Soup your way to a healthier gut!

Hey hey Diva friends! Let's talk about soup and gut health....sounds good right? What is easier than indulging in some delicious soup in this cold weather?

Soup certainly doesn’t sound like any special life changing superfood. It’s soup, you’ve eaten it all your life. Yet soup has massive potential that often gets hidden behind nasty preservatives and less than ideal flavoring agents. The true beauty and nourishment happens with whole food ingredients and high quality homemade bone broth.

This is where the magic happens.

 

A daily soup made from local, seasonal ingredients and high-quality broth is better than any superfood or supplement out there. It’s a wholesome way to nourish your skin, immune system, joints, digestion and gut health. 

Homemade bone broth is rich in natural gelatin which is anti-aging and great for rebuilding  damaged intestinal lining. Making bone broth from scratch is as easy as throwing your leftover chicken carcass in a large pot of water and letting it simmer for 24 hours. This gets all the good stuff out of the bones and into the liquid.

Patrick makes an amazing broth with a few simple ingredients:

• chicken carcass
• onion
• carrots
• celery
• poultry spices ( rosemary/sage/thyme)
• salt

1. Place all ingredients in the crockpot, fill it up with water (purified!) and let it simmer for 24-48 hours. Use this as the broth base for any soup recipe, or simply enjoy a warm cup like coffee. 1-2x/day.

Note* let your broth cool after you have strained it (not TOO long as bacteria will grow quickly) and scoop off the fat layer that settles on top. The more fat the more healthy collagen is in your broth! Keep frozen or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If my broth is in the fridge 5-6 days or longer I simply make sure to boil it again before drinking.

Go to your local farmer’s market and get the freshest seasonal produce you can find. In the summer you may enjoy fresh garlic, beets and carrot in a homemade stock and blending with fresh dill. Served cold on a hot day with a drizzle of plain yogurt, this soup is refreshingly tangy and packed with nutrients.

In the Fall and Winter, soups made with root vegetables and hearty herbs like sage and rosemary are ideal. It’s all about sourcing local, pesticide-free vegetables for the most nutrient dense soups. Nothing you can buy from the store compares to what you can make at home with relatively little effort. 

The flavor base of every good soup should be sauteed onions, garlic and herbs. This is what all those flavor packs are trying to emulate. It doesn’t take long to cut up an onion and throw it in a hot pan with some olive oil, but it makes all the difference.

Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth. Enjoy!!

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Get Gutsy With Me launching January 15th, 2018! 

In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.

Not sure you're ready for all that?! Join me on my Facebook page Stop Dieting and Live your Life! where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life. PLUS you'll receive free access to my Holiday Survival Guide along with extra recipes and support to navigate this holiday season with ease :)

Share YOUR favorite soup below!

bye for now!

Easy "Cheesy" Broccoli Soup!

Hi there friends, if you don't know by now, I am all about fast and easy when it comes to food. While I expect my food to be high quality in both taste and nutrition, I don't want to slave away in the kitchen. That being said I came across this recipe, tweaked it, and wanted to share it with you!

This soup is dairy free, but somehow still tastes delicious, creamy and cheesy! The original recipe is from The Spunky Coconut and her cookbook Easy Paleo Meals!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 heads of broccoli 
• 4oz of mushrooms sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups roasted and salted cashews
• 1TBS  grass-fed butter
• 1 onion chopped
• Fresh garlic chopped - 3cloves ( or to taste)
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• 1-2 tsp turmeric
• himalayan sea salt
• squirt of brown mustard
• dash of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cut the broccoli into florets and steam unit desired texture
2. Meanwhile, blend the chicken broth, cashews, turmeric, mustard and lemon juice together until creamy. This is your "cheese" sauce! Add extra spices if desired.
3. Heat up a skillet and melt the butter. Add the onions, mushrooms, fresh garlic and simmer until onions are translucent.
4. Pour the "cheese" sauce into the skillet. Add the cooked broccoli. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and himalayan sea salt to taste.
5. Heat through and Enjoy!

Make this your own! Throw in extra veggies, or even some shredded chicken! Post below if you try this - I'd love to hear about it! :)