Broccoli Cheese Soup is a winter classic. It embraces sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and savory — and has a bonus fatty mouth feel. Sadly, many versions are more like cheese sauce studded with bits of broccoli — a classic example of when less is more.

Broccoli is an easy vegetable, but how often can you roast broccoli in the air fryer?

Mix things up and put on a pot of Broccoli Cheese Soup. Broccoli Cheese Soup can be rich, creamy, and indulgent and still be Good and Good for You. The best part is that this soup is quick and easy to make, uses up the entire stalk of broccoli stems and all, or can be made with pre-chopped florets.

Read on for the recipe — and how to come back from  “Quitter’s Week” when most folks stopped their New Year’s Resolutions.

This week’s Best Life Living Tip is a sure fine way to get you up and off the sofa in these cold winter months. It’s not about willpower–it’s about giving yourself the tools to do it.

Best Life Living Tip

We all know willpower alone cannot work. Countless self-help books will tell you the why and the how. I have found success by using the best tools I can to help me stay on track.

A desire to be healthy and strong means we need to exercise – and we ALL know how challenging that healthy habit can be.

Want to make sure work out when the last thing you want to do is go out in the cold? Make a workout date.

The CDC suggests accountability is an important tool for making and breaking habits.You’re more likely to walk or exercise if you’ve made a plan with a friend, scheduled a workout with a personal trainer, or bought a yoga class. I know I am. (It’s telling that we won’t blow off a friend, but we might blow off ourselves!) I guarantee you’ve got a friend who’s feeling the same way you are and needs a boost, too.

However, don’t underestimate your ability to meet your goals without a partner. You might be underestimating your ability to motivate yourself to exercise. Recent studies featured in Psychology Today that the actual benefit of the workout partner could be the connections that are created, not policing.

Self-Care Technique

Get down on it. Get down on the floor. Not for the Sit Floor Test that’s become so popular on social media, but to read, work, and watch TV. Sitting on the floor — and being able to rise is — are key indicators of health. Many of us sit all day, the standing desk lies idle stacked with papers in my office.

Time reports, ” When you sit on a chair in the traditional right-angle fashion—the relationship between your upper thigh bones, pelvis, and hip joints suffers, making it harder for you to keep your torso stable. So your body solves the problem another way, usually by enlisting the long muscles in the back and in the legs to keep your upper body from moving in various directions. The efforts of those muscles take a toll, tugging on your spine and creating discomfort.”

I let out my inner 8-year-old and watch TV while lying on the floor. I find I squirm a good bit, but I look at it as movement and stretching. It’s far better than being a couch potato.

Proper posture is important for good health. Sitting on the floor can improve posture, strengthen your core, and increase flexibility.

Ideas and Inspiration 

Haha– we go from the seat of your pants to your head.

This week’s inspiring expert is Dr. Annie Fenn of Brain Health Kitchen. She’s got a great newsletter and a fantastic cookbook, The Brain Health Kitchen. Like many, I’ve seen the effects of dementia firsthand and want to do whatever I can to help my brain stay healthy.

She is also loved by the folks at Rancho la Puerta, so I am doubly on board.  Make sure to follow her over on Instagram at @brainhealthkitchen. She’s got great things to say about broccoli!

Make it Good and Good for You

Good nutrition is key to good brain health. This soup is rich, vibrant, and full of flavor. It comes in at 148 calories per cup vs 250 or more for fat-laden soups. I’m happy to feature it in the newly released paperback version of Lighten Up, Y’all.

For those of you who have been here before,  please note that all Good and Good for You recipes now include nutritional information! (We’re working on going back to older recipes, too.)

Hope you enjoy the Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe. Let me know what you think if you give it a try.

Bon Appétit Y’all!

Virginia Willis

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Creamy Broccoli-Parmesan Soup

This is a creamy, homemade soup made with real, recognizable ingredients (as opposed to all those unpronounceable chemicals that appear on the side of the store-bought soup can). It’s true cheese can be high in fat—but it’s also packed with protein, calcium, and vitamins A and D. Plus, if you use cheeses that are full of complex, strong flavors, like Parmigiano-Reggiano, you’ll find that a little goes a long way. 

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 percent milk more if needed, warmed
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth, warmed, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds of broccoli cut into florets, with stalks peeled and chopped
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups packed baby spinach
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 ounces
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Combine the milk and the stock in a small saucepan or in a large liquid measuring cup and warm over low heat or in the microwave. Keep warm.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. (The mixture will be very dry.) Add the reserved warm milk–stock combination and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the broccoli stalks and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then decrease the heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the broccoli stems are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the florets and stir to combine. Continue to cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to combine and wilt the spinach.
• To finish the soup, in the stockpot, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (It will take a few minutes with the immersion blender.) Or, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth a little at a time. Leave it coarse and chunky if you prefer a more rustic soup or puree until smooth for a more elegant soup. Add the cheese and cayenne; stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. If needed, rewarm the soup over medium-low heat. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2869IU | Vitamin C: 108mg | Calcium: 244mg | Iron: 2mg

Let’s cook something up! If you are interested in hosting me for a speaking engagement, event, cooking class, or a book signing, let me know! Send an email to jona@virginiawillis.com and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.

I am not a doctor, RD, or health professional. I am simply sharing what works for me. My blog is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

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Good and Good for You with Virginia Willis is a lifestyle brand that shares food, fun, and fitness through digital channels and online community; events, seminars, and speeches; and print media. For more information visit virginiawillis.com