When your belt's feeling a bit tight :)

My mom - who had 9 kids - is just as trim as can be at 80. She made this soup constantly when we were growing up. There's variations on the internet that I've seen, but here is Alice's stand-by - she still makes 2 pots a week for her and Dad :)

Peel-A-Pound Soup

1 small head of cabbage
4 large onions
2 cloves of garlic diced
1 bunch of celery - leaves and all
1 large green pepper
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 medium potatoes - leave the skins on
4 carrots - just scrub them; don't peel
2 packages instant onion soup mix
6 - 8 cups water - just enough til it covers the veggies

Cut all the vegetables into pieces - no dicing, just pieces except for the garlic. Put everything into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. Eat for lunch or dinner and watch the pounds fall away - that is if you don't eat the "bad stuff" as she always says..... ;)