Mom's veggie soup

I always recommend using fresh, whole ingredients in your recipes whenever possible. Go to your local farmer's market and talk to the farmers about how they grow their veggies. Ensure that they are providing the highest quality, organic, and sustainably grown produce possible. For more on this, listen to the interview I did with my good friend Janet of Broadfork Farm (www.broadforkfarm.com) for more information.

Interview with Janet of Broadfork Farm

But sometimes, you just want to eat a healthy meal that doesn't take a ton of time to prepare and doesn't require a trip to the farmer's market. The recipe below is my mother's recipe for veggie soup. It is very low calorie, it tastes even better as leftovers, and freezes like a dream. We often make a pot on Sunday afternoon to last all week. 

Mom's veggie soup (Note: this version is completely vegetarian. My Mom used to make it with chicken broth instead of veggie broth and ground beef. Be sure to brown the ground beef before adding it to the soup.)

1 can lima beans

1 can corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can ocra/corn/tomatoes (These veggies come together in a single can, but most importantly, the canned okra seems to be the key to an amazingly delicious soup.)

1 onion(chopped)

2 potatoes(chopped)

1 can vegetable broth

½ cabbage chopped

Add any additional veggies that you have lying around. We love to add diced peppers (red, green, yellow, orange, etc.), zucchini, and squash.

Add additional water or broth  as needed for desired consistency.

Just combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and simmer for about 30 minutes to one hour.

Yum! Enjoy!

Roasted cauliflower, potato, and butternut squash

I thought I would share my favorite roasted veggie recipe. It is so delicious and so easy to make.

Roasted cauliflower, potato, and butternut squash

Serves about 6
1 head of cauliflower
4 red potatoes
1 medium butternut squash
2 cloves of garlic (or more if you love garlic)
4 Tbsp olive oil

Chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Peel and chop the butternut squash into similarly sized cubes (discard seeds and gooey bits). Remove cauliflower stems and add florets to the bowl. Dice the garlic and also add it to the bowl. Add the olive oil and stir until the veggies are well coated.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the veggies in a single layer onto aluminum foil lined cookie sheets that have been sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 40 minutes until the butternut squash and potatoes are soft and the cauliflower has started to turn brown and a bit crispy. Stir about half way though to prevent the veggies sticking to the pan.

You can serve this as a side dish or the main meal. The leftovers reheat well and I love to have the leftovers the next morning for breakfast with scrambled eggs. Yum!!

I would love to hear what you think!

Move your body, but only if you enjoy it!

It is starting to get really warm here in Austin and the beautiful sunshine just begs for each of us to get outside and move our bodies. That and the natural inclination to lighten up during this time of year mean that a lot of people are starting new exercise routines. You may be hoping to lose a few pounds, get in better shape, or just feel better in your body. All of these are great reasons to get moving. Regular exercise can help with all of these things as well as help you sleep better, make better food choices, and have more energy throughout your day. The key word though is regular exercise. So, are you wondering if you will actually stick with it this time?

Luckily, I have a few tips to ensure that you maintain your new exercise routine. First, if you don't enjoy it, pick something else. Running is a wonderful way to burn calories and get in shape, but if you really hate it, then it is unlikely that you will stick with it once the initial excitement has worn off. There are so many great options these days including yoga, swimming, biking, running, paddle boarding, Zumba, pole dancing, rock climbing, and lots of fun group exercise classes at your local gym. So try out a few different options and pick something that you really love doing.

Second, enlist a buddy. You are much more likely to stick with it if you have a friend, family member, or coworker expecting you. Or join a local club. This has the added benefit that you will meet new and like-minded people to keep you motivated and accountable to your goals.

If you are looking for a running club, I highly recommend Gilbert's Gazelles (www.gilbertsgazelles.com). You will never meet a friendlier, more supportive group of people and Gilbert is the best!

The "I don't have time to cleanse." Spring Cleanse

Happy Spring!

I love this time of year because the sunshine and the warmer temps mean that soon it will be really hot! Yay! Spring time also means that I get the urge to cleanse (also referred to as detox), both my house and my body. Have you ever felt this way? The heaviness of winter makes way for the lightness of Spring and Summer and suddenly I realize that a few bad habits have crept back into my diet. This, in addition to the extra pounds left over from the winter holidays, means that I am itching to lighten up! The change in seasons from heavy and dark to light and bright means that spring is a natural time to cleanse.

