Soup Recipes: "Of the Week", NO, "Of the Day", No Wait,,,"Of the Second"

I have two Soup Recipes for y'all! YEP, Two! Both of these recipes MUST be classified as "Recipes of the Second" because they are in a class of their own and nutritious too. They are YUM "O" as Rachael Ray would say, however they are not hers (sorry everybody)! You will NOT be able to wait until they are done to dig in and eat the entire pot. Enough said, here they are:

LENTIL AND SPINACH SOUP

1 small package dry lentils
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
Water or chicken stock (I used chicken stock)
1 bunch fresh spinach

Sauté onion, garlic, celery in olive oil; add chopped carrot; chopped tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes; add lentils and 4 cups water or stock; cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until lentils soft; add a bunch of spinach and simmer 5 minutes; serve with Parmesan cheese

MINESTRONE

1/4 lb turkey bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 sliced carrot
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 chopped turnip
1 cup spinach
1/2 peas
1/4 cup chopped parsley
6 cups vegetable stock or low-fat, low-salt chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1 cup cooked white beans

Sauté vegetables and then add broth and spices; cover and simmer for 45 minutes; add 1 cup cooked beans; serve with Parmesan cheese

Both recipes are from the book, Healthy for Life (A must have just for the recipes)