Thinking About Paleo in the New Year???

Last year I published 10 Prepping for Paleo posts for anyone thinking about trying the Paleo style of eating to clean up their act in the New Year.  I thought I'd go ahead and share the links for all of the tips for anyone who (like me 2 years ago) feels like they have tried everything and failed again and again to get rid of stubborn weight (mine was lots and lots of belly fat), reclaim their energy (and not crash at 2pm and 8pm every day!), to stop the aches and pains in their joints or migraines or sinus pressure or whatever ailments were stemming from all the inflammation in your system, to sleep better, to feel better, to have clearing skin and healthier, stronger hair and nails, to eliminate bloat...

I could go on...because it really has been life changing for me and my family...

But I'll let you check it out for yourself!

My New Year's gift to you is a few of the things that made it work for us and the assurance that you can do ANYTHING for 30 days (I felt the difference in 11 days!) and it might just be the thing that works for you!

So, here are the links for each of the 10 posts from last December...pick and choose or read them all.

Happy, Healthy New Year Everyone!

1.  Considering Switching to a Paleo Diet?

2.  Phase It Out

3.  Do Your Research

4.  Buddy Up

5.  Focus On the Positive!

6.  Pantry Purge

7.  Journal

8.  Meal Plan

9.  Shop, Chop and Prep

10.  Start!

Feel free to message me through my Wildflower Kitchen Facebook page if you have questions...I do my best to answer within 24 hours.  I am NOT a nutritionist or doctor or any other type of "expert" - I just have 2 years under my belt living this new life and cooking for others - so I do know where to find ingredients and how to substitute to make your favorite recipes Paleo friendly (do not ask me how to make a grilled cheese sandwich...just let it go!).  I love food, I love to cook, we love to eat out and I never feel deprived...and I have experienced so many wonderful benefits.  I am always happy to share what I know.

Good luck.  #livehealthyeathappy

Paleo Roasted Mixed Veggie Soup

Today is the day after the day after Christmas...sigh...I love Christmas and I'm always sad to see it end.  But...or should I say BUT, my stomach is beyond ready for this holiday season to be over.

I overindulged.

On sweets.

Cookies (ones that I baked, ones that were gifts, ones that I walked by at a party or event...), pie (the traditional requested Christmas dessert that cannot be ignored), Blue Bell Peppermint Ice Cream (it only comes to town once a year and I refuse to resist...totally my choice, but oh my goodness!), candies (the ones we decorated gingerbread houses with, the ones we bought for gifts and stocking stuffers, the movie candy I totally snuck into the theatre and those darned kisses and hugs that were supposed to be just for baking cookies and snacks) and probably other things I have blocked out.

And presents.

I bought too much...I didn't charge a thing, but I took our checking account all the way to the edge.

And so...I must cleanse...on a budget!

We opted for super-easy "Cozy Christmas" this year.  It was just us and we wanted to relax and just spend the day watching movies and playing games.  So the menu was pretty make ahead and reheat...perfect, if you ask me.

No big leftover containers of traditional holiday dishes.  And not much else to create with.

But my produce drawer had some miscellaneous veggies and I always have chicken stock in my freezer and spices in my cabinet.

And soup (even though it's really pretty warm here in Texas) seemed like just what the doctor ordered to ease my tummy, kick start my post holiday clean eating and use up that produce so I didn't have to grocery shop (or spend) and I wouldn't have to throw anything out (bonus!)

So, this morning, bright and early, I got out everything that I thought would go great in soup, took a quart of chicken stock out of the freezer to thaw and got to work.

I am extremely pleased with the results and am going to share the recipe I used...but remember - you can make this with whatever you have on hand or whatever you like.  I think you could also make this a bit quicker and in one pot by sauteing the veggies on the stove top in some avocado or coconut oil (in the pot you plan to boil the soup in) - just cut the veggies into smaller pieces and stir, stir, stir.

I decided to roast the veggies because I love the extra richness and depth of flavor I get when I roast anything.  I had a roma tomato, 4 carrots, 2 russet potatoes, one huge onion and a red bell pepper.

I cut the veggies into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces (except the tomato, which I halved) and I placed them on a parchment-line baking sheet.  I tossed them in about 1 T of avocado oil and added a good sprinkling of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

You will notice the red pepper is not in this picture.  It takes less time to roast, so I added it 20 minutes into the roasted process, right when I needed to pull the tray out, rotate it and toss the veggies around to get even cooking and browning.

When I added the red bell pepper, I added a bit more avocado oil and a tiny bit more sea salt and stirred the veggies around.  In my oven, whatever is touching the sheet pan browns first and quickest.  I love those browned edges...but not burnt!  So, if I toss them every 20 minutes (I like to roast the veggies for about an hour at 400°), I get lots of perfectly browned edges and no burned parts!

While the veggies were roasting, I put 32 ounces of chicken stock into a large enamel, heavy bottomed dutch oven to bring to medium heat.  I also added a few spices to suit what I was craving...1 tsp of garlic powder, a pinch of red pepper flake and 1 tsp of turmeric.  (You could add Italian seasoning and garlic powder or smoked paprika, cayenne and onion powder or dried mustard, garlic powder and oregano...play around with it!)  I didn't salt my stock because I had salted the veggies pretty liberally and I always add salt when I am making my stock.

Once the stock has come to temp and the veggies are roasted to your liking (I roasted mine for one hour exactly at 400­°) - combine them into the pot with the chicken stock.  Then bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to medium low, mostly cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.  This helps the flavors to come together and the spices to flavor the entire mixture.

 Now it's time to really combine the flavors...I use an immersion blender - because it's so easy, less messy than a food processor or blender and is much quicker!  It's also a lot less likely to make a huge bubbling mess!  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can combine the veggies and stock into a smooth mixture by placing the mixture in your blender or food processor - you'll have to do it in batches and you'll need to cover the lid of each with a kitchen towel...because hot liquid does not like to be blended without making a fuss - it can spew up and blow the lid right off a blender.  If you're not sure how to do this - google it please.

Once the soup is blended - taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed.  I did not.  My soup was a bit acidic, which surprised me since I only had the one tomato...so, to create the flavor I was looking for, I added 2/3 cup of full-fat coconut milk.  I love a creamy flavor and texture in almost any soup and coconut milk does the trick every time.  I always turn the heat off before I add the coconut milk...I'm not sure why, I think I read it somewhere...but I always turn the heat off first.  Up to you!

And, because I had leftover bacon crumbles from Christmas and bacon makes everything better - I topped my soup with bacon bits. 

This recipe made 2 12-ounce bowls for my son and I for lunch PLUS 32 ounces to pop in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.  This is also the perfect soup to freeze.  Why toss out perfectly good produce when you can make a big pot of soup and have a nice container of soup for later in your freezer or fridge?  It's so nice to come home after a busy day and have a hot bowl of soup without having to actually make it!...Just heat it up!



Here's the specifics of this pot of soup:

32 ounces of chicken stock (make sure you look for organic, sugar free stock if you're buying it)
1 large onion, rough chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium roma tomato, halved
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 T avocado oil
Sea salt (1 tsp) and cracked black pepper (1/4 tsp) to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric
pinch red pepper flake
2/3 cup full fat organic coconut milk
Nitrate-free, sugar-free bacon, fried and crumbled (about 1/2 slice per bowl)

Toss veggies in avocado oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400° for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
Heat chicken stock over medium heat and add spices (garlic, turmeric, red pepper)
Combine roasted veggies and warmed stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover with lid, leaving it a bit vented and simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth.
Turn off heat and add coconut milk and blend again.
Serve topped with bacon crumbles