Soup's On!

Carrot-Parsnip-Ginger soup garnished with coconut milk

If you live in Seattle you know what type of weather calls for soup.  (P.S. It looks like soup weather outside right now.)

Soup is great for fitting veggies into your diet since they cook down, sometimes you don't even notice you've eaten 3 servings of veggies!  Health +!  Also, depending on the ingredients soup is generally a low carb meal.  (Another Health+ if you are diabetic or carb counting)  Making your own adjustments to the recipes are easy too.  Most soups can be made in a vegan or vegetarian version and lots of recipes are already GF! 

  Usually making a batch of soup will last you more than just one meal so it's great for leftovers!  Most will freeze well too.

Dr. Isacson shared with me in the break room the name and info of this great company; Got Soup.  This got me to head over to our farmer's market this weekend.  Love their creative blends and they use lots of fresh, local ingredients.  For a list of their soups and farmer's market locations visit http://www.gotsoupseattle.com/moreinfo.php.

This weekend was made into a soup-a-palooza at my house!  My husband loves using tried and true recipes and there is one in particular we really love to make.  We love it so much that we made it for our wedding and now call it 'the wedding soup.'

More like a chilli, it is full of goodness.  Spicy sausage, fresh chunks of butternut squash. poblano chilis...

We made this one yesterday as well as one from a recipe that our friend passed along to us (Shown at top of blog post).  Carrot-Parsnip-Ginger puree.  You don't have to love parsnips to love this recipe.  They kind of just give it an essence.  I put more ginger in this one than the recipe called for, and boy did my sinuses clear out!  This one lends well to coconut flavors as well.  We garnished this one with coconut milk. 

YUM!

Recipes to try:

Bean, Sausage and Butternut Squash Chili (This is what we call our 'wedding soup')

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound chorizo or hot Italian sausage

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cups butternut squash cubes cut in 1/2″ square

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 poblano pepper, membranes and seeds removed, cut in 1/2″ pieces

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 – 28 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1-15 oz. can of cannellini beans

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish

2 scallions, white and green parts finely sliced

fresh avocado as garnish (optional)

Heat olive oil in a stock pot or deep skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and fry until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add onion to pot and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add squash, garlic and peppers. Saute 3 minutes. Add dry spices and cook stirring, one minute. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in beans, sausage, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 more minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning.Before serving add cilantro. Serve in bowls with with scallions, fresh avocado (if using) and additional cilantro.

Adapted from recipe found on Taste Food blog: http://tastefoodblog.com/2011/01/12/black-bean-sausage-and-butternut-squash-chili-recipe

Roasted Carrot-Parsnip-Ginger soup 

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 pound parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
8 cups rich chicken broth, more if needed
salt to taste
pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup creme fraiche, for garnish
snipped fresh chives, for garnish
1.  Preheat the oven to 350. Combine carrots, parsnips, onion and ginger in a shallow roasting pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Pour two cups of broth into the pan, cover well and bake until the vegetables are very tender, two hours. (Your house will smell GREAT.)
2.  Transfer vegetables and every last bit of broth into a large soup pot; add 6 remaining cups of broth. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for ten minutes.
3.  Puree soup in food processor or with immersion blender
4.  Serve with garnish if desired. 

Above recipe from Elizabeth Berg. http://www.elizabeth-berg.net/site/epage/69564_662.htm

Who likes running???

Yeah, I know.  Sometimes it's great, especially after a race when you have that runner's high, but other times it can feel like a chore.

But...
There is something fun about organized running.  It's a time and place where you can meet others, spend time with your friends and family or let your competitive side out!  Next week is the Valentine's Love 'em or Leave 'em dash at Green Lake Park in Seattle.  It's a 'fun run' and only 3 miles long, and they'll be giving away chocolate.  Yum!

Here's the link to check it out:
 http://promotionevents.com/valentines/SEA_Reg.htm

Let me know if you are thinking of going because I'd love a running partner!

Feeling green... In a good way!

Maybe it's a trend because it is still around the New Year, but I have been running into green juice recipes everywhere!  Got the best of me so I had to try one!

The tastiest recipe to me was on Seattle Weekly's website from Strawberry Moon http://www.strawberrymoonjuice.com/pages/about-us.

Kale, chard, spinach, pear, ginger & cayenne.  Nuff said.

I tried it in the blender because with the fruit I wanted to keep the fiber in my drink.  This method extends the time it takes to digest and helps to not spike blood sugar levels. 

