Split Pea (and vegetable) Soup with Ham.

We've had a shift in weather recently : The snow has melted and the wind has become extraordinary. Gusting through the trees, letting me know where all the weak spots are around my doors and windows, pushing my car back and forth while I try to stay in my lane.

Gavin and I ventured out in it a few days ago and he (almost) panicked because no matter how he turned his head the wind was attaching his face. I had to pick him up and carry him with his head buried in my chest. 

I kind of loved it. Not Gavin panicking, but feeling the cold wind blow all around. Hearing   it holler outside while I'm snug at my computer, knowing that there's a pot of soup simmering for dinner.

Ah soup. For me it is the ultimate comfort food. Warm, filling, delicious. Grab a bowl (or cup) and hunker down with a good book or movie and just let time pass around you while you snuggle in a little cocoon of peace. 

And of course it (can be) extremely healthy. 

Now split pea soup is already very healthy so how can we make it better? Sneaking in more veggies!

In this recipe I've used (yellow) summer squash, however feel free to substitue with whatever you'd like. Other great vegetables to sub in are: Green Beans, Spinach, Zucchini, Kale, Squash (acorn, butternut), Asparagus, Turnip, Bell Pepper. Keep in mind the flavors your adding - I would stick with 1 and a half cups of extra vegetable per half pound of split peas. That way you shouldn't overpower the star of the show. 

Also I have (extremely) picky eaters so I've blended the carrots, celery, and onion as well to keep their nutrition but hide their presence. Feel free to keep them whole.

Recipe:
1/2 lb Split Peas
6 cups Ham Stock
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup diced Onion
3/4 cup diced Carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced Yellow Summer Squash
1 cup diced Potatoes
1 1/2 cups Ham

1. Simmer the Split Peas, Ham Stock, Garlic, Onion, Carrots, and Summer Squash together for 2 hours or until peas are soft.

2. (Optional) Use a hand mixer and blend the vegetables until completely smooth.

3. Add in the Ham and Potatoes then continue to simmer for 20 min or until potatoes are cooked to your liking.

4. Enjoy!

Pro-tip: This is the perfect way to use leftover Ham. 

MASHED (protein) POTATOES

Picky eaters are not ideal. It can be cute when they're babies and spit out the mashed spinach, but when they're toddlers refusing their plate its tiring and once they're over 10 and refuse to eat what's been prepared you feel the urge to smack them but settle for not letting them have dessert. When it's an adult (husband, wife, relative) that wrinkles their nose it's even worse. 

You should always offer new and healthy foods to your picky eaters but some studies have shown it takes more than 7 tries for your child to actually take a taste of the new food. It's frustrating when they won't eat but you've just got to breathe and try again next time. Eat the healthy food while they're watching and they're likely to try it sooner. 

I offer all sorts of foods to my little picky eater and he'll usually try it but very often it's not in his mouth for long. The biggest headache for me is that he isn't consistent: one night he'll eat his chicken, the next he'll eat his peas, the third night the only thing he wants for dinner is a banana. Most the time however he will eat mashed potatoes so today we're featuring a side dish, that I think most kids enjoy, with a little extra nutrition tucked in. 

This recipe does contain more calories than a boxed mashed potatoes but you're adding more than 3 grams of fiber, more than 4 grams of protein, losing more than 1 1/2 grams of fat as well as taking out more than 330 mg of sodium! I think the trade off is worth it. 

MASHED (protein) POTATOES

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Prep: overnight +10 min Cook: 15-20 min

1 cup white beans (canned, any variety)

1/2 cup barley (soaked overnight)

2 large potatoes

1 clove garlic

6 T sour cream

½ cup water

2 T salt-free seasoning blend (such as Italian, poultry, Mrs. Dash, ect.)

1.Soak the barley overnight in 1 cup of water.

2.In a small saucepan mix the barley and beans with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer on a medium-low temperature for 15 min.

3.Cut the potatoes into half inch squares and place in a second saucepan, add the garlic, cover with water and bring to a boil. Keep potatoes at a medium boil for 15 to 20 min. The potatoes are ready when they can be poked with a fork. 

4.After 15 min remove your barley and beans from the heat and drain off all the liquid. To the beans and barley add the sour cream and water.  With an immersion blender (or food processor or stand blender) mix until creamy (2-3 minutes).

5.Drain the water from the potatoes and add to the bean and barley puree. With a fork or spoon smash the potatoes into the bean mixture. Add the seasoning mix and stir until completely combined.

Makes 6 half cup servings.

For the comparison recipe we’re going with packaged potatoes, the sort where you add milk and butter and water and whip it together.

This recipe:                                     Packaged Potatoes:

Serving size: ½ cup                         Serving size: ½ cup

Calories: 191                                  Calories: 119

Fat: 2.9 g                                         Fat: 4.4 g

Saturated Fat: 1.7 g                         Saturated Fat: 1.1 g

Cholesterol: 5.3 mg                        Cholesterol: 1 mg

Sodium: 19.9 mg                             Sodium: 350 mg

Carbs: 36.1 g                                   Carbs: 17.7 g

Fiber: 5.3 g                                      Fiber: 1.6 g

Sugar: 1.2 g                                      Sugar: 1.5 g

Protein: 6.5 g                                   Protein: 2.1 g

Potassium: 776.4 mg                        Potassium: 344.4 mg