Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Squash has never appealed to me. Summer, acorn, butternut. It just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's from the mission's trip I took to Africa the summer of '95 where we at a huge squash casserole for dinner one night. I'm sure the goat's milk mixed in didn't help things, but still. Not a fan.

Until...

A friend of mine from college posted a picture on Instagram of a butternut squash soup... and it looked pretty good. She sent me the recipe and on to the weekly meal plan it went. In the produce section I tried to figure out which of the squashes looked best... well, actually all of the large, gangly nude-colored fruit didn't look the least bit attractive to me. But as I placed it in my cart, a feeling of pride rushed over me. Like, "Hey, look at me and my squash!"... "I'm making something really healthy this week." No one seemed to care.

The crazy fruit sat on my counter for a little while. I kept looking at it... sometimes touching it, but my excitement for the soup waned. I was intimidated by it. I had cooked with one before, but if I remember, it didn't turn out well. So I didn't have high hopes for this one either.

So the squash soup day came. I still wasn't excited. Even in fancy restaurants when the soup du jour is some kind of squash soup, I immediately dismiss trying it. But I was already committed so onward  I went.

Needless to say, I loved it! This soup is very earthy, sweet, yet salty... just nice. Hope you take a risk and try it too!

Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup
adapted from About.com's Savory Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cup carrots, diced
1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
5 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup almond milk, original (not sweetened)

1. Saute onions in olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add carrots and cook another 5 minutes. 

2. Add squash and broth and stir. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes until squash is soft. 

3. With a large slotted spoon, gather the solid parts of the soup and add to food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. (You may add some of the broth if the mixture is too thick).

4. Pour pureed contents back into pot and add almond milk. Stir and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. 

Optional: add plain greek yogurt for extra flavor. 

Enjoy!

Let's Raw'k n' Roll!

You will never achieve optimum health unless a portion of your diet comes from real, unadulterated food!

Today is the day! Are you ready to raw'k n' roll?

 photo credit

I enjoyed some ice cream and a pizza casserole (gluten-free, mind you) last night as my "last supper". My stomach's churning as I type... it's like it knows I'm about to embark on something better than what just entered it. 

I am so happy you decided to join me on this challenge. Let me just remind you of what you are about to do to your body or not going to be doing to your body during these next ten days. It's going to love you for it! 

• Cooking food causes chemical changes that create acidic toxins, including the carcinogens, mutagens and free-radicals associated with diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Cooking also destroys the live enzymes that aid in digestion and health. 
•  Enzymes are the power of life. They are living forces that conduct and direct every activity in your body. Enzymes digest or break down raw foods. Eating an enzyme-rich diet is thought to increase vitality and slow the aging process. Enzymes can even help repair our DNA.
• One of the most important benefits of a raw food diet is that it is "alkaline forming." The standard American Diet (SAD) is an "acid-forming" diet, which leads to disease. Your body is actually sort of an alkaline battery, running on electrons. All life-giving chemical reactions only happen when electrons or energy flows between atoms. Raw foods contribute electrons/energy, and are called alkalizing.
• Raw fruits and vegetables will increase the vitamins and micronutrients in your diet and you'll feel the difference immediately.
• When you eat raw fruits and vegetables, you’re getting the benefits of their high water content, which helps to suppress appetite. People who switch to eating mostly raw foods often have an easier time controlling their weight.

Example shopping list for stocking a raw food kitchen: 

1. Seeds - Such as pumpkin, sunflower, or chia seeds (seeds are more affordable than nuts)
2. Basic nuts -  Such as almonds, walnuts or pecans (can usually substitute these for one another)
3. Creamy nuts - Such as cashews or macadamia nuts (creamy nuts are more expensive and should be used sparingly if you're on a budget)
4. Sea salt
5. Spices - Cinnamon, Italian spices, Cumin, Cayenne pepper, Curry powder (buy as needed)
6. Olive oil - Or another oil
7. Apple cider vinegar
8. Garlic
9. Flax seeds - Used as binding agents in many recipes to hold food together
10. A concentrated natural sweetener - Such as agave nectar or stevia
11. Nori rolls - Sheets of seaweed to make sushi-type rolls
12. Dates - Medjool are best, be sure to remove the pits (dates are used as natural sweeteners)
13. Bananas - Add creaminess and sweetness
14. Apples
15. Avocados
16. Lettuce
17. Tomatoes
18. Cucumbers
19. Onions
20. Your favourite fruits or vegetables - Such as fresh pineapple, kalamata olives, celery, kale, strawberries and/or grapes or whatever you like!

Ideas/recipes & videos:

Pineapple Strawberry Sorbet 

How to make a green smoothie with any blender

Blackberry Lime Sorbet

Carrot and Ginger Dressing

Raw Food Salad Dressings

5 Easy Raw Salad Dressing Recipes 

Fully Raw Kristina

What does it mean to be fully raw? FAQ

Enjoy this first day of the challenge. Don't let negative thoughts enter your mind. Don't let that little voice creep in and say, "You can't do this". You can do this even when your mind is saying you can't. It's a challenge because it's something that doesn't come natural. But I know you can do it, and down deep, you know you can do it too!

  "Every disciplined effort is met with multiple reward."