So, last week I was in the midst of what had to have been one of the worst colds of my life. I kid you not. This cold was fierce. It came with aches, the worst sinus pressure I've had, and was just all around bad news. Thankfully this week, I'm finally on the mend after the two week long fiasco. Unfortunately, it seems that my little princess has taken over where I left off.

Even so, while I was in the midst of my head-cold from my nightmares my girl and I were busy in the kitchen. One thing that I knew we just had to make was soup. And lots of it! Since my Healthified 'Swamp' Soup isn't really her jam, she decided on a soup that she would eat. When it comes to her simple food (and usually meatless food) is always the route she takes.

So, I put my south paw to work with some of her kid-friendly set of plastic knives. I helped her along a bit and was careful to watch her even though the knives are plastic, cutting hard veggies can be dangerous.

Once her soup was done, she was very proud of what she'd done, so much so that she sat down and ate her entire bowl full. Which if you knew that she tends to eat like a little baby bird then you'd realize how much of a big deal that is!

Being 5 years old, she definitely needed my guidance with this soup. Most of that could be because I'm a helicopter parent, but some of it also has to do with the fact that she hasn't spent too much time actually cutting things up in the kitchen with me until now.

All in all she did really well - even through the constant left-handed right-handed struggle between us at the counter top. It's something I'm working on, trust me. Being the only lefty in the house definitely comes with it's disadvantages for her.

She served her soup with some of her favorite butterfly crackers and enjoyed every single bite. And yeah, she even had leftovers 2-3 days later.

Vegetable & Stars Soup
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: About 1 1/2 Cup • Calories: 85.6 • Fat: 0.3 g • Carb: 14.9 g • Fiber: 1.7 g • Protein: 5.2 g • Sugar: 2.9 g • Sodium: 592.4 mg

Ingredients:
2 Carrot, Peeled & Chopped
2 Medium Celery Stalks, Chopped
4 C. Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 C. Uncooked 'Star' Pasta
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Place the 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks, 4 C. (1 Qt.) of broth into a large pot over high heat.

Bring it all to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low; allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are good and tender.

Once the veggies are tender, uncover the pot and increase the heat to bring it back to a boil.

Add in the noodles and cook according to the package; mine cooked for 8-9 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!