Snacks

Veggie Medley Soup (aka Holiday Helper Soup)

In true retail fashion, Thanksgiving dinner was still digesting in our guts when we heard Christmas music playing over the store speakers. [sigh]

Yes, we were THOSE people.

I’ll admit, on Thanksgiving night, we perused the racks at Sports Authority hoping to find some great deals on fitness apparel… and maybe some gifts in the process. You see, in the hot month of July when everyone else was sweating and sitting by the pool, I was already excited for Christmas. This NEVER happens and I’m still not sure what got into me. But this year I was determined to NOT be on the verge of tears while standing at the FedEx shipping counter, for fear my gifts to family wouldn’t arrive on time for Christmas.

Maybe it’s all the personal development I’ve been doing as a Beachbody Coach… or listening to Chalene Johnson’s CAR SMART series during my daily commute. Either way, I’m happy to report that as of today, December 7th, I have 95% of my Christmas shopping DONE and I couldn’t be happier! Not only are some of these gifts more thoughtful (I say some, because I did buy my 21 year old nephew a Subway gift card… and there may be some people getting Starbucks… but I digress…) I now have more time to devote to the things that REALLY matter at Christmas. The spirit of giving – not just gifts, but my time, celebrating traditions and focusing on providing my body with nutrient dense meals. This is the time of year where nutrition is MOST important, yet many of us, myself included let it fall to the wayside and put our priorities elsewhere.

I called this soup The Holiday Helper Soup, as I was thinking how beneficial it would have been for me to have this in my corner that night I was in tears at FedEx. I could have scarfed a bowl while shoving my homemade body scrubs into a large box and quite possibly avoided the meltdown I was doomed to inevitably experience when they asked me if I had liquids in my box. Perhaps my blood sugar levels would have been more balanced and I would have had the presence of mind to simply LIE, knowing full well it was oil mixed with sugar and perfectly harmless.

This original recipe was given to me almost a year ago by my friend Danielle. She is a fellow runner, vegan and both she and her husband Rob LOVE to cook! Over the past year, I’ve made this recipe many times, in a variety of ways. I finally think it’s been modified enough that I can share it here! The BEST part about this recipe is you can put just about any root veggies in it and keep the seasoning the same and it will always come out great! Below is a double batch, so it will last quite a while!

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It’s a lot of chopping, but fairly easy and well worth it!

In a large stock pot, combine the following ingredients:
6 cups water
1 1/4 c. rinsed lentils
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 small golden potatoes (organic is best), chopped into cubes
6 stalks of celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 small bundle skinny radishes, chopped

Added in the last 5 minutes of cooking:
4 c. kale, without stems and ripped into bite sized pieces
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 – 7 oz. can tomato paste
2 tbsp coconut nectar (maple syrup works great too)
2 tbsp white vinegar (I’m going to also try apple cider vinegar next time)
1/2 tea. garlic salt
1 tea. dried thyme
1 tea. dried dill weed
1/2 tea. dried tarragon
1/2 tea. fresh ground black pepper

I love this soup because it’s so basic and really, really hard to mess up! The cook time is also pretty quick considering how much soup it makes. Once you get the first seven ingredients in the pot, heat on high to med-high and cook for about 15-20 minutes. You just want to make sure the potatoes and parsnips are getting soft – I usually pull one out and let it cool for a minute and take a bite. Once it’s almost the perfect tenderness, add the remaining ingredients and give it a good stir. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

This will freeze great or stay in the fridge for up to a week.

It’s perfect to have on hand for those nights when you don’t have time to cook, but really need to nourish the body! You can mix up the veggies as well or add a side of sprouted toast for a little filler too.

Peach Yummy v2013

Growing up my parents would take our family on cross country road trips every summer. Sometimes we would stay in a hotel once we reached our destination and other times we would camp. I have very fond memories of sitting around the campfire and watching my mom bake her delicious Peach Yummy, a camping tradition. It was amazing and simple; the perfect treat to make kiddos happy. Canned peaches and some Bisquick plopped on top was all she’d need – partially hydrogenated goodness – ahhhh. You would get your serving of gooey peaches along with a Bisquick biscuit. This was heaven on earth, especially when camping. She never made it at home either, so it was an extra special treat!

