Weekly Food Prep #1: Soup

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Save for the hot hot summer months (and even then I often make a summer soup of sorts) I am a lovable soup eater.

Soup is great when you're thirsty, hungry, sleepy, tired, sick, excited...I could go on for days about the AWESOMENESS of soup. I will spare you my ramblings and get to the point.

Every week, and I mean every week, I make a pot of soup. It's my creed. It's my sanity.

Now for those who say, "Meh, I like soup but I get bored if I have to eat the same thing everyday." I say: stick with me...you'll see. I will offer options for modifications that will entertain even the miser-iest of us all, my bubby.

Now, as I was saying...ah, yes SOUP.

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Reasons why I like making soup:
1) Pour it all in a pot and walk away. (for the most part)
 - Soup usually cooks itself, minus a bit of stirring here or there and the occasional check that it's not boiling too vigorously, it usually requires minimal "kitchen work." This is a HUGE bonus for me, and will be for you too if you're the kind who has a bit of time to chop and prep and then other things to do. Soup is a good option for those strapped for time.

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2) You can make soup out of just about ANYTHING.
 - You've got carrots, peas, corn, potatoes and garlic on hand...let's make some soup! No carrots, okay, no problem. Throw lentils, pumpkin puree, onions, and some celery in, add water and season to taste...and we've got soup! Leftover rice and stirfry in the fridge, throw it in there...add some chopped kale, seasonings, and chopped red peppers...and we've got soup! The list goes on and on...

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3) It's filling.
 - Anyone responsible for feeding themselves can easily say, "once I eat, I don't want to be heading back to the kitchen in an hour or so in search of food." You cook, you eat, you get on with your day. No one has days and hours to spend cooking and cooking on end just to survive. Soup is the answer of all answers. You eat some, not yet full, eat some more.

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4) It's cheap.
 - Most of the time when I endeavor to make soup, I look in the fridge, cupboards and crisper, see what's around, make a pile on the counter, pick out some options and "throw it in a pot." I'm not kidding. Once it starts cooking I season to taste, put the lid on and walk away. I don't tend to grocery shop to make soup. You can very often use what you already have in your pantry and reduce your trips to the store.

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5) It's healthy.*
 - Now this one is tricky, depending on what you put in it. If we're talking ham hocks and fried butter onion soup...or mac n' cheese soup (there exists such a thing)...not so healthy. Just because you cook it down and throw in a veggie or two doesn't necessarily make it good for you. We CAN however, make our soup choices largely veggie-based, limit the salt and try not to over cook them. These suggestions can help to preserve the nutrients in our soups and make them a very healthly alternative.


So, there you have it. My humble plea for weekly soup-making. I encourage you to make some yourself this week! Share your "spontan" recipe below!

Afraid of making TOO much soup? here's a tip on how to freeze leftovers.

REnaming foods to get kids to eat them...?

Repost from http://inventorspot.com/articles/branding_vegetables_so_kids_will_eat_them

Photo by worldcommunitycookbook.org

Would George H. W. Bush have liked broccoli if his mother referred to it as "Power Bunch Broccoli" instead of just plain (hold your nose) broccoli? Research from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab says he would.

Brian Wansink and others had already concluded in previous research that people perceive food more positively when it has a 'fancy' name, rather than a plain or non-descriptive name. (Wansink et al, 2005) This time Wansink and other Cornell researchers tested that theory on kids and precisely the foods kids seem to hate: vegetables.

First, the team tested the effect of positive branding on kids in their choice of one vegetable: carrots. For three days, in 5 school lunch rooms in economically diverse areas, cooked carrots were served. On days one and three, no descriptive labels were placed on the carrot area, but on day two, the carrots were labeled, 'Food of the Day' or 'X-Ray vision carrots."

Perhaps you've guessed that the 'X-ray vision carrots' won the carrot-eating contest. Sixty-six percent of the students chose the 'X-ray vision carrots', while 32 percent ordered the 'Food of the Day; 35 percent ate the carrots without a sign on days one and three.

