Mulligatawny soup...a version of it...

 

Hello!  I recently think that I got this recipe down to a good mix for myself. 

 I got the original recipe here called Detox Mulligatawny soup from Karina at Gluten Free Goddess, but I have made some variations....

 

This is a sweet, spicy, tangy, and overall amazing soup.  One of my favorites, especially in the cold weather!

 

 



 

Please note that I do not measure, especially for spices, I'm a big "eyeball-er" and use whatever I have in the kitchen.  So don't fret if its not exact, use what you have.

Ingredients:
1 small/med head of cauliflower (chopped)
1 box organic Vegetable stock
1 onion, preferably sweet can use red, chopped.
4-5 tsp of grated garlic
about 3/4 to 1 cup chopped carrots
1 sweet potato peeled and diced
1 butternut squash peeled and diced
2 to 4 apples peeled and cored
Turmeric (amazing detox seasoning)
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon
2-3 tbsp fresh ginger
12 oz vanilla coconut yogurt
Coconut Oil (maybe 2 tbsp..enough to coat the onions)

Directions:
On stove top heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add onions to oil to caramelize (starts turning brown...not from burning!)  Add turmeric, garlic, and cayenne pepper (only add a little as it sits for a while and gets spicy! and I'm speaking from experience ;o).  You an add a little stock if your pot is getting a little dry.  When onions start to brown add garlic in and carrots.  Add the rest of vegetable stock in.  Add cauliflower, butternut squash, and sweet potato.  Add apples last, they take the least amount of time to cook.  I keep the soup on a simmer with a lid over it.  If you feel like a lot of your broth is evaporating add some water, or apple cider if you are so inclined...(I prefer the apple cider).

I like my soup as a puree, so when all the veggies are cooked through I move the pot to another burner (that is off) and use an Immersion blender to mix the soup until it is smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender wait until the soup cools a mix in a blender. 

Once you have to consistency you would like move the soup back in the pot if necessary and over a low heated burner.  Add vanilla coconut yogurt (made from coconut milk, not cow's milk).  Most mulligatawny soups call for coconut milk, but I did not have it the first time I made it and substituted the vanilla coconut yogurt for it.  I tried the coconut milk as well, but prefer the vanilla coconut yogurt.  If you feel this is too rich for you try the coconut milk, about two cups (14-16oz).  Add cinnamon.  I love cinnamon and add a lot.  It's your preference.

Let simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat.


I also make some home-made croutons by cubing bread that I have put in the freezer for croutons and bread crumbs before it goes bad.  I saute the bread in some coconut oil in a frying pan on med-hi heat.

Sprinkle croutons on top and enjoy!

Rock and Roll Half Marathon

I did it.

 

I signed up for my 1st half marathon!!!

 

I am incredibly excited and a little anxious about this! 

Now I will definitely have to keep to a training routine to keep me going.

 

I can't wait.  13.1 miles in beautiful Phoenix, Az in January. 

 

Here I come.

 

 

7.5 weeks until the big day :-)

Thanksgiving

I hope that your Thanksgiving was as beautiful as mine was!

 

I started off by working the morning shift for my patient.  I loved getting to spend part of my holiday with a family that I have worked with for over half a year.  Working as a nurse is a constant reminder for me at how blessed I am to have good health for myself and loved ones.

 

After work I got to share the holiday at my family's.  The only thing missing was my little one.  Sadly she was with her father for this Thanksgiving.  It was truly a sad thing to not have the most important person in my life there. 

 

Dear friends, you know that I have been vegan for over two months now.  Well on Thanksgiving I cheated a little.  I did not eat the Turkey.  And, I did not even miss it.  I did however, eat those yummy sweet potatoes.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The ones layered with butter and brown sugar.  They tasted so yummy.  The string bean casserole.  It was yummy and I'm pretty sure in a cream sauce.  All the food was so delicious.

 

Sadly, the next day was not so great.  Friends, I had a Thanksgiving dinner hang over.  Please not I did not have any alcohol this was purely from the food I ate.  I have been eating clean so to speak for just shy of 3 months now and eating all of that butter, sugar and cream was not a good idea for me.  I was so tired the next day, I took a 2 hour nap with my daughter.  I also had a head ache the whole day that I could not shake. 

 

Talk about a snap of reality.  My body definitely works so much better when I do not eat dairy or any of its products. 

 

I did make some de-lic-ous vegan oatmeal chocolate (dark so there is no milk) cookies.  They were so. good.  I will be posting the recipe soon, promise!

 

Have you noticed  a difference in how you feel and what you eat?

 

Be well,

B

My First Race

I did it! I ran my first race, the Rothman 8K in Philadelphia.

 

 

 

It was terrifying leading up to it.

It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was thrilling.

 

I am hooked.

 

Let's start with the the anticipation. 

