A Healthy Holiday: Conclusion ~ Soup & Leftover ideas
Happy the day before the day before New Year’s Day! 
I LOVE holiday meals because to me leftovers always mean SOUP and tons of fun new things to try I LOVE Turkey Noodle Soup after turkey day and a warm, hearty bean soup after Christmas. I decided to put a spin on the White Bean with Bacon and Pesto Soup by using ham and a ton veggies.
Next Day Ham and White Bean Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb dried navy beans
1 c chopped ham
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 red bell pepper (I used 1/2 green & 1/2 red), chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
32 oz Chicken Broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 leftover ham bone or smoked ham hock (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
bacon pieces and chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Soak overnight or use the following quick soak method. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pan over medium heat and add ham. Brown for about 4-5 minutes. Add bell pepper and the next 5 ingredients (bell pepper through minced garlic); sauté 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomatoes, beans and spices. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.
3. Remove ham bone and allow to cool. Remove ham from bone and chop into pieces. Add to soup if desired or save for another time.
4. Place 2 cups of the bean mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureéd mixture to pan. If using, top with the bacon and parsley.
Makes 8, heaping 1 1/2 cup servings.
Nutritional information per serving (excluding toppings) (3 WWP’s):
Calories 159.0, Total Fat 3.2 g, Saturated Fat 0.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g, Cholesterol 15.9 mg, Sodium 867.6 mg, Potassium 459.5 mg, Total Carbohydrate 20.7 g, Dietary Fiber 6.2 g, Sugars 4.1 g, Protein 11.5 g
Enjoy!
Note: This soup will freeze well for up to two months. Pour into an airtight container, leaving enough room for expansion (usually an inch or two at the top). To reheat, thaw completely in the refrigerator; then place contents in a saucepan over low heat, adding some liquid if necessary.
LEFTOVER IDEAS:
I froze some of our ham so I can make this New Years Day Soup next ~ doesn’t it sound amazing and I LOVE the stats.
Here are some other ideas for how you can use up all the leftovers you have from your healthy holiday celebration:
Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese Quiches (I make these every year – they are so easy and awesome!)
Green eggs and ham
Ham, Spinach & Sun Dried Tomato Calzones
Ham & Pineapple Sandwiches
Leftover Veggies tossed on salad
Is there such a thing as leftover Au Gratin Potatoes?
Oh and last, but, not least, do NOT forget to FREEZE your leftovers. Make your own healthy little mini frozen dinners for the nights you don’t want to cook or save some ham for soup another day.
I hope you all have a FANTASTIC time brining in the New Year whatever you end up doing.
See you all tomorrow when I resume blogging my daily eats or possibly for some Coconut Pound Cake (a not-so-healthy recipe) but totally worth EVERY calorie! It really just depends on how much time I have before we head out to celebrate the New Year!
Nite all!
A new spin on Ham ‘n’ Eggs
The Husband came up with the title for this post. Who says you can have Ham and Eggs when you can have Ham ‘n’ Eggs?! He says the difference is ham and eggs are two separate dishes and Ham ‘n’ Eggs are one big ghoulash of a dish that we had. Ok, I am not sure what he meant by it, but, it makes me laugh hearing him say and explain it. He’s so funny ~ that’s why I LOVE him so!
Can you guess what we had for dinner tonight? Hmmmm…..well, it starts with breakfast lol.
For starters, I had a slice of the fabulous new Honey Wheat bread that we bought at Gillwood’s today topped with a little whipped butter.
And paired it nicely with some scrambled eggs (eggs, dash of milk, dash of Tapatio hot sauce, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of parmesan). I had one egg and The Husband had three. He put his on top of his “ham hash below” while I kept mine on the side.
The star of tonight’s dinner was Rachael Ray’s Ham and Spinach Hash ~ I’ve made this recipe several times and love it because it has so much flavor and you can get in some veggies in a new way. I modify her recipe by cutting the butter and the oil in 1/2 and tonight I used Rosemary since I didn’t have any time. It was awesome as usual ~ totally hammy! 
I forgot how filling this dish was and how gigantic my one slice of bread was. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish it all, but, I DID! Ok well, I scooped the extra ham and stuff to The Husband’s plate – so that counts, right?
I am off to put together my list of baked goodies for the bake sale. Meghann received her testing package today…..you can see what she thought here. Based on her review, it looks like I just might have to put together a variety pack
Ok I’ll stop hamming it up with corniness…..I think my brain has officially decided to make me loopy.
Have a great night all! I am off to enjoy my new magazine, relax and get caught up on some much needed sleep.
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