Alphabet Soup…

A,B,C…1,2,3…Teachable moments with the princesses are never-ending, and I love it when we can incorporate it into our meals!!  Yes, we like to play with our food! 
My Princess Cailyn has made it through every letter of the alphabet and is now doing fabulous with sight words and phonics.  I couldn’t think of a better way to have some fun with last night’s dinner, while also sneaking in some delicious veggies, than to make some Alphabet Soup!
 Alphabet Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato, rinsed and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 small zucchini, chopped
handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups whole wheat organic alphabet pasta (*omit pasta or use brown rice pasta to keep it gluten free)
1/2 small round cabbage, sliced
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (could use peas)
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
 Directions:
Add the olive oil to a large saucepan, heat briefly, then add the onion and garlic and cook gently until softened but not browned.
Add the potato, carrot, celery, zucchini, tomatoes and salt and pepper. 
Add the vegetable broth and the pasta and heat until simmering.  Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. 
Add the cabbage and green beans, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the corn and cannellini beans and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

The princesses tried to see how many words they could spell with each spoonful! 

It made for a long fun family meal!

I think we’ll be cookin’ up some more soups real soon, not only because we love them so much, but because my sweet Makenna was blessed with a set of braces today!  Soft foods are on the menu for the next 24 hours!

 Still beautiful with a mouth full of colorful metal!

She’s been feasting on her favorite peach-mango jello, pineapple greek yogurt and has requested scrambled eggs and oatmeal bakes for dinner tonight.  I think I’ll throw in a “Green Monster” smoothie for some extra greens! 

Blessings,

J’lene

 This post is also shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays!