This soup is a little out of character compared to the recipes I usually post, seeing as how it doesn’t include two cups of sugar or a pound of cream cheese, but that’s the whole point. Because, you see, I have a wonderful job (this little food blog) where I get to spend my days making tasty recipes… and I know they’re tasty because I eat them.
All the time.
And like that one day where I had the genius idea of snacking on parfaits all day long, it does catch up to me.
It has caught up to me.
I’m going to be real with you: my jeans no longer fit.
In fact, they haven’t for a while now.
But at least yoga pants are super comfy.
So for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to do everything a bit less – eat less, cook less, splurge less. I’ve also started the GM Diet again, which is a week-long program that’s one part diet and one part detox. Now, I have no authority to recommend the GM diet to anyone, but it’s working for me now (and in the past) to help jump start me toward more healthy habits.
Now, the GM Diet doesn’t have full claim on a soup like this. Many other diets (such as Weight Watchers) have their own version of this soup to help supplement their meal plans. There are even whole diets based on eating nothing but this soup.
So, I’ll bet you wondering: can a soup really be good enough to be called a “wonder”? Well, there are some clear benefits to a soup like this:
1 – It leaves you feeling satisfied and full. One of the hardest part of any diet is overcoming those hunger pangs, and I find that having this soup helps get me through the day with ease.
… And if you’re anything like me, I’ll bet you’re giving that last sentence the side eye, since every time someone promises that a food is “filling” it ends up being anything but that.
My tip?
Have some large naval oranges handy.
If you’re still feeling snacky after the soup, grab an orange. By the time you peel the fruit and finish eating, all the remaining hunger pangs will have passed. Sometimes you just need a distraction for your body to catch up to the idea that you’re full, and a fruit like an orange keeps you occupied while that happens (and helps top off any remaining room in your stomach).
WEIGHT LOSS WONDER SOUP
This soup is a little out of character compared to the recipes I usually post, seeing as how it doesn’t include two cups of sugar or a pound of cream cheese, but that’s the whole point. Because, you see, I have a wonderful job (this little food blog) where I get to spend my days making tasty recipes… and I know they’re tasty because I eat them.
All the time.
And like that one day where I had the genius idea of snacking on parfaits all day long, it does catch up to me.
It has caught up to me.
I’m going to be real with you: my jeans no longer fit.
In fact, they haven’t for a while now.
But at least yoga pants are super comfy.
So for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to do everything a bit less – eat less, cook less, splurge less. I’ve also started the GM Diet again, which is a week-long program that’s one part diet and one part detox. Now, I have no authority to recommend the GM diet to anyone, but it’s working for me now (and in the past) to help jump start me toward more healthy habits.
And one of my absolute favorite parts of the GM Diet? The GM diet soup.
Now, the GM Diet doesn’t have full claim on a soup like this. Many other diets (such as Weight Watchers) have their own version of this soup to help supplement their meal plans. There are even whole diets based on eating nothing but this soup.
So, I’ll bet you wondering: can a soup really be good enough to be called a “wonder”? Well, there are some clear benefits to a soup like this:
1 – It leaves you feeling satisfied and full. One of the hardest part of any diet is overcoming those hunger pangs, and I find that having this soup helps get me through the day with ease.
… And if you’re anything like me, I’ll bet you’re giving that last sentence the side eye, since every time someone promises that a food is “filling” it ends up being anything but that.
My tip?
Have some large naval oranges handy.
If you’re still feeling snacky after the soup, grab an orange. By the time you peel the fruit and finish eating, all the remaining hunger pangs will have passed. Sometimes you just need a distraction for your body to catch up to the idea that you’re full, and a fruit like an orange keeps you occupied while that happens (and helps top off any remaining room in your stomach).
2 – It has great flavor without adding all the “bad for you” foods. In its base form, this soup is about as good for you as it can get – it’s nothing but veggies cooked in water. Before I had this soup, I would have told you that I did not like cabbage, onions, or green peppers, yet they somehow make a delicious combination when cooked together in this soup.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS DIET SOUP IN A CROCK POT?
Yes, you totally can! You can go about it two ways:
1 – Brown the onion and green peppers in a skillet first, then add them + the rest of the ingredients to a crock pot. Cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours. I recommend this method because browning the onion and green peppers first adds a nice flavor.
