Whole 30 Recipe: Carrot Ginger Soup

Hi!

Last week in my meal plan for whole 30 week 1, I included Carrot Ginger Soup and I want to share the recipe with y’all! It’s a delicious and easy soup that I have adapted to make it fit in the Whole 30 guidelines. I can’t take credit for the recipe. I actually got it on a cruise my husband and I went on with his family! It was the only cruise I have been on and I did not know what to expect. The food (along with the whole experience!) was really great and at the kitchen staff shared some of the recipes. Please comment if you have any questions!

It’s a really great side or starter, but if you want to make it an entree, I would recommend topping it with a little bit of meat or protein of your choosing. 🙂

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots trimmed, peeled, and sliced into rounds
1 qt (give or take) chicken broth or water
1 onion peeled and sliced
4 tabs unsalted butter (I swap for about 1-2tbs oil to make it whole 30)
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional – I usually exclude)
1″ piece ginger peeled and finely mined
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Soak carrots overnight in water. (I have made the soup without doing this, but it cuts down on the cooking time significantly, so it’s a time saver!)

Saute onions in a large, covered stock pot in 1/2 the cooking fat until onions are very soft. Do not allow the onions to brown. Drain the carrots and add them to the pot. Add stock or water to cover vegetables. Add minced ginger. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow it to simmer until carrots are soft. Remove from heat and puree the soup until very smooth. Thin with water or stock if needed. Stir in remaining butter and cream if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with freshly ground pepper.

Notes:
1. If you have an immersion blender, you can just puree the soup in the stock pot. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I just ladle the soup into my regular blender and make sure to include some of the liquid. It purees very easily! You could probably also use a food processor if you prefer.
2. When blending hot liquids, either take off the top or take out the little cap in the middle of your blender’s top and cover with a paper towel or kitchen towel. This lets some of the steam escape.
3. You can also top it with herbs for a yummy twist! I used fennel fronds for the photo above.

Happy cooking!

*This post contains affiliate links*

Whole 30 Week 2 Meal Plan

We’re headed in to week two of January Whole 30! How are you feeling? The first week can be challenging between getting used to the guidelines and the different unpleasant ways your body can react to cutting out sugar, grains, cookies, etc. Hope you are on the upswing!

Here is my meal plan for this week. I hope it’s helpful as you do your own grocery shopping and meal planning. Most of my salads will be topped with chicken because that’s what I got a bunch of this weekend. My grocery store didn’t have any “approved” sausages that I found, so I’m going to make a recipe that I found on Primal Palate’s website (I haven’t tried any of their seasonings, but this recipe is great!).

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sarah

Saturday, Jan 7
Meal 1: Fried eggs with veggies
Meal 2: Leftover No Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Meal 3: Curry

Sunday, Jan 8
Meal 1: Breakfast sausage (recipe from Primal Palate) with veggies
Meal 2: leftovers
Meal 3: chicken with Moroccan flavors (Weeknight Fresh and Fast)

Monday, Jan 9
Meal 1: eggs
Meal 2: leftovers
Meal 3: turkey sausage with veggies

Tuesday, Jan 10
Meal 1: eggs with greens
Meal 2: salad
Meal 3: zoodles with Mom’s meat sauce (Made on Sunday)

Wednesday, Jan 11
Meal 1: sausage and veggies
Meal 2: salad
Meal 3: tuna salad on greens 

Thursday, Jan 12
Meal 1: breakfast sausage or eggs
Meal 2: stuffed sweet potatoes
Meal 3: leftovers

Friday, Jan 13
Meal 1: eggs
Meal 2: salad
Meal 3: salad

*This post contains affiliate links*

January Whole30

Hey there! It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted, but I thought I would dust off the old blog in honor of doing #JanuaryWhole30. I’m posting partially to help me stay the course and partially because when I did my first Whole 30, I was constantly searching the internet for recipes and ideas. This is my second time to do Whole 30 and I am excited about it! The holidays were wonderful and filled with yummy food, but I am so ready to get back in a routine and swap sugar for veggies 🙂

Here is my loose meal plan for the first five days of Whole 30. I’ll be posting pics on my instagram feed if you want to see how they turn out! I’ll also probably post the recipe for the Carrot and Ginger soup later this week. It’s a delicious pureed soup that I’m convinced could cure anything that ails you.