Expanding the 'jazzy' descriptions to other vegetables, the same researchers explored the effects of re-naming carrots, broccoli, and string beans in two New York City schools. For two months the number of students choosing each vegetable was tracked. In one school, however, the veggies were labeled 'X-ray vision carrots,' 'Power Punch Broccoli,' and 'Silly Dilly Green Beans."

You guessed it again, but maybe you underestimated the effect of this round of vegetable branding.
In this study, the experimental school students made 99 percent more vegetable purchases than they did the prior month! In the control school, where no branding changes were made during the second month, vegetable purchases went down by 16 percent.

The authors emphasized that appealing descriptive branding had a positive effect on purchases in all age groups tested.

Well, President Bush, would you like to try some Power Punch Broccoli?

DeToxify-ing our bodies

Let's talk about a few ways we can get our bodies regulated:

• 1) Drink WATER

We are challenged to drink half our body weight in ounces in order to maintain hydration. (ex. a person who weighs 160 lbs. (160/2=80) should drink 80 oz. of water daily OR eight 10 oz. glasses/day) Our body is made up of over 70% water and needs this to feed our cells, help our organs and move out the waste. Water is the cheapest, easiest, simplest way to regulate your body, stools included.

The way I do it: keep a water bottle/large cup at my desk at work, refill it every time it gets close to empty. At home, I have a large glass I keep by my bed. I plan to drink 1-2 large glasses before retiring to bed, refill, go to sleep, then drink the same immediately upon rising. Otherwise it's easy to forget about it.

I can't stress this enough: Drink to your health, DRINK WATER.

• 2) Drink Tea

If you can't get enough water in, next best thing is unsweetened tea. Tea and coffee can sometimes be dehydrating; I will not go into this debate here and now, however I will simply say there can be magnificent benefits to drinking tea for it's herbal components.

Tea can often get herbs into your digestive system faster than tablets and capsules can.

Here are some tea brands I recommend below:
1) Yogi Tea - Detox, Berry DeTox, Skin DeTox, Peach DeTox, Lemon DeTox, Mint Get Regular, Green Tea Kombucha, Purifica, Seven Berry Anti-oxidant...and so on.
2) Traditional Medicinals - Lemon Everyday DeTox, Women's Liberty...

I have personally had great success with these brands and have drunk many of their teas, always unsweetened and with great taste and results. Be encouraged to find the purest forms of tea you can and stay away from the "generic black teas." We can never be sure the leaf:stem ratio in the mix.

• 3) Take supplements

Of course, there are many out there in both liquid, capsule and powder form. Below are just a few I am familiar with:

1) Dr. John R. Christopher's Lower Bowel Formula ( I am currently testing this one out: here)
2) Essense of Vitality, Chef Ahki Cleanse (information found: here)
3) Nature's Way Naturalax 2 (info: here)

• 4) Detox with foods

This is mentioned last, because if we are already stopped up internally, adding more fuel (food) to the fire (our digestive system) will NOT make it better. There are, however, a few foods that can aid in detoxification, and help with waste management in the body.


Photo by www.foodnetwork.com 

1) Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, romaine...)
2) Root vegetables (carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes...)
3) Citrus Fruits (lemon, orange, apples, pineapple...)
4) AVC (Apple Cidar Vinegar) the best "in my humble opinion" can be purchased here

Photo by Bragg.com

 - Instructions:  Mix with water and honey or lemon or basic fruit juice. Add 2-3 tbsp to an 8 oz. cup of liquid. Drink ACV up to 3x/daily.

5) Aloe Vera Juice or Gel (This can be consumed straight in "shot" form, or added to a well-like plain juice or smoothie) BEWARE: it will clean you out.

Either way it goes, remember there are MANY ways to deToxify your body and help it do it's job of keeping you healthy and alive with vitality.

 Attempt one or more of these each day and you will be well on your way to understanding your body better and helping it function and survive.
 









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Which one of these methods will you try today? Have you done a deTox regimen lately that WORKED!? Tell us about your experience "deTox-ing" below! Join the conversation!

Eat well. Live well. Be well.