I Love Soup

Imagine my surprise when I actually came down with all the side effects of prednisone!  There I was  trying to pretend that everything was normal and I was just a little weak.  Huh!
One of the worst things for me was losing my taste buds. Suddenly I could not taste food. I love to cook and eat and I can't taste food.  Now what?
My doctor had informed me that my maximum salt intake was 800mg sodium daily!  Keep in mind that everything has salt.  Whether its natural sodium or added,  most all foods have some sodium.  Even your drinking water has some sodium. 
The challenge of coming up with a meal that has low low sodium and taste was very difficult. All canned, frozen or processed food was out. I had to learn to cook on my own without any help from Campbells, Kraft or Duncan Hines.  Now it was hello Mrs. Dash, Herb and Spice and Vinegar. At this point it really didn't matter because I couldn't taste anything anyway.  I did persevere and tried cooking with "big flavor" foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and I even snuck some blue cheese in my food.  High in sodium but high in flavor too. I didn't need much just a sprinkle or so.
I am also a soup lover and had to figure out how to make soup.  I had always said that when i was an old  widow woman  I would stock my pantry and live off Campbell soup.  Well that was no longer an option.
Now I had to figure out how to make and preserve a big batch of soup.
I made this soup using pretty exact measurements so that I could post the sodium content but you can certainly adjust the vegetables to your own likes and dislikes.

Aunty Esthers Hamburger Tomato Barley Soup

1 lb hamburger       220 mg
200g potatoes           12 mg
200g cabbage           40 mg
150g carrots              55 mg
100 g rutabaga          34 mg
1 onion                        5 mg
1 stalk celery             35 mg
1 28oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes 35mg
1 cup low sodium v-8 juice  135mg
1 1/2 cartons low sodium chicken broth (Not campbells. I use Pacific only 70 mg per cup) 365 mg
1/4 cup pot barley        0 mg (Western Family)
3 or 4 bay leaves          0 mg
parsley, dill and pepper

Fry up the hamburger in a big pot until brown. Add bay leaves.  Add veggies and cook for a five minutes or so.  Throw in the tomatoes, juice, broth, barley and spices. Cook until done.
I use my big red cast iron pot and when the soup comes to a boil on the stove i throw the pot in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes.  This makes it thicker but i think it adds flavor.

Total Sodium about 950mg for the whole pot.  Makes about 12 cups. 80 mg per cup.  Not bad!

My aunty Esther says you can freeze any soup so I freeze this in plastic containers.