Lunch Lady Vegetable Beef Soup With Warm PB&J!

I can remember my Elementary School Cafeteria like it was just yesterday. The lunch ladies were always super nice to us, and I actually enjoyed the food! Some of it was home-cooked, which I always liked best. We had a big traffic light on the wall that would turn red if the lunch room got too loud. We had to be quiet until it turned green again. I can remember sitting beside a schoolmate of mine who always had a perfectly put together home lunch. I really didn't think much of it though because I actually liked the food in the Cafeteria! One of my favorites was Vegetable Beef Soup with a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich. The soup was warm, comforting, and savory and paired perfectly with the sweet PB&J! Who would have thought that those two would go together?! They do though! I'm not sure how, but the PB&J's were always warm. I've been craving this soup for months and looking for an easy recipe in my old cookbooks, but I couldn't find anything that was what I was looking for, so I decided to make my own. I knew the basic ingredients, so all I had to do was work out some kinks in flavoring and well, make it healthy, of course! I've recently changed the food in our house to all organic after reading some pretty disturbing things about what's in our food these days. I can already tell a huge difference in the way I feel. My kids are happy with the change as well as my husband. We will never go back to eating unhealthy foods again. So, here's what I did!

First, I browned my meat...

Meanwhile, I chopped my Onion, Bell Pepper, and Sweet Potato....

Then, once my meat was browned, I set it aside and put olive oil in my pot and started cooking the onion and bell pepper.

Once the onions were translucent, I added my seasonings and stirred, cooking about 1 minute until fragrant.

Then I added my tomato paste and stirred until combined.

Next, I added my meat back into the pot...

Then I put everything else, except the parsley in the pot! I did reserve half a carton of Beef Stock to pour in as the liquid reduced.

Then I brought it all to a boil, reduced the heat, covered, and simmered for about an hour and a half. I stirred it occasionally and added more stock as the liquid reduced. It got a little thick, and I needed it to be a little more soupy. It turned out great! I added some fresh parsley and some chives, just because I had them on hand. I toasted my Organic honey wheat bread for the PB&J, and microwaved a couple of Tablespoons of Organic Peanut butter for about 15 to 20 seconds....just until it was a little melted. I added Organic grape jelly and stirred it together to make a spread. I put that on the toasted bread and Ya'll....I was transported back to Sharon Elementary in Laurel, Ms.! I can't believe I recreated it! Now I can have that comfort whenever I want...This is why I love to cook. Food and cooking are so much more than just that. It's about memories and comfort. I put a lot of love into my food. I know my family feels it when they eat something I've carefully made just for them. Making something your family loves and is comforted by is priceless. MMM!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Organic, Grass-fed 85/15 Ground Beef

1 t Olive Oil

1 T Garlic, minced

1 Organic Yellow Onion, diced

1 Organic Green Bell Pepper, diced

Miss Maggie's Seasoning #1

1 T Tomato Paste

1 1/2 Carton's of Organic Beef Stock(32 oz) (reserve other 1/2 of last carton to add later)

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

1 T Soy Sauce (Low-Sodium)

1 Can Organic, BPA Free, Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

1 Bag Organic Mixed Vegetables

1 Organic Sweet Potato, Peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1 T White Wine Vinegar

1 t Sea Salt

2 Bay Leaves

Directions:

Brown beef, set aside. Sautee Onions, bell peppers, and garlic in olive oil. Add seasonings, stir 1 minute. Add Tomato Paste Stir until combined. Add beef back to pot, along with all other ingredients, except 1/2 a carton of stock and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Add more stock as liquid reduces. Serve with fresh parsely and Warm PB&J! For the PB&J, toast Organic wheat bread, microwave Organic peanut butter for 15 to 20 seconds or until smooth, stir in Organic Grape jelly, spread on bread! Enjoy! MMM!

Miss Maggie's Seasoning #1

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t paprika

1 t garlic salt

1 t black pepper

1/2 t crushed red pepper

1/2 t Creole Seasoning(Any Brand)

1/2 t Steak Dry Rub(Any Brand)

Directions: Mix all together and add to Vegetable beef soup or any beef dish! You could also add it to chicken!

#healthy #easy #Family #kids #comfort #southern