30-minute Sausage & Veggie Soup 

I’m a whimsical lady. It’s one of my best and most frustrating qualities. The best decisions I make in life are made on a whim. The most memorable adventures I go on are taken on a whim. And the best food that I make is made when I have no plan or a clue as to what I am actually making. Nothing that I plan or organize ever goes as well as the things I do and/or create on a whim. I should really just stop planning and embrace that my intuition is much smarter than my over-thinking brain.

In fact, this 30-minute Sausage & Veggie Soup is coming to your eyes and hopefully your dinner tables because of one of those whimsical nights in the kitchen when I cooked from my heart, instincts, and available provisions instead of off my meal plan.

I think it was a Thursday night. A cold, rainy, blah Thursday night when I got home late (silly San Diego traffic), with an over-tired 5-year-old whining that she was hungry (growth spurt) and a text message from my husband that he was going to be home late (more San Diego traffic). I had had less than an awesome day at work and getting dinner on the table was about the last thing that I wanted to do. But the family had to eat, so I decided to get cracking in the kitchen.

As I glanced up at my weekly meal plan, my nose wrinkled at the options I had to pick from. I shivered, realizing I was still wearing my rain-soaked coat and shoes. As I removed them and switched in dry leggings and an oversized hoodie (dinner cooking essentials, in case you were not aware), I thought about how I wanted something cozy and easy for dinner. Like, dump-it-all-into-a-pot-and-walk-away-to-snuggle-with-my-little-girl-while-it-cooked kind of easy. I opened my fridge and saw the mason jars of freshly made bone broth staring back at me. Soup! I would make dump-everything-hearty-comforting-and-nourishing-into-a-pot soup.

Soon, I was chopping up all the random veggies and throwing them into my soup pot with some sliced sausage, rice and the inspiring bone broth. A hint of a few spices and dinner was soon simmering away while I played Jenga with my daughter. By the time my husband made it home from his daily commute, dinner was done and we all got to sit down to enjoy a relaxed and cozy meal.

Planning in life (especially for healthy meals) is always great, but sometimes you have to see where inspiration, circumstance and broth will take you.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced carrot

• 1 1/2 cup diced zucchini

• 3/4 cup green peas

• 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped kale, loosely packed

• 8 ounces sausages, sliced into coins

• 1/3 cup white jasmine rice

• 4 1/2 cups broth (I used bone broth)

• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except zucchini and peas in a large pot, stirring to combine.

2. Bring to a boil on medium-high. Once boiling, lower heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender and rice is cooked through.

3. Add peas and zucchini into the soup and cook for an additional 5 minutes

4. Enjoy warm or let cool completely and store leftovers in fridge for up to 4 days.

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