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This is my oldest sister, diligently tending to the peach yummy! I love her pants, but what I love even more is her eagerness to help mom bake at age 5!

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Ten years later, here’s me… sitting down in the middle of a trail, not wanting to continue the hike into our campsite. 🙂 Maybe they bribed me with peach yummy to get me going… 😉

Last weekend, I started my own family tradition of sorts. Mr. Zucchini Runner, my cousin and her son went to a local peach orchard and picked our very own peaches straight from the tree! You better believe as soon as we paid for those peaches one went straight into my mouth! It was so juicy and tasted like warm peach pie – it was THE BEST peach I’ve ever had in my life. Hands down. Apparently, Arizona has the perfect climate to grow peaches. Who knew?!

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My “nephew” checking out our box of peaches for “bugs”, based on my request. He was so sweet. This was the only way I could distract him to take his picture. 🙂

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This experience was pretty magical, especially when looking back. It’s like childbirth I suppose, you only remember the good stuff. I’ve already forgotten that the festival was a disorganized mess, 85°F with full blazing sun and a line of traffic outside the farm for a mile that took an hour to get through.

The peaches WERE worth it though.

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The peaches sat like this on the stovetop… for a while… with no heat… awaiting their destiny.

Peach cobbler seemed like a good option, so I cut and peeled 10 peaches, to make about 4 cups of sliced, fresh peaches. As I sat staring at them in the skillet, I was trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with them next. I called my mom to get some inspiration and see if there was a way I could recreate Peach Yummy, only healthier. 😉 After some brainstorming, she suggested I just use my granola mix as the topping. I was sold and it would be easy!! (During the brainstorming, I also decided I needed to make some peach ice cream too – stay tuned!)

Peach Yummy v2013

4 cups (~10 small peaches) peeled, pitted and sliced
2 cups oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened, coconut shreds
1 tea. cinnamon
2 tbsp. Earth Balance Coconut Spread
1/4 c. maple syrup
Dash or two of salt

In a skillet over low-medium heat start to cook the peaches until they reduce in size and cook in their own juices. This will take roughly 20 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut shreds and cinnamon and stir to incorporate. Measure the coconut spread into a small glass dish and microwave 10 seconds at a time to soften. Once it is soft, not melted, add the maple syrup and stir to help melt the coconut spread. Pour syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir well, ensuring to coat the oats with the liquid.

Measure out 1 cup of the oat/granola mixture into an 8″x8″ baking dish. Layer cooked peaches on top. Layer remaining oat/granola mixture on top of peaches. (Note: I had quite a thick layer of oats… if I make this again I would either cut back on some of the oats or set some of the topping aside and just bake it on a cookie sheet for granola. 🙂

Cover with foil and bake in a 300°F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the topping to ensure it doesn’t get too dark. You want it crispy and slightly brown. (Click on any image below for a more detailed description and enlarged photo.)

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I also poured almond milk over my serving when I got home from work today and it was super yummy!

I also poured almond milk over my serving when I got home from work today and it was super yummy!

Peach Ice Cream

I didn’t forget about the ice cream, don’t worry! Homemade ice cream is so easy to make, even if you don’t have an ice cream maker. You can make popsicles if you have molds! In a blender combine 1 can of full fat coconut milk and 3 peeled, pitted and sliced peaches, 3 tbsp of maple syrup and a dash of salt. Blend until completely liquified and place in refrigerator to chill for about an hour. If you are using popsicle molds, you can just pour directly into the molds and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, removing to add the sticks if necessary, and then placing them back in the freezer to firm up solid!

If you are using an ice cream maker, you can follow your machines instructions to make the ice cream. I added 2 chopped and peeled peaches to the ice cream in the last 5 minutes of churning. It turned out great and I loved having the little frozen peach chunks in the ice cream. Enjoy!