Monday, January 26, 2015

Chicken, Lentil, & Veggie Soup (194 calories)

I started off my first meal of 5:2 with a giant bowl of soup for lunch. This is nearly 4 cups worth of soup for less than 200 calories! Gotta love the veggies. I planned it out on paper and was pleased at how tasty it turned out. It didn't even need any extra spices! These directions make a single bowl, but the lentils need so long to cook, you might want to make a double or triple batch.

Chicken, Lentil, & Veggie Soup (under 200 calories)

1) In a small pot, add 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup dried lentils, and 1 Tbsp. tomato paste. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour (until lentils are tender).

2) Chop up 1/2 cup carrots and add to the soup. Chop & add 1/2 cup celery (about 1 stalk). While the soup simmers, skim off the red foam with a spoon or strainer for a cleaner soup (optional).

3) In the last 10 minutes, add 1/2 cup cooked, shredded/chopped chicken. Serves 1.

Calories - 194

You can also substitute black eyed peas for the lentils (+40 calories) or sub the chicken with 8 oz. fresh mushrooms (-18 calories). This makes such a large bowl you could easily split it in half for 2 super-low lunches!





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