Delicious and Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup

This delicious and hearty vegetable beef soup is one of my favorite soups to make in the Fall and Winter months. It is incredibly easy to make, and extremely versatile. Add noodles to it or leave them out, add whatever herbs you prefer, and whatever vegetables you like. This soup gets better and better as the days go on. It can be served with buttermilk biscuits, sourdough bread, with a side salad, or even on its own.

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Getting nutritious meals on the table in a timely manner can be tricky for any family. I may be a homeschooling mom and a homemaker, but I do not have hours to spend dedicating myself to one meal. Weekday meals must be practical, healthy, and relatively uncomplicated. When I am planning what to make for dinner, I am often thinking about how I can use the leftovers. This hearty vegetable beef soup offers an easy lunch or dinner that can be stored for another busy night.

Planning for those Busy Nights

So many people are rushed in today’s world. The modern conveniences developed to save us time have allowed many of us to cram more into our days. Not only does this add to our stress levels, but it has also damages our health. The more we try to fit into our days, the more we have to juggle and the more pressure we face. With the added pressure in our daily tasks, we try to find ways to simplify things like dinner. This often means either eating out or resorting to boxed foods in an effort to simplify dinner. Consequently, many of us are not eating well balanced diets.

Like all families, we have nights that get extremely hectic as well. I have milk deliveries late in the afternoon on Wednesdays and Thursdays. When I don’t get home until 5:45, I have a car full of jars and ice packs to unload, followed by dinner to make, cows to milk, milking equipment to clean, and kids to put to bed. This often means I don’t sit down until I head to bed around 10:30. Things go much smoother when dinner is at least nearly ready when I get back home. On these nights I typically have a roast in the instant pot, or a soup already made.

Purchasing Quality Ingredients

I do try to purchase organic vegetables and fruits while staying on a budget. It helps to buy things in bulk through companies like Costco or Azure Standard. In our area, the Azure Standard truck comes roughly once a month. Ordering online is simple and easy. You can shop and check out on the website, and then continue to add to your order throughout the month.

While we do rely on home grown food, we do not grow every single item we consume. Not everything I purchase is organic, either. I do shop on a budget and often refer to The Dirty Dozen when making my choices. This helps to keep our grocery budget in line while providing our family nourishing food we can trust. I also try to buy fruits and vegetables that store well including apples, onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, and garlic. If I notice bananas are starting to go bad, I will either make banana bread or throw the bananas in the freezer.

Substitutions and Additional Add-Ons

This delicious and hearty vegetable beef soup can include whatever vegetables you like. Use up those extra vegetables in your refrigerator! Swap vegetables in and out for picky eaters if you have them.

If you are making this soup with a lean meat, try sauteing the meat and onion with a little bit of lard, butter, olive oil, or other type of fat.

Other optional add-ons include:

• sweet potatoes
• corn
• zucchini
• squash
• peas
• kale
• lima beans
• barley
• noodles

Kids who are Picky Eaters

Kids can definitely be picky eaters and often go through stages of what vegetables and fruits they will eat. One thing my mom and grandma always told me was to keep introducing fruits and vegetables to children over time. Our family does not have any food allergies, so I don’t adjust our meals based on what the kids do and don’t like. I typically make our kids take at least three bites of a vegetable, even if they don’t like it. Over time they usually get used to the texture or the way a vegetable tastes. I also try preparing vegetables in different ways. The kids love brussels sprouts when I roast them in the oven with oil, maple syrup, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. No matter what we are eating, the rule is they take at least three bites. The only exception is if the vegetable makes them gag.