{"id":390,"date":"2014-02-24T14:21:09","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T14:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/?p=390"},"modified":"2018-08-24T10:59:31","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T10:59:31","slug":"fun-with-food-the-wonders-of-soup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/02\/fun-with-food-the-wonders-of-soup\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun with Food &#8211; The Wonders of Soup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve teamed up with Jenny, founder of <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/\">Lunchbox Doctor<\/a>\u00a0to bring you a weekly dose of inspiration! Whether you&#8217;re trying to kick start a health habit or help your kids try and taste new foods, Lunchbox Doctor has all the answers to all your issues!<\/p>\n<p>We begin a mission to make food fun!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/BlogFood.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-401\" alt=\"BlogFood\" src=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/BlogFood.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/BlogFood.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/BlogFood-267x300.jpg 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Soup can be a really healthy meal in its own right or a great addition to an evening meal.\u00a0 If you choose the right ingredients it can be a very tasty way to add healthy beans, legumes, wholegrains and vegetables to your diet.<\/p>\n<p>Again, depending on the ingredients it is a cost effective way of enjoying a variety of nutrients, including a multitude of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre too.<\/p>\n<p>Soup can help you eat more slowly. How often do we read about the benefits of eating more slowly on your digestion and in turn your overall health and wellbeing? When you think about the processes involved in consuming a bowl of soup i.e.\u00a0 smelling, slurping, tasting, and swallowing it\u2019s no wonder it takes us longer to finish than a whole plate of food might. We\u2019re more likely to notice that we are fuller sooner this way and therefore less likely to over- consume.<\/p>\n<p>Soup may also help you eat less overall. \u00a0Studies show that people who eat clear soups or vegetable-based soups (not creamy\/fatty soups) as the first course of a meal consume fewer total calories during their meal.<\/p>\n<p>However, not all soups are good. Tins of soup can be loaded with salt and fat so do read nutrition labels on the side of the tin. Ideally you would look for no more than:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>250 calories\u00a0per serving<\/li>\n<li>3 grams of fat\u00a0per serving<\/li>\n<li>0.6 grams of salt per serving<\/li>\n<li>and 3 grams of fibre\u00a0(or more) per serving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You could add to a tinned soup the following to make it even more flavoursome:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Herbs and spices such as black pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, ginger.<\/li>\n<li>Milk of your choice i.e. dairy or non-dairy to add a little creaminess.<\/li>\n<li>Frozen or leftover vegetables such as peas, sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots, celery or broccoli.<\/li>\n<li>Beans, legumes, pulses, starchy vegetables or grains for added fibre. Try sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, lentils, brown rice, barley, or wholegrain noodles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course the best way to control the flavour and ingredients of a soup is to make your own. Here are Jenny\u2019s Top 4 Soup Recipes. There\u2019s something for everyone:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/442-soup-roasted-carrot-and-leek.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-392 alignleft\" alt=\"442-soup-roasted-carrot-and-leek\" src=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/442-soup-roasted-carrot-and-leek.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"154\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/442-soup-roasted-carrot-and-leek\/\"><strong>4-4-2 Soup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This delicious soup is perfect for <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/442-soup-roasted-carrot-and-leek\/\">football lovers<\/a>. Roasted carrots and buttery leeks &#8211; a perfect winter warmer.<br \/>\nTo finish it off you could dot the top of the soup with small mozzarella balls or pearls pretending they are mini footballs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/chicken-noodle-soup.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-393 alignleft\" alt=\"chicken-noodle-soup\" src=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/chicken-noodle-soup.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/chicken-noodle-soup\/#more-\"><strong>Chicken Noodle Soup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Have fussy eaters? This soup is the one for you!\u00a0Noodles are easily mistaken for their better name \u2018wriggly worms\u2019. Whilst this might put adults off kids seem to like the idea of eating garden creatures in a meal served to them by a trustworthy adult. Don\u2019t ask me why!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/curried-sweet-potato-and-coriander-soup.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-394 alignleft\" alt=\"curried-sweet-potato-and-coriander-soup\" src=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/curried-sweet-potato-and-coriander-soup.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/curried-sweet-potato-and-coriander-soup\/\"><strong>Curried Sweet Potato and Coriander Soup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a soup to make you smile!\u00a0One way to encourage kids to enjoy soups such as this is to make croutons. Crusts make great croutons. So for a couple of days collect the crusts your child dismisses in a bag or container. Paint them (with a pastry brush) in soft butter or garlic butter and grill until crispy. Then chop up and make patterns on the top of the soup, perhaps spelling out an initial in the surface of the soup.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/the-best-thai-chicken-soup-ever-according-to-my-5-yr-old-son.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-395 alignleft\" alt=\"the-best-thai-chicken-soup-ever-according-to-my-5-yr-old-son\" src=\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2014\/02\/the-best-thai-chicken-soup-ever-according-to-my-5-yr-old-son.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"112\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lunchboxdoctor.com\/the-best-thai-chicken-soup-ever-according-to-my-5-yr-old-son\/\">Thai Chicken Soup<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although traditionally Thai food is eaten whilst seated on the floor and using one\u2019s right hand you might like to try a version of this by either sitting at a lower table such as a coffee table to enjoy the soup or all try to eat the soup using a spoon in your right-hand only. Go on, give it a go!<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a soup for everyone!<\/p>\n<p>Thanks again to Jenny at Lunchbox Doctor, tune in next week for some more edible entertainment!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve teamed up with Jenny, founder of Lunchbox Doctor\u00a0to bring you a weekly dose of inspiration! Whether you&#8217;re trying to kick start a health habit or help your kids try and taste new foods, Lunchbox Doctor has all the answers to all your issues! We begin a mission to make food fun! &nbsp; Soup can &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/02\/fun-with-food-the-wonders-of-soup\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10,1,17,18],"tags":[346,347,348,349,350,351,86,11,13,152,352,36,191,192,353,354,355,356],"class_list":["post-390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-families","category-inspiring-families","category-uncategorized","category-saving-money-2","category-saving-time","tag-442-soup","tag-carrot-and-leek-soup","tag-chicken-noddle-soup","tag-chinese","tag-croutons","tag-fun-with-food","tag-healthy","tag-inspiring-families-2","tag-littlebird","tag-lunchbox-doctor","tag-mozzarella-pearls","tag-recipe","tag-recipes","tag-soup","tag-sweet-potato-and-coriander-soup","tag-thai","tag-thai-chicken-soup","tag-winter-warmers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5787,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions\/5787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}