Cooking for kids often ends ups being a rushed, multitasking event at the end of a long day. Between homework and carpool, it can be hard to make sure your child is eating a balanced diet on a regular basis.

Thankfully, this “Shrimp and Veggie Soup" recipe is wonderful at multitasking. Whether it’ simmering on the stove or cooking away in your crock pot, you can focus on other activities, without resorting to another pizza delivery night.

This soup is also a great method to causally present other ways of enjoying shrimp (for kids that love shrimp), with the addition of some delicious vegetables. If your child isn’t a shrimp lover, you can substitute chicken as well. Making one batch on the weekend will leave you plenty of servings throughout the week (as a side or main dish).

Ingredients

• 12 large peeled and cooked shrimp
  
  
• 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and sliced
  
  
• 2 small shallots, peeled and diced
  
  
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
  
  
• 2 cups (roughly, doesn’t have to be exact) of diced cabbage
  
  
• 1 48 ounce box of chicken stock
  
  
• 4 zucchini, sliced

Directions

1. Spray a large pot or pan with a non stick cooking spray.
   
   
2. Heat the pan over medium heat.
   
   
3. Peel and slice the carrots and shallots.
   
   
4. Dice the celery stalks.
   
   
5. Add the carrots, shallots, and celery to the pot.
   
   
6. Add the chicken broth to the pot.
   
   
7. Simmer on low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes.
   
   
8. Remove the pot from heat, and add the shrimp.

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, minus the shrimp or chicken.
  
  
• Cook on low for four to six hours, or until cooked through.
  
  
• Add cooked shrimp or chicken to the slow cooker during the last five
  minutes of cooking.

Recipe Tips

• Substitute cooked, diced chicken breast in lace of shrimp if desired.
  
  
• This recipe is freezer friendly. However, do not re-freeze shrimp that has
  been previously frozen. It's best to purchase a fresh batch of shrimp, or use diced cooked chicken instead.