Broccoli Cheddar Soup & Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

I had plans of making a crock pot broccoli cheddar soup for dinner tonight but I got very distracted by all the cleaning I was doing this morning and then went out to run some errands and then completely forgot about putting the food in the crock pot before I left.  At least I didn't forget to start the bread machine this morning for the whole wheat bread I wanted to make for the kids.  Well, 3:30pm came around and I figured I'd better find a recipe for some soup before Alanna woke up and was starving, crying, clingy and making it very hard to get any cooking done.  

I went on Pinterest (my favorite) and found a great basic recipe.  It was almost completely on plan with Trim Healthy Mama which was even better.  I just made a few changes and there it was... a delicious THM Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  If you don't know what Trim Healthy Mama is I strongly encourage you to check out there website here and also this awesome review here.  

So here it is {THM - S} Broccoli Cheddar Soup 

Ingredients

1. 1 Cup Frozen or Fresh Chopped Onions
2. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3. 1 (12-14oz) Package Frozen Steamable Broccoli
4. 1 teaspoon Parsley (optional)
5. 1 teaspoons Garlic Powder
6. 1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper
7. 3 Cups Chicken Broth
8. 1 Cup Almond Milk (If you don't follow THM, you can use milk)
9. 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream (optional but I loved how creamy it made the soup)
10. 3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
11. 1 teaspoon Glucomannan (This is for thickening.  If you don't follow THM just use corn starch)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a 3.5 quart pot over medium/high heat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in parsley, garlic powder and pepper. Steam broccoli in microwave according to package instructions. Add broccoli and chicken broth.Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low.
2. In a large bowl, toss shredded cheese with glucommannan until evenly coated. Set aside.
3.  Mash, puree or leave broccoli chunky. (I left mine chunky) Stir in milk and cheese. Cook for at least 10 minutes while stirring frequently. (I cooked mine on medium/low for about 30 minutes just to let it warm up and for the seasonings to set in some) Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve in a bowl or mug.  

*I served this with homemade whole wheat bread.  This bread is not on plan with THM but I was out of my sprouted whole wheat flour so I ate the bread that I am now making for my kids.  And while not "on plan" it's still very healthy so I didn't feel bad for having one slice.

My kids LOVED this soup.  My daughter (19 months) had two bowls of it.  This is definitely a new family favorite that I'll be making a lot.  

You can find the recipe I used for the Whole Wheat Bread here.   I followed her directions exactly and it tasted so good.  My kids all loved it.  I am not buying store bought bread for my kids any more so this is the recipe I plan on using for their weekly bread.  I will probably have to make 1-2 loaves of this a week for them.  

I make a Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread for my husband and I since it is THM approved.  The flour is way more expensive than regular whole wheat flour and since my kids don't have to have the sprouted whole wheat flour, I'm going to be making the other kind of bread for them, and continue to make this recipe for my husband and me.  You can find the recipe for the Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour here.  This bread is an {E} if you are following THM.  I buy the flour off of Amazon.  They run sales on this flour so I try to buy it when it goes on sale for $10-$14 a bag. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!!!