A Healthy Challenge & Soup Recipe

Hi ya!  It's Wednesday so you know what that means.  Yes! A new soup recipe. I'll get to that in a minute, but I must share with you that today is Day 3 of the Healthy Vegan Challenge which is the brainchild of fellow blogger, Carrie.  I know I have mentioned her name many, many times in previous posts, but she is an amazing woman and is such an inspiration.  So what does Day 3 bring?  First I should start with what this challenge started out to be for me.  I want to decrease my grain consumption, exercise harder & work on my studies for the NET program.

It seems that when I'm in a craving mood or really, really hungry I want something baked, whether it be toast, a pita or a tortilla, I want something bread-y.  I do find that, though this dietstyle allows one to two servings a day (1 cup or so max), I tend to stretch that a little far.  How do you measure toast in cups?  Ha ha!  I can roll up a slice of bread (or two) quite nicely and fit it in a measuring cup.  Obviously measuring oatmeal, etc is easier.  So last night when I got home from work and was "starrrrrving" I really wanted to stick a pita in the toaster to warm it up and dive into some hummus, but I didn't.  I threw out my life line to my "buddy" and waited for the soup to cook.  Knowing my support person would eventually get back to me and I would have to tell her I went nuts and ate every slice of bread in the house, I refrained.  Instead, I set the soup to simmer and, head down, got my gym bag and work clothes ready for the next day!  That took about as much time as the soup did to cook, so it was a perfect distraction.  I paired the soup with a huge salad and for dessert it was an apple with almond butter.  After dinner I even had time for some studying.  Reading about water soluble vitamins can be sooooo very interesting -- either that or works just like a sleeping aide.  I call Day 2 a success!  Let's see how Day 3 and the next 53 go.

So what is the soup, you say?  This week I tried out Dr. Fuhrman's Broccoli Mushroom Bisque.  It was pretty good.  I have to say that I didn't have some of the ingredients, as is typical, and so subbed in potatoes and left out the onion, obviously, for the allergic in the house.  It really does keep harmony in a marriage to leave out those nasty things.

Here's the recipe & a picture or two.  It made more than four servings and, like usual, there is plenty left over for lunches!

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped celery

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest* (or 2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning blend)

2 cups carrot juice (2 pounds of carrots, juiced)

4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup raw Mediterranean pine nuts

Instructions: Place all the ingredients except the cashews and pine nuts in a soup pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

In a food processor or high powered blender, blend two-thirds of the soup liquid and vegetables with the cashews and pine nuts until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and reheat before serving.

lots of goodness in the pot

After a trip thru the Vitamix, we're ready to go!

I did this one on the stovetop, as the ingredients are all fairly quick cooking, so no need for a pressure cooker this time.  

I have started using an online food journal program called My Fitness Pal.  I have journaled my food the old-fashioned way previously and knew that food was a huge focus of my day, but using the online version brings it clearer to me that I do EAT A LOT!  Most of the things I eat aren't in the database, so right now I'm at the stage of entering recipes, etc.  I'm not really doing this to count calories, as calorie counting is sort of frowned upon by Dr. Fuhrman and others who eat a plant-based, whole-foods diet because some of the foods we consume are admittedly high in calories.  Take avocados and beans, for example. But we know that with beans, not all of the calories are available to our bodies due to the fact that they are so high in fiber and no digestion takes place, so the calories just slide on out.  Don't you love that?  I wish the same thing were true with chocolate!  I'm excited to see over the next few months how my appetite will change if I  eat only when truly hungry.  Maybe the quantity of food I eat will decrease.  With the Healthy Vegan Challenge taking us up to the end of April, that will leave two months before I head off to Dr. Fuhrman's Health Getaway in San Diego.  I think I'll be in perfect eating condition to spend a week learning more & eating even healthier than I do at home.  I've been looking forward to going to this getaway since last year's in Florida.  I did not attend that event and promised myself I would make it to this year's.  It is so easy since it's on the West Coast this time & happens to fall during my pre-arranged vacation time.  Speaking of the getaway, tomorrow is the last day for early-bird pricing.  If you'd like to go, click the link above to save $100 through the end of February.  I would love it if just one of my readers went.  How fun would that be?! 

I'm gonna call it a wrap for today.  Speaking of wraps, that sounds kind of tasty. 
See you all on Friday!