This week was me and my husband’s 5th year wedding anniversary. Celebrating has brought back so many great memories. Especially, memories about what I ate and how I exercised during the weeks leading up to the big day.
Unlike typical brides, my wedding dress was a little revealing and showed off my mid-section! Thinking about showing my stomach to all my friends and family scared the you know what out of me. This was the only thing I needed to keep myself super disciplined day in and day out.
I worked out 5 days a week. I resisted offers for co-worker birthday cake and sweets at the office. I ate in for the majority of the time and created a routine of foods to stick with.
As I strolled down memory lane, a particular soup I made kept popping up in my mind… So I decided to make it yesterday in honor of our anniversary weekend. It’s based on mostly green vegetables of kale and celery, but also includes some protein sources of cannellini beans and organic chicken.
I ate this soup every week for a few months. I call it the “Wedding Weight Loss Soup” because it really helped curb my appetite and satisfied the urge for something warm and comforting at night. I didn’t have a wedding planner, so I was crazy busy every night doing something for the wedding. I made this on Mondays and it lasted me a few days so I wouldn’t have to cook every night. Left overs were so easy to heat up on the stove for 10 mins.
- sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 TBSP of olive oil
- 1 large organic onion chopped
- 1 bunch organic celery chopped (including green leafy tops)
- 1 bunch organic kale chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound organic chicken breast
- 4 cups organic chicken broth (if you buy packaged – make sure it doesn’t have any yeast extract or autolyzed yeast – a hidden name for MSG)
- 2 cups water
- 1 can of "Eden Foods" organic cannellini beans (this is the only canned product brand I use, the liners are guaranteed BPA Free)
- Salt and pepper organic chicken breast on each side, cut into small cubes and set aside
- Heat large pot with olive oil on medium for about 3-5 mins
- Add chopped onions and celery and cook until soft about 5-7 mins
- Add the bay leaf, broth, water and chicken and turn heat up to high
- Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat down to a simmer for 10 mins
- After 10 mins add cannelloni beans and chopped kale and cook another 10 mins
- Remove bay leaf before serving
- Serve with Mary’s Gone Crackers (onion is my favorite!)
This soup can easily be made vegan by adding one extra can of beans, omitting the chicken, and changing to vegetable broth which sometimes I do, if I make this on Tuesdays, the day that I give up meat entirely each week.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and share it with others!
Xo,
Vani
P.S. I share a lot more “getting fit on real food” advice in my new book coming out soon too!
Vani- I will definitely have to try your soup but the vegan version. I am not a fan of kale so would spinach work?
Yes! Spinach would definitely work. With any delicate green like spinach or arugula, make sure you double the amount and cook less time (2-5 mins). Also green collards and rainbow chard are both a little milder in flavor than Kale. Try them! They would work beautifully.
Hi Food Babe♡ I’m Italian and we always used Escerole in this soup any “green” wood do right?
I’m really excited to try this soup. I am going to omit the chicken ingredients and add veggie broth. Do you have a recommended brand? What other beans can I use too? Giant white?
The brand of vegetable broth I use at the moment is the low sodium version from Pacific Foods
Picking a good carton of broth is so important. Many brands use added sunflower or corn or safflower oils, which I don’t like to use because of the imbalance it causes with your Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
As for beans, try dark red kidney beans, Eden Foods has a great canned version. The kidney beans will add heartiness that can replace the chicken nicely. Good Luck!
Vani,
I’m in a fashion ER, with an outfit that’s just a little snug. Would this be something I could eat, exclusively, for the next few days to look my best in a new dress?
Fashion Emergency? No problem. You definitely could eat this soup a few days and get all the nutrition you need. However, you won’t be able to lose real weight (i.e. fat) in a few days, just water weight. Did you know that salt can add 8-10 pounds of bloat to your skin, especially around your mid-section? My cure before a big event is to cut salt completely out of your diet. No processed foods, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Also, go to a natural food market and pick up Dandelion Root tea. Drink this 3 times a day for a few days to help the process of salt elimination! Good Luck!
How extreme do I need to be? Can I skip the part of the recipe where I salt the chicken, and go for chili powder/ garlic/ garam masala instead?
Sure – however, the amount of salt is very minimal already in this soup. Remember to use low sodium broth and beans with no salt added. The other spices would work too. Just remember to add lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Think salads, cucumbers, celery, pineapple, watermelon, etc – pick fresh fruits and veggies with a high density of water. You also should be drinking a gallon of water a day. The more water you drink, the more your body can get rid of the salt!
The body Needs salt, just not regular table salt. I use pink salt or good quality sea salt. They have nutrients that your body needs. Processed foods that have salt added are not the ones that your body needs, and they will cause water bloat. Thanks for all you are doing to help people eat in a more healthful way. 😉
Awesome…shall try this.thanks vani
that dress is amazing… WOW
Vani I want to make this soup tonight! It looks so comforting and delicious! I wore a similar outfit to my cousins wedding! She married into an Indian family so we had a week of events celebrating our different traditions. It was the most fun I’ve ever had a wedding, and I’ve kept my outfit, I just need an excuse to wear it again!
