Turkey and Squash Soup

Turkey & Squash Soup

PointsPlus Value: 4
Servings:  6

Preparation Time:  15 min
Cooking Time:  30 min
Level of Difficulty:  Moderate

Makes a delicious, waist friendly, hearty lunch or supper. 

The recipe is from the Jan/Feb 2010 edition of Eating Well.com and was kindly supplied by a Weight Watchers member at one of my meetings. 

I have taken the liberty of making a couple of small changes to “lighten up” the points and make it even quicker to prepare.

It has a little kick to it from the crushed red pepper flakes and a zing from the lime juice.  If you want to, you can substitute lemon juice.   You could also sub out the turkey for chicken.

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil

2 medium leeks, trimmed, chopped and thoroughly rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes

1½ tsp dried thyme

1½ tsp ground cumin

8oz cooked skinless light meat turkey, chopped or cut into strips

1½ cups cooked frozen corn kernels

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp Ground black pepper

Instructions

1.   Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over a medium high heat.  Add the leeks and red pepper; cook stirring often until the veggies begin to soften - about 4 minutes.

2.   Add the garlic and cook for approx 1 minute - be careful not to burn.  Add the broth, squash and spices.  Put the lid on the pan and bring to a simmer.

3.   Skim any froth from the top of the soup and continue at a slow simmer for approx 10/12 minutes until the squash is tender.

4.   Add the rest of the ingredients bring back to a simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

5.   Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve & enjoy!

ONE LAST THING

My buddy, a WW Leader, offered me this perspective the other day when I was mad at myself - does it work for you?

A WW week consists of 21 meals. So 21 is equal to 100% of (our eating) week.  If 21 is 100%, what would 1 meal be?

1 meal equals 4.76% (if we round it up it would be 5%). 

How many of us have thrown an entire week away because we were off the program only 5%? 

Compare it to a test in school. How many of us would have been thrilled to get a 95% on an exam? 

If you've experienced a lapse, you can recover from it by coming back to your meeting!

Check back on Sunday for the next Blog Posting.
Enjoy the rest of your week :)