I was going to wait until Monday to start talking about meal planning but it's what's on my brain. 

And what's on my brain = what's on my blog.

I'm really excited to start doing this with y'all and holding ourselves accountable to cooking.  There is a really great post on Life In Grace that got my wheels turning this weekend and I think you should read it.  It's the premise for the meal planning I'm going to implement and the source for the recipe from yesterday and the one for the cheese tortellini soup today.  

I actually switched things around and made this soup last night instead of the chicken.  It was so easy, took less than thirty minutes from start to finish.  And I had the chopped fresh veggies already out to feed the kids while I cooked which was great.  Matthew said it was one of the most flavorful things I've ever made and wants it on immediate rotation.  Wells and Tagg loved it so much they both wanted their own bowls and spoons.  This was less productive with Tagg but cute to watch him play with a metal spoon and look-alike white plastic bowl.

That's the beauty of the meal planning I'm doing.  You have the ingredients with recipes on hand and can swap them for another recipe if you want at that last minute.  Don't worry, I'll be going over all the details on Monday with you.  

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

2 1/2 boxes of chicken stock (10 cups)

1 bag of fresh spinach

1 large bag or two small bags of cheese tortellini (our grocery store has it in the dairy section)

1 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes (you can use another brand but these make the BEST soup)

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1-2  T. honey

salt and pepper to taste

{always add salt along the way and don’t wait until the end}

DIRECTIONS

Saute the onions, celery and carrots in olive oil for 5-7 min or until the onions are translucent.  Add the diced garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tortellini, tomatoes,  spinach, vinegar and honey.   Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is tender.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread!