Lower Sodium Beef and Potato Soup

*I wrote this two weeks ago, and told myself I would make it again to snap a decent picture. I only have one I took quickly to show my husband, then we ate it all. This happens a lot. So I never posted this. I've decided to go ahead and post it anyway, so it's definitely in past tense. I've been doing the low sodium thing for a while now and it's helping tremendously.*

During pregnancy, salt is your worst enemy. I've been swelling up like crazy lately. Mainly I've been too focused on overall calories, when I should be focusing on sodium. I'm eating 2000 calories a day and still gaining 5 lbs in one week, which is impossible by the way. So I've decided to stick as closely as I can to 1500 mg of sodium per day, plus extra potassium.

This soup can be fancied up into a stew if you feel like adding flour and taking the time to cook it out. I personally like the kinds of soups where you throw everything into a pot, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer. So although this soup is more watery than a stew, it tastes just as good. Plus no added salt!

Lower Sodium Beef and Potato Soup

     makes about 8 servings

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 30 ounces Stew Mix, if you can't find this use chopped onions, carrots, and celery that equals about 2 lbs. total
• 8 ounces Boneless Beef Steak, I used rib eye, chopped into cubes
• 4 cups low sodium organic Chicken Broth
• 3 cups Water
• 8 ounces no salt added Tomato Sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, skin on and chopped into cubes
• Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Cayenne Pepper, to taste

In a large pot over medium heat add the olive oil, swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the seasoned beef cubes and cook for a few minutes to develop a nice sear. Once the meat has developed a nice color on the outside add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the veggies let out a bit of water, about five minutes. Then add the potatoes, chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce. The vegetables and meat should be completely covered. If they are sticking up too high add a bit more water. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. I removed the lid and brought it back up to a slow boil for an additional 5 minutes at the end to cook out some of the water. Let cool a bit, and serve with a hunk of rustic bread.

Per serving, this soup is: 183 calories, 20 grams of carbs, 5 grams of sugar, 9 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and only 151 mg of sodium, plus 358 mg of potassium! Woohoo! That's pretty good for soup. Plus it tastes great. You can sub more water for chicken broth to lower the sodium even further.