On our forty days of GAPS, stage one of the intro is the hardest. Our bodies are converting from using carbohydrates for energy to fats, causing blood sugar imbalances, lethargy, vomiting, and nausea. It’s not the environment that encourages appetite. Nevertheless, making tasty soups can encourage kids to actually eat something that seems unappetizing. Really, it’s just the word Soup that makes them turn their nose up in disgust. Here are three recipes that have helped us survive the first three days.

Veggie Chicken Noodle

Ingredients:

1 Whole chicken, or at least two chicken carcasses with some remaining meat

Organ meats that came with the chicken

2 Chicken Livers

2 Grass fed beef bones with cartilage, meat and/or marrow attached

5 Large carrots

3 Zucchini, spiralized or chopped in preferred size and shape

1 Large onion, roughly chopped

3 Ribs of celery, roughly chopped

5 Cloves of garlic, crushed

2 Tsp Black peppercorns

2 Tbsp Sea salt

1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

Directions:

First, prepare the stock by adding the beef bones, whole chicken or chicken bones and organ meats, celery, carrot, onion, salt, black peppercorns, and apple cider vinegar to your soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. After three hours, turn off the burner and let cool for at least an hour. Set a metal strainer over another large soup pot and pour stock through the strainer. Pick whatever meat you had on the bones off for the soup, as well as crushing the carrots and livers, and add to a mixing bowl. Toss whatever is left in your strainer (my strainer is medium sized so I have to do these steps twice) in the trash. Separate the strained stock into two batches, pouring one into a large jar for future soup, keeping the rest in the soup pot. Add back in the chicken and carrot mixture, along with the spiralized zucchini. Simmer for 30 Minutes, adding in the garlic 3-5 minutes before turning the burner off. Season with sea salt to taste.

Turkey Spaghetti Soup

Ingredients:

3 Quarts premade stock

48 Oz Organic tomato puree

1 Spaghetti squash, roasted in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender, at 375 degreed farenheit.

2 lbs Ground organic turkey

1 Large red pepper, diced

5 Cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 Tsp + 1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Directions:

Use two forks to break up the roasted spaghetti squash into noodles. Bring the stock and tomato puree to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. While the stock is heating, stir in 3 cloves of crushed garlic and 1/2 Tsp sea salt with the ground turkey. Form turkey mixture into small balls and add to stock. Add in the red pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes, adding in the spaghetti squash and garlic 3-5 minutes before soup is done. Season to taste.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

4lbs Chuck roast, cubed

2-3 Grass fed beef soup bones

72oz Tomato puree

5 Carrots, sliced

2 Yellow onions, diced

1 lb Green beans, cut into rougly one inch sections

1 lb Frozen peas

1 lb Squash, zucchini, or a mix, diced

6 Cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp Sea Salt

1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Add all ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for three to four hours. Remember to add garlic five minutes before end of cooking time. Remove soup bones and discard. My estimate for salt is just that, an estimate. Everyone seems to like their soup seasoned differently, so start low and increase until it tastes perfect to you. This recipe is super simple! It just takes a bit of time to chop all of the vegetables and meat. Enjoy!