Waist not, want not for 2014.

As I type this, the wind is blowing, the temp is dropping and we aren't promised a lick of snow. The downside of being this far south. Power outages are imminent so I got up early to make sure I got my coffee fix and put my chicken carcass on to make broth. Coffee first helped me stand the sight. Not very pretty. But it is the beginning of soup and soup season.

I keep my chicken bones in the freezer until I am ready to make more broth. Somehow makes the process feel easier.

January's definitely the month of soup. Between needing to drop those holiday pounds, save some money, and battle the weather forecast, soup is the ticket.ManO and I are starting a new budget and insurance plan. I'm launching an etsy vintage shop in the coming months. And we are planning a trip to Ireland in the fall.  Hopefully my waist will be whittled along with my expenses.

So I'm headed to fridge instead of the grocery store. No way am I going outside, except to put the broth on the screened porch to cool down. Flash freeze if you will! So I looked in my fridge to see what I had for soup besides the broth. Fresh black peas with bits of ham, turnip greens, carrots, and celery. Sounds like the makings of soup to me.

I always have this fear that my Depression era grandparents would be appalled by the amount of wilted produce I throw away. I'm resolved to throw veggies in freezer bags for future meals rather than let them die from refrigerator dehydration.

I think my mother and my MIL would also like it if I whittle my waist down. They may not look it in these pictures but both these women had waists measuring in the lower 20 inches! Both got married in cold weather too. My granddaddy had to wrap my mother in a sheet to carry her in her velvet wedding dress through the ice and mud to the car and then the church.

Anyway, back to the soup! I just threw everything in the pot and cooked it for thirty minutes since everything had been precooked. Added a bit of hot sauce and voila! "Good luck" New Year' sides turn into a good-for-me meal.

 

I had enough to freeze for future winter lunches! Yay! 

What leftovers do YOU throw in the soup pot? Are you starting the new year with the resolve to lose wait or gain savings?