Welcome to December! December is usually a very busy month for me. At work we tend to have some bigger meetings and deadlines. My children have music concerts, indoor sports, and parties to attend. My husband and I have our own social events to add in. Most importantly, we have a very special birthday in December – our youngest turns 8 this year. Just thinking about all this makes me want to forget about planning and making meals.

One meal I know I can rely on during the busyness of December is soup. My family will eat almost any soup and they are happy to eat leftover soup on nights when we do not have time to make anything. Our December recipe of the month is Minestrone Soup and it is one of the quickest and easiest soups to make. As an added bonus, the leftovers taste great. Minestrone Soup is a combination of broth, beans, noodles, tomatoes, and other vegetables. You can follow the recipe at the link below as we have written it on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. Or, you can also use what you have on hand – extra vegetables from another meal, the last of the pasta at the bottom of a box or bag, canned or homemade broth of any kind. When I serve this soup with some bread and cheese on the side, everyone is happy. I am extra happy because it took less than 30 minutes to make.

I hope you all enjoy the end of 2023!