Gillian – Only if we lived in the same town – I’d invite you to the next Indian party! Let me know how you like the soup – it’s really simple tasting but great with some crackers.
I’ve made this soup a number of times since I first started visiting your blog this year. Just whipped up a batch now to have for lunch this week. Thanks again for sharing such a simple but great recipe!
I so glad you’ve enjoyed it Charlene. I thought about making some this week too! Maybe I still will 🙂
Hi! I am very curious to try this soup and the other recipes you have on your blog. Although, living on a small island can be challenging to find some of your ingredients. For example, dandelion and kale is not available in any of our markets. Any suggestion on what tropical veggies can be alternate with some of the ingredients? Thanks!
Yes – Try Bok Choy..or cabbage, or morning glory, really any type of dark leafy green will work… where do you live?
Yumm Foodbabe this looks AH-MAZING! I’m not getting married, but I will deff be adding this to my winter menu.
Thanks!!
This sounds delish! I will probably make it this weekend to have for lunch during the week. I’m always looking for easy AND healthy things to make and pack ahead of time so I can grab them and go in the morning.
Hi Food Babe,
I just wanted to let you know I made this soup last night, and instead of using chicken, I used leftover cooked, white meat turkey from Thanksgiving- it came out great!
Thanks for all the great tips and recipes.
Christina
Made this super easy and amazing soup today and it was so delicious I had it for lunch and dinner. Lifted my spirits on a cold and rainy day. Thank you for sharing and I’ve enjoyed your website. You are such an inspiration. Let’s spread this real food movement fast!
Thanks for sharing this reciepe. I was wondering how often did you eat this soup and what else did you add to your diet to get your great results?
BTW love your blog very inspiring! 🙂
Oh yum yum yum!! I just made my first batch to kick off the new year right! I nixed the chicken and added some extra beans! Thanks for sharing this! You look fabulous in the pics!
Your recipe looks awesome! I can hardly wait to try it. I just found you online last night, and have just started trying to eat healthy. I’m about 100lbs over my ideal weight.
Besides using organic/non GMO products, what do you think of this soup? http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-0-point-weight-watchers-cabbage-soup-128956
I read that tomato paste and tomato products in cans are bad for you. What would you recommend? Is there such thing as organic beef broth? I’m taking your advice and changing my grocery store, so maybe I’ll find out on my own soon enough. Sorry for all the questions, and thanks!
I made this soup last night and it was Delicious! Even my two year old loved it! I added garlic and cilantro (in place of the bay leaf). Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I have been trying to lose my pregnancy weight. I have one question. Once you stopped eating the soup daily. Did you keep the weight off? Of course keeping with working out and eating healthy…
KJ
Yes – I’ve been able to maintain my weight for over 10 years now. I still make this soup on occasion. Good Luck!
If only I had found this before my wedding!!
Oh well, I guess there’s always the anniversary shoot.
1. your abs look super good 🙂 I´m kind of jealous. substituting the chicken for some tofu and i think i will love it, too 😀
Do Mc:Donald’s French fries have any ingredients which would cause a 2-1/2year old to break out in hives head to toe?
This is from their website:
FRENCH FRIES:
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness), Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf
Is the chicken already cooked when you add it ?
Would it be okay to add Tofu or Tempeh instead of chicken (in addition to the veggies)
Thank You
Is this the ONLY food you ate during the time of wanting to get ready for your wedding? For how long did you eat it?
Have you or any of your readers made this in a crockpot? I typically purchase my organic meats in bulk and freeze because I don’t eat it fast enough. But I make a lot of organic soups in the crockpot so I just throw the meat in frozen. Also I use the Trader Joe organic broths. I think they taste much better than the Pacific Foods brand and I think the sodium is lower. Thanks for your recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
I also have the question if the chicken is cooked first? Are do you put the uncooked chicken into the soup? This looks delicious and exactly what I am looking for.
It’s uncooked. Hope that helps.
any particular reason for giving up meat one day per week?
It was a tradition in my household growing up. My mother did it, so I do too. Although, I don’t eat meat most days of the week. Probably about 1-2 times now.
Did you eat other things or just this soup? If you ate other things,how often did you eat this soup? Once a day?
Hi, how does the diet work.?
How many times a day you eat it.? For how long?
You need to leave the “Eden Foods” out of your recipe. They are a company engaged in commerce in this country trying to avoid a legal mandate on “religious” grounds. Doesn’t look good for you, FoodBabe. Just leave it out and say ‘organic’ instead.
I would think a company should be able to run the way they choose to, and if their religious beliefs are such that they cannot in good conscience provide something someone else’s beliefs demand, then that employee should find another employer. Whether their beans are bpa-free or not would be the basis of my decision to purchase them, since I am not an employee of theirs that demands a benefit they are not in good conscience unable to provide. I respect their convictions just as I respect someone’s completely opposite convictions to look for another employer who will provide whatever benefits they desire.
