You’ve all been such patient blog followers, reading my posts on various health-related topics. So it’s high-time I post a recipe already. Right? Who’s hungry?!
This one is a big hit with my family and so easy to make, it’s kind of ridiculous.
Mushroom Barley Soup (makes 10 servings):
1 3/4 cups of water
4 cups of organic chicken broth
1 cup of low sodium organic chicken broth
16 oz of mushrooms
1 cup of carrots
1 cup of celery
1/4 cup of onion
1 cup of barley (either organic purple prairie barley or pearled barley)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 bay leaves
Italian seasoning
1/2 lb of organic chicken breast (optional)
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery; cook and stir until onions are tender and transparent. Stir in mushrooms and continue to cook for a few minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and add barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a good amount of Italian seasoning (feel free to get really liberal with this one).
Couldn’t be easier. Couldn’t be more delicious. Good for dinner. Good for lunch. And healthy, too!
(And don’t forget to buy organic veggies. 😉 )
Question of the Day:
What’s your favorite one pot dish?
Health Coach Jillian 
Hi Coach Jillian,
This recipe sounds delicious and one that even I can make:-)
Regarding yesterday’s blog about sodas. I love my diet coke and my Hansen’s root beer. If I chose to give them up, could I substitute it for Perrier or other carbonated water? Are they as healthy as bottled water?
Thanks,
AC
Sparkling water is a great alternative to soda. You can also add fruit to your sparkling water to get a sweeter flavor. Strawberries, oranges, raspberries, lemon, and even mint or cucumber can give your water a little bit of pep so it tastes more like soda. The only thing I recommend is to make sure your sparkling water doesn’t have sodium in it. I’m not sure if Perrier does. That being said, the best option is always plain, still water, so make sure to get a few glasses of that in each day, too. The best way to do it is to drink a glass or two first thing in the morning when you’re most dehydrated. But yes, sparkling is far better than soda.
I also recommend avoiding bottled water as much as possible. A lot of bottled water is just tap water and the plastic poses a lot of health threats. Living on bottled water is also pricey. I recommend filtered water over bottled every time. Glass bottles are okay, though. My post on water will be coming next week…
And I’m glad the recipe sounds easy for you! I like the simplest, healthiest recipes so that anyone can make them. More of those coming soon, too!
I’ve had this soup. It’s amazing.
Any info on calories, carbs, protein & fiber per serving.?
Thx. DJR. TMLCJTP
Thanks, Dr JR.
Here’s the nutritional breakdown per serving for the recipe WITH chicken and organic pearled barley* (keep in mind this is based on 10 servings):
Calories = 185
Fat = 7.4g
Sat Fat = 1.2g
Sodium = 410 mg
Carbs = 17.1g
Fiber = 4.2g
Sugar = 2.0g
Protein = 13.1g
Cholesterol = 19mg
Vit A = 38%
Vit C = 4%
Calcium = 3%
Iron = 8%
*Keep in mind that these stats will change slightly depending on which type of barley you use, how much salt you add, and whether or not you use chicken. The stats as is are a wonderful balance of carb/protein/fat, with a good amount of fiber, not too much sugar, and a low sodium content for a soup that still tastes good! This is a great meal option.