Making soups is not only a great way to use up vegetables before they go bad but they can also make great meals for suppers or lunches on cold/wet days and are wonderful bonuses for the treatment of common colds.  All of the freshly made soup or portions of it can be stored in airtight containers and frozen for future use.  Freeze no longer than 6 months.

 

With any soup, feel free to delete ingredients you don't like or to add those you do.
You'll notice an absence of peas in anything and everything I cook lol. It is not that I am trying to deprive you of peas, it is that I can't stand them, the same way some people hate broccoli *smile*
If you like squash, peas, cauliflower or any other vegetable you see missing in my recipes, go ahead and add them to your own! Soups, like sandwiches and salads, should contain the ingredients you enjoy eating and the ones you hate can easily be left out when you are the one preparing it.
Also, you'll notice I simmer my soups for a shorter amount of time than overnight. I like my vegetable soups to offer me something to chew besides the meat. If you do simmer your soups overnight using the reasoning that "all the flavors blend together when it is simmered longer", try just simmering it for a while and then storing in in a closed container in the refrigerator overnight. You get the same "full of flavor soup" with vegetables that still offer some substance to your sustenance. 

My first soup is a beef-vegetable concoction made thyme-heavy with good intention.
Not only is thyme an excellent spice to add to beef dishes, but it is also a natural expectorant and can clear that rattle out of your chest. Amazingly, everyone who eats this soup feels "really good" "renewed" or "energized" afterwards, myself included.

Use caution when giving this soup to the elderly or to people with asthma or pneumonia related ailments.
I hospitalized Grandpa twice before I figured out it was this soup trying to clear his congested lungs that are too old and weak to cough! 

 

PunkinHaid's Feel-Good Soup

(also circulates under the name of Moni's feel-good soup with slight variations; I am Moni)

 

3 cubed steaks
2 T butter or margarine
6 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 or 4 medium carrots, peeled & sliced
4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic or two cloves, finely chopped
3 or 4 tsp thyme

Cook cubed steaks in 2 T butter or margarine in skillet until done. Remove from pan and set onto a plate. Pat dry with paper towels and cut into cubes.
While the cubed steaks are cooking, fill a soup pot with the remaining ingredients and heat to boiling.
Reduce the heat, add the cubed meat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour or until the potatoes and carrots are soft but still firm.
Serve with buttered bread and a tall glass of milk. :-) Enjoy!

 

Chicken Vegetable Soup 

(this one eats more like a stew, yummy!)

 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove, finely chopped
8 cups water
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 or 3 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
6 red potatoes, washed, skins on, and cut into chunks
3 or 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic or 2 cloves, finely chopped
1 to 2 & 1/2 Tablespoons Durkee brand Grill Creations® ~Kansas City Style~ Chicken Seasoning or Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends® "Poultry Magic"

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and cook in butter and 1/4 tsp garlic powder in a skillet over medium heat until the cubed chicken starts to turn a golden brown, stirring occasionally to cook evenly.
While the chicken is cooking, put the remaining ingredients in a soup pot and add the chicken when it is done.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until the potatoes and carrots are soft but still firm.