Meatball Minestrone

so, i just found my friend flo posted my blog on her blog, so now i feel obligated to update it. i have a stack of recipes that i've either created or severely changed from the original that i can say they are all mine. yet i can't seem to find the time to post the pictures and write the recipes out. at first, i searched all over the net for an easy recipe manager, but haven't found one. so if any of you find one or know of one, you should let me know. but now, i'm just gonna write my recipes out, and for those of you who know me, you'll know they're gonna be good, and for those who don't, i guess you'll just have to trust me. SO my first recipe for the new year is Meatball Minestrone soup. It's been FREEZING cold here and a good soup always warms the body up. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments and suggestions. (I'll take a pic when I heat up my leftovers.)

*Sorry for the bad presentation in the bowl!*











3 cans diced tomatoes, Italian recipe (with juice)
1 can stewed tomatoes, Regular (with juice)
2 cans V8
2 cups water
1 chicken bouillion cube

1 sm. box frozen spinach
1 sm. bag frozen mixed vegetable
1 can each: dark kidney beans, light kidney beans, northern beans, cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 sm. bag frozen seasoning mix (onions, celery, bell peppers)

1 lb. Italian meatballs
2 c. macaroni

Mix 1st section of ingredients together over high heat until bouillion cube dissolves. Add frozen veggies and beans. Bring to boil. Drop heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add salt, pepper, italian seasoning if desired. Add meatballs. Once soup begins to simmer again, add macaroni. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Serve hot with fresh bread and cheese!!

(This makes a LOT of soup in case you can't tell. It will freeze well and gets better the following day. BUT know that the pasta will absorb a lot of liquid, so when reheating, add another can of V8 and a can full of water to match. Add as much V8/water as needed to bring back to soup-like consistency.)