2 – Put everything in a crock pot and cook! And just like the first method, you would cook the gm diet soup on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
CAN I ADD MORE INGREDIENTS TO THIS SOUP?
t’s important to note that soup is intended to be a “base” soup.
It can be eaten as it is or spruced up with other herbs and spices that align with your diet. My recommendations are limited on this because I already think the base soup tastes delicious so I haven’t experimented beyond that.
However, if you simply can’t do without a little more flavor, you can substitute some (or all) of the water in this recipe for a broth of your choice (beef, chicken, veggie, etc).
And if you absolutely must have some starch, try adding some potatoes, but keep it minimal; if your goal is weight loss, I’d recommend 1/2 a cup or less of potatoes or other starchy foods.
No matter what modifications you make, keep in mind that the soup only works its “wonders” when you stay as close to the base recipe as possible. The more ingredients you add the further you may find yourself from that goal.
HOW DOES THIS WEIGHT LOSS SOUP FIT IN YOUR DIET?
Okay, guys, I get this question a lot, and the answer is super important:
This soup is intended to supplement a diet. The soup itself is not a diet.
So if you’re whipping up a batch of this soup, please remember that it’s only meant to be a snack or to replace one meal a day. You should still be following a diet that includes other foods that will help round out your daily nutrition intake.
Your diet should not consist of this soup alone.
For example, this soup was designed to be part of the GM Diet. The GM Diet has different food themes every day, and this soup is only meant to be something you can make in advance and serve whenever you’re feeling a little hungry. The soup is your “free food” for the week, but it’s not the only food you should be eating.
Changing your eating habits can be a challenge, but no matter which method you use, always remember to keep a well-balanced diet.
NOTES & TIPS FOR THIS WONDER SOUP RECIPE
- Keep in mind that there is a lot of prep work involved with this soup (30 minutes of chopping veggies, depending on your skill) and it takes a while to cook (1 and 1/2 hours). This is balanced out by the fact that you can eat this soup over the course of five days, so it’s almost like you’re prepping your food for the week. You can even freeze the soup if you find you’re not going to eat it all in time.
- And because this soup will last you five days, this recipe makes enough for five large portions. It might not seem like it in text, but that is a lot of soup. You will need at least a 12 quart stockpot to cook it and a few Tupperware containers to store it in.
- This recipe requires a lot of veggie chopping. If you need tips on how to cut a green pepper, watch this video for a walkthrough. If you’ve never cut a cabbage before, watch this video on how to do it.
HOW TO MAKE WEIGHT LOSS SOUP
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil (optional) then toss in the chopped onions veggies and green peppers. Cook the veggies, tossing every three to five minutes, until the water is cooked out and the onions are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove veggies from heat and set nearby.
Step 2 – In a large stockpot, add cabbage, water, tomatoes, celery, and top it off with the veggies you just cooked.
Step 3 – Heat the soup over medium-high heat until water begins to boil, then give the soup a stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 50-60 minutes. The cabbage will slowly cook down and the broth will be more visible once the soup is done.
INGREDIENTS :
- 1/2 tsp olive oil optional
- 4 large onions finely chopped (6-8 coups)
- 2 green peppers diced (2-3 cups)
- 3 large tomatoes roughly chopped (3-4 cups)
- 1 bunch celery diced (3-4 cups)
- 1 small cabbage chopped (10-12 cups)
- 3 cup water or up to 5 cups for a more watery soup
INSTRUCTIONS
Start off by cutting up all the vegetables and separating them into three large bowls: onion and green pepper in the first bowl, tomatoes and celery in the second bowl, and cabbage in the last bowl.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and green peppers to pan, tossing to coat. Sautee veggies until water has cooked out and onions begin to brown. The length of time this takes will depend on your cooking unit and the size of your pan, but for me, it took about 35 minutes. Turn the veggies every 3 to 5 minutes while cooking to prevent sticking and to check the color. Once cooked, remove pan from heat.
In a 12 quart stockpot, add the cabbage and water. Next, add the tomatoes and celery. Finish by adding the cooked onions and green peppers on top. Ingredients will likely be to be brim of the pot – this is okay. Do not stir soup yet.
Heat the soup over medium-high until water begins to boil. By this point, the veggies should have cooked down some, giving you room to stir. Once veggies are mixed, reduce heat so soup is simmering and cook for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If desired, serve soup immediately. Store excess soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.