My result?  A thick, spicy/sweet drink.  I would rate it a 4 out of 5 for taste and would try it again in a juicer.  here's what I did:

Need:

Blender

handful of kale

handful of swiss chard

half of one large pear

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 dropperful of cayenne tincture

3/4-1 cup water (depending on how thick you like it)

Dino kale and Swiss Chard from our yard!

What to do:

In blender on high speed add all ingredients and blend, blend, blend!  Make sure you stop and scrape down the sides to get everything into liquid form.

* This would also be great if you use a juicer to juice a lemon, the greens and the pear.

There are so many variations to try, what do you like??

It's that time of year again...

Yes, the time of year we all want to do something great. When we all want to lose those last 10 pounds. Yadayadayada.
I don't like new years resolutions, though today I found the change of the calendar somehow forced me to state a goal. If you know me, then you know I'm always searching for ways to make my life healthier. What I've been doing in the last month has been to try to eat something fresh with every meal and snack. I have loftier goals than that, but it seems like something I can easily manage every day. I believe that it's the small things that count and they really do add up in the end.
I would be interested to know how others feel about setting New Years resolutions & goals. Does it make a difference to set goals if we never reach them? Thoughts and comments are welcomed!

"Spices" in foods

Just came across this article because I know that many food manufacturers use different names for MSG like substances in foods but this article really explains yeast extracts and the like.  If your package lists 'spices' as one of the ingredients don't eat it or inquire what that 'spice' is.  I think you will be happy/surprised/maybe not-so-happy you did.
Scary, but worth the read because knowledge is power.

http://www.naturalnews.com/020426.html

Does the scale lie?

That's a good question. Haven't we all said that at least once(Read: at least 100 times)?  The scale must be off, or how did I gain 3 pounds since yesterday!?
Well, I just had an acquaintance with those same thoughts last week. I knew I'd been eating a little more than normal, and a few more frequent sweets, but my scale (that I use frequently) said I was 8 pounds more than the week before. I was mortified. My first thought was, "I hope I can get this off before the wedding.  No wonder I saw a little pooch when I tried my dress on this week."
So there I was, 8 pounds heavier than I've been in the last two years, and I'm wondering what I should do. *As a side note, I know 8 lbs is not that much as we can frequently gain/lose 5 in a day but a sizeable number for a small frame*
Well, put down the pastry already!
Long story short, I am back down to my regular weight, but I have refreshed my routine. For the last couple years I've been trying to get in as many veggies as possible. Now I've replaced dessert foods with fruit and treat bananas and peanut butter as dessert rather than COOKIES!  Also I picked up on my exercise dates that I've been slacking to keep.
So my advice is this: we all slip up on our diet choices now and then but that is no excuse to stay fallen off the healthy bandwagon. Keep your workout dates, you'll feel much better than you did before. Don't cut out your daily greens. Even on your cheat day salads are an every day must! 
So this is corny, I know, but when this happens to you, believe in yourself because you can do anything!

Any other ideas of how to stay on track??

Inspiration

I am very grateful for of my best friends.  She has inspired me to continue what I've started on this blog.  Why not, if that's what we talk about most?!

Some of my greatest frustrations come from what we are continually taught to accept as truth, even when it's not working.  Diet is one of them.  We are told that to lose weight we need a deficit of calories.  3,500 less per week for one pound of fat loss.  We do this by changing our eating patterns and burning more calories.  But how come we are eating salads with light dressing and working out 5+ days a week and still gaining weight? 

Let's think about it this way;
What happens when you increase your physical activity by, for example, running 5 more miles than we're used to or lifting weights for a half hour longer than usual?  Don't you get hungrier than you were before or would have been had you not run those extra miles?
And we're not supposed to eat more.

This is where the problem lies.  We're doing more work and instead of nourishing ourselves after depleting energy stores; we're starving ourselves.  Now, don't get me wrong, you will lose weight if you starve yourself but A) Who wants to be starved? and B) Isn't that extra physical activity supposed to make you stronger than before?  We won't build muscle and lose fat if proper nutrition and supplementation is not happening. 

The best way I know to healthfully lose weight, from experience and from watching others, is to eat real food, on a consistent basis and never blocking out any one food type (unless there is a severe allergy) and to continue a modest routine of physical activity.
I learned a lot while I was in classes at NPTI and one resource we came across is a book called The Dark Side of Fat Loss (found at http://the-dark-side-of-fat-loss.blogspot.com/).  I found it extremely easy to follow and the information made sense.  To think of it, I probably learned the above example from that book.  I highly suggest that book for reading until next time.

Thanks for checking this out!  See you soon!