I’m keeping things pretty simple this week, but want to add in some new recipes over the next few weeks. Would love any recipe ideas you have or if you’ve done Whole 30 and what you thought of it.

Happy 2017!

Monday, Jan 2
Meal 1: Hard boiled eggs with sauteed kale
Meal 2: Grilled chicken and slaw
Meal 3: Baked sweet potato stuffed with turkey and kale

Tuesday, Jan 3
Meal 1: Hard boiled eggs with sauteed kale
Meal 2: Chicken with winter veggies
Meal 3: Taco/Burrito Bowl

Wednesday, Jan 4
Meal 1: Frittata with kale, onion, carrot
Meal 2: Chicken with carrot and ginger soup (make ahead on Monday)
Meal 3:Whole Chicken in crockpot with slaw

Thursday, Jan 5
Meal 1: Frittata with kale, onion, carrot
Meal 2: Chicken with carrot and ginger soup (make ahead on Monday)
Meal 3:Zoodles with chicken

Friday, Jan 6
Meal 1: Frittata with kale, onion, carrot
Meal 2: Leftovers
Meal 3: No Bean Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili (from Skinny Taste… love her!)

 

 

Local Sugar: Wisteria

Hey there! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It was beautiful here in Dallas and we had a first feeling of fall (AKA- it wasn’t 98 degrees 🙂 ). It was awesome!

One really fun thing about contributing to Local Sugar Dallas is having an excuse to try Dallas area restaurants and explore some of the great local shops! A few weeks ago I shared another Local Sugar story on Ten Ramen and today I want to share one about a store called Wisteria! It is a huge store with home goods fitting for any style and budget. For non-Dallasites, it’s near Love Field, so you can stop by easily if you are flying in or out of that airport! Hope you enjoy!

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Near Love Field, there is a shopping destination with furniture, home accessories, jewelry, and gifts galore. This gem is called Wisteria, and it has a fun, eclectic combination of modern, traditional, colorful, and vintage items that will catch your eye. No matter your style, you are sure to find something that would look great in your home.

Read the rest of the story here: Local Sugar: A Dallas Shopping Destination

Casual Tailgating Style

Casual Tailgating Style by edwardsdinnerparty

I. Love. Football! I love the sport, but I also love tailgating! Being from Mississippi, I have to admit that I am a bit of a tailgating snob, but I have also tailgated out of the back of an SUV (for a DC United game), so I can attest that no matter how you slice it, tailgating is a whole lot of fun. I will talk about tailgating food later this season, but in this post I wanted to give some ideas for making your tent/tailgate a place where you are proud to welcome friends and family, while keeping things simple. I want to keep the focus on having fun rather than worrying about having the finest and fanciest decorations.

1. I am a big fan of Tervis Tumblers and you can get them plain, personalized with your school, or your initials. They are super sturdy and keep your drinks hot and cold for hours!

2. For tailgating, it’s all about keeping things simple, but simple doesn’t have to mean boring. Kate Spade has tons of cute paper napkins like these! You could find them in your school colors or a fun pattern.

3. Some people like to grill while they tailgate, so why not get a fun (or manly) apron for the grill master! I have some friends who even had coordinated aprons that say “Hotty” and “Toddy”. 🙂

4. Flowers can really perk up a tailgating tent, but again, keep it simple! Fun jars with simple flowers are great. Sometimes for the flowers, my mom would pick up potted mums! They come in lots of colors and can handle the football season weather. 

5. Glasses that you aren’t worried about breaking. Solo cups might be more your style, but if you want to upgrade, GoVinos are a great option! They come lots of shapes and styles and are super reasonably priced. 

