Asparagus Soup

A green soup that is sure to warm you up this winter!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

1 1/2 lbs. asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 tbs. olive oil (or use vegetable broth)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped shallots (or a combination of shallots and onions)
1/2 lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
Salt & Pepper

In medium saucepan heat oil (or vegetable broth) over medium heat.  Add shallots/onions & cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 8 - 10 minutes.

Add potatoes, cut up asparagus and 4 cups of water.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add bouillon and 1 tsp. salt.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

In food processor or blender, process soup in small batches until smooth and creamy.  Return to pot and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Smoothie

Chocolate Smoothie

For those of you who know Dawn & I well,  you know we LOVE.SOME.SUNSHINE!  Ya'll we text each other weekly updates on the sunshine forecast!  I seriously think I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter months.  Bentley jokes he is going to buy me one of those lights, and I truly think I just might let him next winter!

With the warmer temperatures & sunshine this week (YAY), I wanted to share one of my favorite smoothie recipes.  It's very similar to a chocolate milkshake or slushy!

Minestrone Soup

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans, undrained

1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, undrained

1 cup frozen corn

2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup shredded cabbage (I like purple cabbage for added color.)

½ cup whole wheat or brown rice macaroni/pasta shape of choice (uncooked)

1 ¼ cups water

2 vegetable bouillon granules

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, crushed

Heat all ingredients to boiling in a large pot on the stove.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the macaroni/pasta is tender.  Enjoy!

Fuel Your Body Well!

We've heard many of you are hungry and still stumped on what to eat throughout the day!  I asked a clean eater winner from last October her thoughts on this topic and she said to remind you to eat every 3 hours!  We completely agree!  Think several mini-meals throughout the day.  REMEMBER THE FOODS YOU ARE FUELING YOUR BODY WITH ARE NUTRIENT RICH, SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO EAT!  Of course fruit has sugar and nuts have fat, so you want to make sure you have variety in your diet!  However, we want you to feel full!  These are some of our favorite mini-meals/snacks.  Please don't go to bed hungry!  Your body needs fuel and if you are hungry then EAT!  Just think nutrient dense foods!  Also, you MUST PREPARE!  We really cannot stress enough the importance of packing your mini-meals/snacks so you have options when you are hungry.  We encourage you to keep a basket of healthy snacks in your car or at your desk.  We even pack our mini coolers with healthy food options when we know we won't be home for most of the day.