The farmer’s market was cold and pretty empty, but there were still a whole lot of local food goodies to be had.
Every stand had greens, but we still have a lot in our fridge.
So beautiful.
Got two pork chops for this week.
How beautiful are these bittersweet wreaths? I’d love one! But not for $45.
Crazy bumpkin!
Giant carrots. Tiny brussels sprouts.
Warm and cozy!
See where those coolers are? In the middle of summer, there is a whole other row of stands. I’d say the market was down to about a 1/3 of what it is in July and August.
The loot:
Sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, carrots, garlic, spaghetti squash, eggplant and pork choppahs.
While I was taking pictures of the loot, the Puppyface stood underfoot, staring at me and whining.
Silly Puppyface gets SO excited when the temps drop. She always has her winter coat on, so when the weather finally matches her attire, it makes her very happy. I obeyed the whines, put down the camera and took her for a few laps around the block. She was content. And then passed out on the couch.
And I ate a snack.
More tea and another oat bar. These things are addictive.
Ain’t that the truth.
Lunch
Are you ready for pretty much the world’s easiest soup recipe?
That’s all you need. Package of frozen spinach (no need to defrost), two cans of stewed tomatoes, quart of chicken broth, one clove of garlic, one bouillon cube and some cheese-filled pasta. We normally use refrigerated tortellini, but on our trip to Trader Joe’s we picked up this bag and it works perfectly.
Organic spinach for $0.99? Yes, please!
Check the labels closely when you buy stewed tomatoes. You must use stewed tomatoes. They are slow-cooked with other veggies and flavors and help to make this easy soup flavorful. If you just use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes, your soup will need a lot of seasoning.
Alright, soup time. Get out your favorite soup pot. Mine = my red dutch oven, obviously.
Plop in your block of frozen spinach.
Pour in the broth.
Bring to a boil. Then add tomatoes, minced garlic, and bouillon cube.
Bring back to a boil.
Add pasta and cook until tender. Serve and enjoy.
You’re probably saying “Uh, salt?” STEP AWAY FROM THE SALT. Between the broth, tomatoes and bouillon, there will be plenty of salt.
Spinach Tortellini Soup
1–10 oz. package frozen spinach
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth2–14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube1 clove garlic, minced1 1/2-2 cups cheese-filled pasta (dry or refrigerated)
Bring spinach and broth to a boil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add tomatoes, bouillon, and garlic. Return to boil. Add pasta and cook until pasta is done. Serve and enjoy.
Had my bowl of lunch soup with two hunks of bread and buttah.
This is one of our favorite soups. It is so packed with flavor. And so, so, so, easy. Mmmm, I’m all warm and toasty from the inside out! Soup love!
Oooh, that soup looks really good! I’m going to make that like this week! Thanks for sharing that. Did you blog the recipe for those oat bars too? I’d love to try that as well. I love your blogs so much!
Nope, I didn’t blog about them because I did an exact replica of Angela’s recipe. I’m making them again tonight, this time with blueberries! YUM.
I never would have thought to put filled pasta in soup, but that looks AMAZING. I love soups in the autumn/winter – will definitely be making this sometime this week! 😀
The filled pasta is a super quick way to add flavor and heartiness. Mmm!
YUM. That would make a great soup for one of our meatless meals! I’m going to give this a try this week! I LOOOOOVE spinach and tomatoes. My favorite combo.
It is so quick and easy, it could even make it onto your post-baby menus!