6. Wooden serving pieces are a great looking way to serve food and, unlike pottery or ceramic pieces, you won’t have to worry about them being broken or chipped.

7. Don’t forget to hydrate- especially for these early season games while it’s still hot (is that only in the South?)! These S’well bottles are super popular right now and they are so cute! Most stadiums won’t let you bring any type of bottle inside, but reusable bottles are a great way to stay cool and cut back on post-game clean up!

Happy football season, y’all! Hope your favorite team wins today. I will be cheering on my Dawgs!

Thanks for reading!

Salmon Quinoa Balls (and a Book Review!)

In today’s food and nutrition world, gluten intolerance and sensitivities are a frequent topic of conversation. Restaurants and home cooks alike are looking for ways to reduce the amount of gluten on menus and Maria Speck’s book Simply Ancient Grains: Fresh and Flavorful Whole Grain Recipes for Living Well provides ideas from the simple to the creative.

Friday’s Five: Fun Decanters

Decanters. They aren’t a necessity, but they definitely look cool and can make an inexpensive bottle of wine look and taste better! Here is a quick list of different wine decanters in different price ranges and styles. If you are in the market for a decanter (or even if you’re not), I hope you enjoy looking at these pretty things. Who knows, maybe you will be inspired to try one for yourself!

Local Sugar: Ten Ramen Review

Would everyone who loves ramen please stand up? How delicious is that bowl of broth and noodles? It can be the ultimate comfort food and you can get totally creative with it. But, I should confess something: I had never had an authentic bowl of ramen until I wrote a review of a new ramen shop in Dallas called Ten Ramen! I’m happy to say that it was everything I dreamed it would be! I slurped to my heart’s content and there may or my not have been proof of my slurping on my blouse. Whoops!

Delicious Breakfast Bars + a Book Review

Anyone who has known me for very long knows that I’m not much of a morning person. I wish I was! I always think one day when I’m a “real grown up” mornings will be easier, I will savor them, and pop out of bed with a smile on my face. Until then, I am always looking for a good way to have a nutritious and filling breakfast before work. To be honest, most days I’m eating a granola bar in the car!

When I found a recipe for Fully Loaded Breakfast Bars in My New Roots by cute blogger Sarah Britton, I knew I needed to try them!

The whole book is fun to flip through because of the gorgeous photography, creative recipes, and great tips Sarah weaves throughout. One really helpful section called “Stocking the Pantry” covers everything from different flours, beans v. legumes, and sweeteners. At the top of each recipe, there are little markers denoting if the recipe is vegan, gluten-free, or takes extra planning. The recipes is also divided by season and type of food: mornings, small measures (drinks and appetizers), mains, and sweets. The breakfast bar recipe is in the Early Summer section and I’m already excited to try Roasted Parsnips with Pomegranate Glaze and Za’atar this winter!

These bars are gluten free and vegan! Instead of flour, Sarah substitutes white beans. Did you know that you can substitute beans for flour?! Very cool and it makes me feel extra healthy. They also have coconut oil, honey, pumpkin seeds, raisins  and dried apricots, making them a seriously delicious breakfast.

These bars have definitely made my morning routine better. I can’t wait to try more recipes from My New Roots!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Friday Favorites (on Saturday)

Texas wildflowers. Growing up, my mom always told me about the beautiful wild flowers that cover Texas. I’m loving seeing the beautiful colors during my first summer here!

Who else is so excited for the women’s world cup?! My husband and I got really into the men’s world cup last summer and have loved having it back on TV. USA! (photo source)

These delicious breakfast bars from My New Roots. I can’t wait to tell y’all about them next week!

My baby basil plant. Any other recovering black thumbs out there? A neighbor shared a basil cutting with me and I am so excited that it is growing roots! New life (even in little plants) is amazing! Not to mention, the idea of having a basil plant in my container garden has visions of pesto dancing in my head 🙂

Happy weekend, y’all! I hope you have had a good week and a great weekend ahead. Thanks so much for stopping by!