Wednesday's Soup & A Little Midlife Mumbling

I hope your week is going well.  I've been in a funk lately which has contributed to a little bit of poor eating.  Not the end of the world, but just not where I would like to be emotionally when it comes to what's going into my body.  It's so easy to revert back to old habits, choosing food as a comfort or to fill a void.  But you know what?  FOOD LIES!  Food doesn't give you comfort or fill a void.  Nope.  Personally, I just feel gross when I eat things my body doesn't like -- my mouth may like them, but my body doesn't.  It's not really so much about feeling guilty when I indulge as it is about feeling bloated or sluggish.  So there's always the unanswered question... why do I do it?  If anyone cares to solve the mystery, feel free!

Metolius River ~ Bend, OR

 As I have done in weeks past, I have a soup recipe to share.  I usually make said soup on Tuesday evening or over the weekend and share pictures.  Well, last night I wanted to try my hands at corn chowder, but I'm still working on how to get the "creamy" part of the base correct (plus I didn't have some of the ingredients I needed and didn't feel like stopping at the store).  I've got some ideas and I'll give it a shot this coming weekend.  Promise.  The recipe below is one of my favorite soups from Dr. Fuhrman and I've made it several times over the past year and a half I've been following a nutritarian lifestyle.  A friend even made it for us for lunch not too long ago and they really liked it.  It seems like a time-consuming recipe, but as with most vegetarian recipes, it's the prep that takes the time.  I hope you'll try it.  The recipe makes enough for a meal and then to freeze quite a few jars worth.

I don't have any pictures to share because.... well, we had stir fry instead of soup!  Tonight I'll pull a couple of jars of this tasty soup from the freezer, serve up a nice, big salad and I'll have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes!

Creamy Lentil Soup
Ingredients:

8 cups water

2 cups carrot juice, fresh or bottled

3 cups tomatoes, chopped or 2 (15 ounce) cans no salt added diced tomatos

4 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning to taste

2 onions, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound dried green lentils, rinsed

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

2 small zucchini, chopped

1 yam, chopped (optional)

1 (7 ounce) box frozen lima beans (optional)

1 (5 ounce) bag baby spinach or 1 box (7 ounce) frozen spinach or 1 bunch kale, chopped*

3 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's Riesling Raisin Vinegar or other fruit flavored vinegar

3/4 cup raw cashews

Instructions:
Place all ingredients except yam, lima beans, spinach, vinegar and cashews in a large soup pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Add yam and lima beans, if desired. Simmer another 15 minutes, or until yam and lima beans are tender. Remove from heat and add spinach. Stir occasionally until spinach has wilted, or thawed if using frozen. Add vinegar. Put 2 cups or more of soup and raw cashews in a food processor or high powered blender and blend until very smooth. Stir back into soup.

*If using chopped Kale, add with frozen lima beans and chopped yam.

Today being Wednesday, I feel like I should share some wise thoughts, but I don't have any today.  I do have a few mumblings.  You know, as a midlifer, a working woman, a wife, a mom, sometimes I wonder what it's all about.   There are days that it's harder than others to understand, days when I question God and say "Is this it?  Was this your plan for me?"  Don't get me wrong.  I love my family.  My husband is an amazing man who gave 26 years of his life to protecting people, keeping streets safe and never gave up hope on humanity.  Together we have an incredible son who has so much zest for life that it makes me tired just trying to keep up with his dreams!  I think we've done pretty good raising him to love life and others.   Here is where I think... "Now what?"  I enjoy the work that I do, the church community in which I am involved, and the friends I spend time with, but I really need to find something for what I call "life after."  That is, the life after the kids are raised and the house is a little quieter.  That's the reason I started this blog so long ago; I felt like I was having a midlife crisis.  Today, I think the initial angst has passe, but here I am again wondering what it will be like when it's just the two of us at home.  

My hobby right now is an intense focus on healthy eating and getting my body well so I can enjoy my later years.  I am working on making that hobby into something more.  I have a pile of books that I really don't like reading.  They're textbooks, you see, and it's been a very long time since I've had to do any studying.  A really, really long time.  I don't even know how to do it.  I've started and stopped many times a self-paced program through Dr. Fuhrman's "university" that will certify me as  Nutritional Education Trainer.  What that is is basically a coach to help people realize the powerful effects of a high-nutrient eating style.  I have all sorts of ideas of how I can do this once I'm certified.  Once I'm certified.  Yeah, I've got to do the work to get the certification.  I'm working on it.  Very slowly.  I wish I had as much motivation to get the studying done as I do to cook healthy meals and to eat right.  I will get there.  I promise.

All photos courtesy of my handsome and talented hubby

So there you have it, a little midlife mumbling -- the original intent of my blog.  I like how it's morphed, though, into something more positive, so I look forward to coming back here on Friday and blogging about something exciting.  I shall see you then!