders, Jake's favorite salmon recipe, an Asian twist on a chicken wrap, and some amazing chili dogs!  Get ready to dig in!

MONDAY

Smothered in cheese and pasta sauce, these tasty chicken tenders are sure to please your kids.  They are so quick to make you'll be able to have them on the table and still have lots of time to make it to the Christmas concert.

Chicken Tenders Parmesan

Buttered Noodles

Tossed Salad

TUESDAY

Buttery, full of garlic and rosemary, this salmon is great for dinner, cold in a salad, or nibbled on just straight out of the fridge!  It starts in your frypan and finishes up in the oven.  Another super fast recipe that will have dinner on the table in no time flat!

Rosemary Garlic Seared Salmon

Steamed Rice

Your Favorite Steamed Veggie

WEDNESDAY

Remember a few weeks ago when my turkey chili was on the menu?  This week we tried it on smokies, and oh my goodness, they were the best chili dogs ever.  Dress them up with toppings like in the photo or leave them plain.  You can make the chili ahead of time and put it in the freezer, ready to pull out and top the dogs on the night you serve them.  Who needs fast food when you can make it at home?

Chili Topped Smokies

Veggies and Dip

Thick Cut Potato Chips

THURSDAY

This is a great recipe to use up leftover chicken breast.  With lots of veggies and peanutty crunch, you can roll them up in no time.

Asian Chicken Peanut Wraps

Fried rice

sliced tomatoes and cucumbers

FRIDAY

Very Veggie Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Crackers and Assorted Cheeses

A co-worked lent me a wonderful cookbook last week, and this was the first recipe I tried.  Stacked full of veggies, beans, and pasta, this soup is delicious and filling!  I took it to work for lunch this week and enjoyed it with cheese and crackers to round out the meal.

Toss everything in your slow cooker and go do your Christmas shopping, pick up your groceries, and come home to dinner waiting.  I'm not even a veggie soup fan but the addition of pesto in the end makes it extra delicious.

Adapted from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson

1 onion, chopped

1 celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

4 oz green beans, trimmed and cut to 1 inch lengths

1 can of chic peas (I used a 19 oz can), drained and rinsed

one 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I used an Italian spiced kind)

1 medium zucchini, chopped

6 cups of vegetable stock (I actually used 4 cups of veggie, and 2 cups of chicken stock)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of pesto

1/2 cup raw macaroni or other small pasta

Turn the slow cooker on to high and add a small amount of oil.  Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot.  Stir and allow to cook while you assemble the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the green beans, bay leaf, zucchini, chic peas, tomatoes, and stock.  Cover and let simmer on low for 6-7 hours.  If you prefer your veggies to be a little more tender crisp, I suggest you check them at around 5 hours.

About 1/2 hour before you want to serve the soup, cook the macaroni according to package directions.  Drain.  Add to the soup with the 1/2 cup of pesto.  Remove the bay leave and serve.

Serves 6-8

About the Author Karen Humphrey (Scattered Mom) has been writing from the Vancouver, BC area about family and food at Notes From the Cookie Jar since 2006. Literally thrown into the kitchen in 1992 when she became a foster mom to teenagers at the tender age of 21, she learned to create tasty, healthy meals and how to navigate all the planning that goes with it! Her specialty? Cookies. No wonder all her friends accuse her for their weight gain. Profile | Blog | Her Main Site | Follow Her on Twitter

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