I just found this recipe today. I made it tonight for dinner using Thrive instead and it was amazing! I love it and Mr. Incredible said it’s his favorite lentil soup now. All my kiddos ate it cheerfully. This is yummy. And oh so easy. It does take time to simmer to get the lentils soft. Just throw it in a pot and forget about it for a while. This soup was so good and easy I wanted to do a price break down on cost per serving. I am basing my ingredients off of my recipe using Thrive freeze dried food.

pasta $1.00– the recipe calls for a half of pound
onion (fd) $1.38
celery (fd) $1.10
carrots (dehydrated) $0.38
chicken broth 2 cans $1.50–using bouillon would cut the cost even further
diced tomatos (I puree so Reese can’t identify them) $1.09
sausage crumbles (fd) $3.32
herbs and spices $0.50–I pulled that number out of my head. I didn’t want to get down to the nitty gritty.

I ate 3 bowls, Mr. Incredible at 4 bowls, Julz had 2.5 bowls, and the other three kiddos had at least one bowl each. Probably three more bowls of soup for lunch tomorrow.  This recipes makes, conservatively, 12 servings for only $10.27. $0.86 per serving, that is awesome! Lentils are so nutritious too.

I served it with my homemade bread that I baked today. Yes, I am now baking bread. All of our store bought bread has been eaten. My family loves my bread. I do too. Its a recipe that my mother in law gave me. The recipe makes 3 loaves. We consumed 2 of the loaves between 3 pm and 7 pm. Thats the work of six mouths.  I don’t mind making bread. About two years ago I decided I was going to master the art of homemade bread making before I had to rely on the skill. My sweet mom in law came over and tested my dough for me until I figured out the “touch”. I have it down now. Its nice to have an expert to consult with.

Here is a loaf of dough before its baked. The bread next to the bowl of soup is the finished product. Vitamin C, I tell you, its the secret. I just ground up 1 500mg children chewable orange vitamin C with my wheat today.

Its Valentine’s Day. I saved up something special for breakfast this morning. Waffles, strawberry compote and whipped cream! Yes whipped cream. You already know my secret. Shelf stable whipping cream is handy. Julie referred to it as a dead medium, in the case of making Kefir with UHT(ultra high temperature) dairy. I don’t know how healthy it is to eat UHT dairy. But for breakfast this morning I tried not to think about it too hard and just enjoy my organic unbleached white flour (I know the whiter the bread the sooner you’re dead), strawberries, and UHT whipped cream.