Lentil Soup with Brown Rice and Spinach 
Protein, vitamins A and K, B vitamins, and folate promote your baby’s cell, brain, and neural tube development.
SERVES 8; MAKES ABOUT 10 CUPS
THE combination of lentils, brown rice, and spinach bursts with nutrition. The vinegar, added to the soup at the last minute, gives it a wonderful tang—balsamic vinegar is perfect—while the olive oil adds richness. The bay leaves are optional. Slow cooker/Instant Pot instructions follow. This soup keeps refrigerated for three days and can be frozen for up to one month.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and finely diced, or 2 cups sliced peeled baby carrots
½ cup uncooked brown rice (or any rice except instant)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
10 cups stock or water, or more as needed
1 cup dried green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL FLAVOR ENHANCERS
Vinegar, any kind
Olive oil
• Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, carrots, brown rice, thyme, and bay leaves, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the stock and lentils, stir, and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam with a spoon, then lower the heat and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked.
• After 25 minutes of cooking, remove the bay leaves from the soup, and stir in the spinach. If the finished soup is too thick, add more stock or water ¼ cup at a time.
• Adjust the seasoning, place in bowls, and add a couple of drops of vinegar and olive oil to taste, if using.
SLOW COOKER OR INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS:
• Use 9 cups of stock instead of ten.
• Using a large skillet instead of a saucepan, or your Instant Pot, sauté the onion as directed in Step 1, then add the garlic, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves and sauté for 3 minutes more.
• Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker, then add the lentils and stock. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, or until the carrots and lentils are soft. Add the brown rice and spinach and cook for 30 minutes longer. Thin the soup with stock or water, if desired, and finish the soup as directed in Step 3.
1 cup lentil soup (made with vegetable stock): Calories: 196 cals; Protein: 9 g; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Fat: 4 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sodium: 856 mg; Vitamin A: 7,424 IU; Vitamin K: 94 mcg; Thiamine: 0.3 mg; Folate 162 mcg: Copper: 0.2 mg; Manganese: 0.9 mg; 2 CARBS