There are many different types of cleanses from intense to mild and I think all of them are great. But, I’m definitely one to take the desire to lighten up and jump right in with both feet, only to quickly get completely overwhelmed and fall off the wagon. For example, I made it 1 day into a 3 day juice cleanse before I begged my husband to help me finish the remaining 2 days of juice that I had purchased. What is even worse, a few weeks later I tried again, with the same result! I experienced an even bigger failure when I tried to do the Master cleanse, which requires you to drink fresh squeezed lemon juice in water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup for at least a week. I made it a whopping 3 hours! I have also tried eating only fruit, I made it 1 ½ days, and a mono diet of kitchari, which is delicious but I still only lasted one meal. So even though my body craves cleansing, I am obviously terrible at it! I get so bored eating the same thing all the time and to make things worse, I turn into a monster when I am hungry.

As you can see, I am notorious for taking on too much and quickly becoming overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion and extreme anxiety. I have come to realize that taking a much more moderate approach to habit and lifestyle changes ultimately leads to greater health and happiness minus the overwhelm! So this time around, I decided to approach cleansing from a different angle, one that I could maintain. So I wrote down all of the bad habits that I had let creep back into my diet. I picked a couple of the worst offenders and decided to focus on dealing only with these few bad habits. Based on this goal, I wrote out cleanse guidelines and committed to following these guidelines for a very short time (for me that was 1 week). Again the goal was to begin to make small changes without feeling overwhelmed. I wanted this to be something that was actually achievable for me and would have a positive influence on my health.

I realized that the key to being successful was to take my time before beginning to ensure that I had a solid and doable plan. During this planning phase, I looked at all of the meals that I know how to cook already and decided which of those meals fit into the scope of my cleanse guidelines. I organized the meals into a meal planner and stocked up on anything I didn’t currently have in the house. Picking familiar meals and foods helped me stay sane and within my comfort zone and I didn’t have to buy any strange ingredients or try out new recipes. As a bonus I already knew that I loved everything that I would be eating during my cleanse, which helped prevent falling off the wagon!

And you know what? It worked! I completed a cleanse for the first time ever! And I feel amazing!

So if you are feeling the pull of springtime to lighten up, then I hope you will check out the workbook, called The “I don’t have time to cleanse.” Spring Cleanse, at the link below. The workbook contains the exact steps that I took to help me decide how to set up my perfect, personal cleanse that was stress-free, overwhelm-proof, and easy. It is perfect if you want to let go of any bad habits but don’t have a ton of time or a strong desire to do an intense cleanse. And remember, the cleanse does not need to focus on food. This is also a good time to start a meditation practice or train for a 5k. The cleanse can be whatever you feel will help you receive more lightness and joy as we move into the lovely heat of summer. Let me know how it goes!

The "I don't have time to cleanse." Spring Cleanse

Go ahead and give yourself a massage

I would like to share with you one of the single most beneficial practices that I do to manage stress; regular self-massage. You know how great it feels to go and get a massage?! If you have never had a massage, make an appointment now! You leave feeling rested, rejuvenated, and wondering how you can fit this into your life more regularly, right? Well I am here to tell you that you can! And the best part is you don’t have to spend a fortune going to the massage therapist to do it.

All you need is some good quality organic oil (use coconut or sesame oil) and an old towel. Yep, I am suggesting that you regularly give yourself a full body massage!

First, decide on a good time when you have a few extra minutes (and if your day is so jam packed that you don’t have a few extra minutes, make time, this is worth it!). Then, grab an old towel and your oil and find a quiet, warm space. Put a small amount of oil into your hands and rub it all over your body. Take as much time as you can and slowly rub the oil into your tired muscles and joints. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just go with what feels good. Afterwards, you can take a warm shower or bath or just pat yourself off with your old towel. If you opt for a shower, don’t scrub the oil off of your body, it is a great moisturizer! Just allow the warm water to open your pores and soak up all that great oil, then gently pat off any excess oil with a towel. This is great to do at night to help you wind down and prepare for bed or in the morning to get your day started off right!

(Note: Don’t pour any excess oil down the drain, it will get clogged. Also, definitely always use an old towel, the oil will ruin your nice ones.)

You are welcome!!