Food babe, I love your message but how can we get you away from the eating of dead animals? There is no nutritional necessity to kill other conscious beings and it does not respect life. Do you need to satisfy your taste buds more than the animal wants to live? Please! No more taking of innocent life just for taste. It’s barbaric. Thanks for listening.
Plants are alive and have feelings too. They can even read our mind. And what about the tiny creatures on the plants and in the dirt? Just because we can’t see them, do they deserve to die? Only beings with eyes that you can see should live? How about we respect all life, even our own, and eat what’s nutritionally right for us? How about we eat the proteins and fats in our local area rather than supporting the destruction of ecosystems for more corn and soy burgers?
Going to make this tomorrow!! How many days a week/meals per day do you eat this? Looking to de-bloat and tighten up. 😉
Vani,
thank you for the recipe. I had everything on hand tonight except the chicken and beans…I decided to make it anyway and add shrimp for some protein. IT TASTES AMAZING!
I appreciate all the work you do and the information you spread. Keep going!
Do you know how many calories this is per serving? I am doing My Fitness Pal and changing to a healthier lifestyle.
I did not know that YEAST EXTRACT is MSG – thank for that info – I have a couple of boxes of Trader Joe’s Organic broth in my cupboard – they’re going back!!! I compared them to the Imagine broth I have also, many more things added to TJ. But to my disappointment, Imagine Org Chicken Broth has “natural flavor” added, oh no, BEAVER BUTT!!!! WHY???????
Hi,
I just had this for my lunch at work today and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised not only did it taste great but was thoroughly satisfying. Is there a guesstimate on the amount of calories???
Thanks for this and all the other great recipes, you’re making weight loss and healthy living taste fantastic!!!
🙂
Hi Vani,
Just wondering if there is caffeine in dandelion root tea? I went on a few sites and none of them mention caffeine, which, of course, does not mean it’s not hiding in there somewhere. I saw your great tea post, but I was wondering if you have any suggestions for your favorite caffeine free teas, especially detoxifying ones like dandelion? I worry about the process of decaffeinating something — sounds like it could get pretty chemical heavy. Thank you!
Hi Vani,
I just made vegan version of this soup (added minced garlic and jalapeno for some spicyness), and my fiancee and I absolutely loved it!! I am getting married in a year and I need to get back in shape before that. I wanted to know did you only eat this soup for few months before your wedding or just for one meal?? I would really appreciate your advice on weight loss for wedding (As you are indian you know that midsections are on display in indian outfits). Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and advise!
How many times a day did you eat the soup?
great recipe! keeps me giong all week! I added the last of a head of cabbage I had and it went together perfectly!
Hey Vani, Can i use a couple cups of eggs whites scrambled instead of the chicken and omit the beans possibly ?
Thank you !
Ashley
Vani, I wish you would do an expose on canned broth with some homemade and the best, if any, canned options for people.
I also make this soup with grass fed beef, organic and fresh escarole (stays a bit more sturdy than other veggies), onions, mushrooms, five -six fresh, chopped tomatoes, fresh Italian parsley and the end of a jar of organic spaghetti sauce for a little extra flavor — about 1/4 cup (or fresh if I have it), salt, pepper and oregano to taste.
Looks good! I would make my own chicken broth, from a locally pastured chicken, and add in more than just the breast to really make the soup nutrient dense while keeping the calories low. You looked great in the dress!
I can’t believe you of all people would use canned beans! BPA free lined cans or not! it’s not that hard to soak your own and make them! hmmmmmmm really surprising to me!! Canned beans or anything is gross! I am from the South and we wouldn’t dream of making anything with beans from a can!!
Some people need to be able to prepare meals very quickly. If there are versions of canned beans that are still nutritious then it is reasonable to suggest using them in a recipe. You always have the option to use non canned items. Any recipe that can be prepared quickly or in a crock pot is very helpful.
I wonder if it would be too bad to add in just a little bit of black rice (Forbidden Rice)? I love that in my regular chicken soup…just sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Many holistic practitioners are now saying that legumes are as hard on our intestines as wheat – kind of frustrating – any thoughts? Thank you
First time to your site. Love this page. You said you ate this everyday for two weeks. Lunch and dinner? Breakfast? Did you eat anything else? Thank you for your time!
How often do you eat the soup to lose weight?
freeling duped! Both of my favorite brands have yeast extract- inspire of the labeling. Unreal!
Wild Harvest Organic Free Range chicken broth – yeast extract!
Swanson 100% Natural 100% Fat Free, No MSG Added Vegetarian Vegetable broth – yeast extract (less than 2%)
Good grief!!!
I have also read about legumes challening our digestive system. From my reading pre soaking is the key to easier digestion. Same thing with almonds. We should soak them to break down the skin that is hard on our digestive system.
I just made it! Delicious!!! Thank you so much!! (added a small shallot!) xox
Happy New Year!!!