I was excited! I knew I could do the distance as I had run over a mile further than the race.  I  was also terrified.  What do I do?  Where do I go?{ obviously I will be with a huge mass of people and there will be directions, but is there a certain etiquette that I am unaware of?}The night before I could hardly sleep.  It was like I was a child waiting for Christmas morning. I  woke up every hour or 2 checking the time.  The race was early and started at 7:30am.

 

Then I was there, it was amazing.  Sadly I did not take any pictures but the most poignant moment was seeing everyone lined up at Ben Franklin Parkway, approximately midway between the Art Museum and circle.  I stood in the back as I have been averaging a 11min mile {and it also allowed me to observe what others were doing!} The most beautiful site was seeing all runners lined up with city hall in the background. I truly regret not taking a picture.  {next year...although I will hopefully be doing the 1/2 marathon}  It was phenomenal to see all of these people out there to run and walk the 8k {just under 5 miles}  In country that is fiercely battling obesity it is so inspiring to see all of these people out there.  Doing it.  And I even saw some families, and hoped that M will join me one day in a race!

 

I  have gotten pretty good at pacing myself, something I struggled with when I started running.  I had a terrible habit of starting off way too fast because I was so excited to be out!  I ended up running the whole race, with the exception of sipping water, which I attempted to do while running. FAIL!!  So I slowed down, drank a few sips, then continued!  I also ended up getting a average 10:49 mile! The total official time to finish the race was 53:48 :). Which is faster than my estimates from training.  {I attribute this to running with the masses, I am slightly competitive, and having people cheer for you is amazing}  In fact the bibs had our names on it and fans would cheer on the sideline, screaming out your name.  Complete strangers cheering you on.  What a does of happy humanity!

 

Ok, now lets face the facts.  I made some rookie mistakes that I am willing to share with you:

 

1. Don't forget to get safety pins when you pick up your bib! I forget and was on the hunt for literally 20 mins to find a gracious person who had some extra!!  {note taken, will not do this again!}

 

2.  I forgot to take my inhaler.  I did not have an asthma attack, but I did feel tight, and was coughing a lot after the race. I know it hindered my pace, as it makes it more difficult.  But thankfully it was cool so that helped.

 

3.  Next time I'm bringing my own water bottle.  Drinking from cups while running is not for me.

 

Not to bad for my first race.  I can't wait to do the next one!

winner, winner, chickenless dinner

 

While paroozing online I found a recipe for meat-less taco's made with season walnuts as meat, plus the rest of your standard taco fixings.  I have never been a sour cream fan, so I don't add that, however you can make a cashew version. 

 

That is what I had envisioned for dinner tonight, but I ended up making pasta.

Whole wheat, with pesto sauce, baby spinach (fresh), with fresh tomatoes diced in.  A little extra basil and garlic, it was de-lic-ous.  :o) Some walnuts added in would have been great, but I'm a little leery on giving M walnuts and was hungry, so we passed on the walnuts for tonight.

 

We are big fans of whole-wheat pasta in this house. 

 M can eat it by herself and its filling, and has fiber.  Sadly, I have a difficult time feeding her dark greens.  She will eat the organic push packs that I buy for her mixed with fruit, but, lets face it friends, those packs cost some serious $$$.

So I am on a mission to find a yummy way to incorporate spinach and hopefully kale into her diet.

 

I personally drink a home made green drink (will post a separate blog with recipe on this at a later time) that I find delicious, however, M doesn't love it.  She also had tried my salads on several occasions, with no success in her toddler taste department. 

 

{roundabout to my original point}

 

I will be puree-ing spinach into my pesto pasta to see if M will eat it that way. 

Score one for hiding veggies in your child's food. 

 

{although spaghetti and squash is her favorite meal, that and veggie burgers.  win.}

 

 

What do you do to get your toddler to eat veggies? Or how do you make meals you like with veggies you normally wouldn't eat?

 

 

Makeover

 

Hello bloggers!  It's been quite a while. 

Life happens. 

 Change happens...

 

... and so has the appearance and content of my blog!

 

I have added pages about running and my vegan lifestyle. Have no fear there will be plenty of updates about M.  {and she has grown quite a bit since my last posting}

 

She is running around, showing her personality and is truly a gem. 

I will update you with a post soon to recap her milestones etc.

 

Otherwise feel free to look around at the new pages, and leave comments :-).

 

I will be running my first race this Saturday, the Rothman 8kn in Philly!!! I can't wait to tell you about it.  I am excited and a bit nervous! I know I can run the 8k as I have already ran further than that, however, I am used to running alone or with my jogger, not with a large group of runners, so I'm a little anxious about that.  Any tips from my running friends?

 

Some yummy recipes to come up soon as well including oatmeal choc chip cookies  and mulligatawny soup my vegan version.  Both are delicious!!

 

{I guess I am a slightly biased judge, but M ate both up...and we all know toddlers don't eat foods they don't like.  They don't always even eat foods they do like!}

 

 

Here is to good cheer and wellness. 

 

Bridgette