Its cooling off outside now that autumn has officially started. This means Soup Season has also un-officially started, and its a really good season! Creating meals with your family is a fun and tasty way to get everyone involved in lunch or dinner, and helping to cook encourages kids (and grownups) to try new foods. Using the Create a Soup handout, you can create a health meal in one pot, and create leftovers to heat up on a busy evening when taking time to cook might not be an option. Captain Create also has a recipe for a vegetable and whole grain soup that will fill you up and keep you warm on these chilly fall evenings.
Cooking and eating together has been proven to have a lot of benefits to everyone at the table. According to The Family Dinner Project, eating meals together can lead to:
- A bigger vocabulary in preschoolers, and better academic performance overall
- Higher self-esteem and a greater sense of resilience
- Lower risk of substance abuse
- Lower risk of teen pregnancy
- Lower risk of depression
- Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders and lower rates of obesity
- Healthier eating patterns and improved heart health in young adults
Le’ts get started! Creating a Soup is easy; simply choose something from each category and stir it together as it cooks. There are no rules, so feel free to create with your favorite flavors! There are lots of soup recipes on this blog, and over at the Create Better Health blog if you need more ideas!
