I don’t know about you guys, but after the holidays and our kids being sick in January, we were ready for a refresh and to get back in a healthy routine in all areas. We’ve been wanting to focus on eating more plant based meals by getting lots of veggies in our diet and not having every meal revolve around meat. (Adam has been doing better than me on this and is pretty much vegan now) So it’s been great to try and learn some new recipes to put into the rotation that are healthy and loaded with good vegetables. I came across this soup recipe that was actually part of a three day body detox and I loved it because it fills you up and doesn’t feel like you are deprived of anything. I don’t like to diet and restrict myself of anything so I try to have an abundance approach where it’s all about balance and that when you are filling up on lots of good Whole Foods then you won’t be craving the ones that don’t offer as much nutrition. The simple detox is easy and serves as a good reset to kick sugar cravings in your body and is totally doable for a few days so who wants to do it together??
You start in the morning with lemon water and ginger, then I workout and have a green smoothie after. I mix collagen into my smoothie which isn’t really part of it but I think if you’re exercising then you can add a plant based protein. The green smoothie should have lots of green in it, apple or pear, celery, cucumber, ginger, lemon, and I use coconut water instead of just water. Then you can snack on any veggies or nuts throughout the day and then enjoy a big salad for lunch. This soup can be for dinner each night and then enjoy an herbal tea later if you’re needing it. But regardless if you want to do the detox or not, this soup is delicious and is a great meal to make up quick in the pressure cooker and then keep leftovers in the fridge for another day.
VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE
| INGREDIENTS |
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of kosher or sea salt, depending on taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
2 [15 oz] cans navy beans, drained and rinsed [you could also use black beans instead]
4 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium
1 [14 oz] can diced tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach, loosely packed [you could also use sliced zucchini instead]
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil to put on top of each serving
| INSTRUCTIONS |
1 | Add all ingredients, except spinach and olive oil, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. or use the pressure cooker on soup setting and cook for about 20 min until done. Add spinach, stir and continue cooking until wilted, approximately 5 min. Serve and enjoy!
2 | Tip: if you prefer a thicker soup, after 5 hours of cooking, simply remove 1 cup of soup, along with ingredients, mash ingredients with a fork, return to the slow cooker, stir and continue cooking 1 to 3 hours. When serving, drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl of soup.
