Soup is in the house today!!! And not just any soup, we’re talking about thick, chunky, and hearty sausage and potato soup. One of the qualities I inherited from my Dad and grandfather is a deep love for soup. I do not have a shortage of soup recipes on the blog for this very reason. When we eat out, one of my favorite soups is the Zuppa Toscana soup at Olive Garden. Honestly, I would eat there for the soup, salad, and breadsticks alone. This is my rendition of their soup. It has the sausage, potatoes, and kale but is so much better for you, because of a major substitution. I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream, which still gives the soup that luxurious, creamy texture, while still keeping it whole 30 compliant.
We are officially done with our whole 30 now, and it went really well!(I talk about our whole 30 experience on the last 2 blog posts). All in all, it was a great experience, and I am so glad we did it. We all agreed that we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the meals, even without the dairy and the bread, which was a huge concern for us. We learned to read labels more carefully and take a more thoughtful approach to what we ate, which was especially good for the girls. This was done as part of a fast for us, so we had a lot of conversations on how necessary it is to learn to silence our “physical man” and feed the “spiritual man” within each of us. I would say that the most noticeable health benefit for me was how great my tummy felt. I find that dairy and wheat make me feel bloated and uncomfortable, and eliminating them made me feel great! I lost 5 pounds, which was good, but not earth-shattering. Our family plan for this year is to continue to eat whole 30 or paleo-ish about 90 percent of the time and enjoy our occasional treats guilt free.
This recipe made a large pot of soup, which was great because the kids really enjoyed carrying the soup in their thermoses for lunch. If you are soup lover too, check out my roasted tomato soup, ham and split pea soup, sausage, spinach and white bean soup, curried coconut lentils, and curried coconut black eye peas. Now grab a blanket and cozy up with a warm bowl of soup. A good bowl of soup really is one of life’s simplest pleasures.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage (I used turkey)
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
- 2 teaspoons, dried basil
- 2 teaspoons, dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons, Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons, salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 big handfuls chopped kale
- In a heavy stockpot, heat oil and then add the sausage. Allow the sausage to brown, stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions start to soften.
- Add the potatoes, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the coconut milk and kale, and warm through for 5 minutes, to allow the kale to wilt. Enjoy!
Weekly Reflection:
I use the First5 app by Proverbs 31 ministry and absolutely love it. It takes us through a book by book study of the Bible, and we are currently in 1st Kings. This book finds the Israelites at the season where they are starting to turn their affection to other gods, and away from their One True God. 1st and 2nd Kings gives the account of the reign of the different Kings who ruled, and how they ruled. For many of them, the bible summed it up as “they did evil in the sight of God”. I keep thinking this is not at all what I want to be etched on my tombstone or to summarize how I lived my life when I am no more. In those days, God raised up Prophets to speak His word to the Israelites.
Today I will focus on 1st Kings 17, and Elijah is the prophet at this time. Ahab is King and is described as “doing more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him”. He and his wife Jezebel were so evil that God through Elijah prophesied that there would be a drought over the land. Fearing for his life, Elijah went on the run for 3 years to escape from Ahab and Jezebel. While in hiding, God sent ravens to feed Elijah with bread and meat twice a day (first of all, how cool is that!!!!!). When the ravine he was hiding close to dried up, Elijah was then instructed to go into a town called Zarepheth, and that a widow would feed him. Here’s what happened:
1st Kings 17:7-16.
7 Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
I have been pondering a lot about this woman. She was at a place of desperation, and completely down and out. She was literally out looking for her last meal before she and her child would die. Yet somehow she still had it within her to honor the request to feed this perfect stranger and trust that he knew what he was talking about. Self-preservation would say “ummhh…no thanks, pal. I’m going to stick with my plan”. Yet faith allowed her to do such a risky thing, and honor the prophet. You guys, this blows my mind. Her obedience to the prophet ( and ultimately to God) saved the life of 3 people. God was working in their situation, but she needed to first obey before she would see the miracle of the jars of oil and flour that would not run dry. My big take away from this is the blessing of obedience and the cost of disobedience. Her disobedience could have cost her and her son their lives, but her obedience brought salvation!
Nyambici
What a profound devotional. I’m in Nehemiah and in chapter 27 we read the account of the dedication of the rebuilt temple. Lots of lessons but to your point on what one will be remembered for…twice it name David, the man of God. We don’t know anything more about him but WOW!!! To be known as Nyambici, the woman of God. Nothing more needed.
Kari
I totally agree! Nothing more needed. Just to be known as “The woman of God” would be the ultimate legacy.