12 Soups in 12 Months: Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Croutons

Here's soup number two for my 12 Soups in 12 Months challenge!

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2  15 ounce cans pumpkin
1  32 ounce carton reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup half-and-half or light cream
½ cup water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 Recipe Spiced Croutons

Directions

1. In a large saucepan cook carrots in hot butter over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in pumpkin, broth, half-and-half, water, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, top soup with Spiced Croutons and celery leaves.

Spiced Croutons

Ingredients
3 cups 1-inch bread cubes
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a bowl toss bread cubes with pumpkin pie spice. In a large skillet cook bread cubes in hot butter for 8 minutes or until toasted, turning occasionally.

Clean Eating: Satay Chicken

I've been trying to incorporate "clean eating" into my routine as much as possible since the beginning of January, with no specific goal other than feeling better. It's been a great experience so far - learning about benefits of coconut oil and its many uses (and tastes yum, too!)

So what exactly is clean eating? As taken from the Clean Eating Magazine:
“The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life - one meal at a time.”

Eat five to six times a day
Three meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long. This was not hard for me to do as I am usually hungry, especially when avoiding breads and other foods that make me feel bloated and gross.

Drink at least two liters of water a day
Preferably from a reusable canteen, not plastic; we're friend of the environment here! Limit your alcohol intake to one glass of antioxidant-rich red wine a day. I don’t know that I’m up to two liters, but definitely 7 cups. So I’m nearly there. It takes some adjusting before your bladder stops waking you up 20 times a night to go pee. And YAY, wine!!

Get label savvy
Clean foods contain just one or two ingredients. Any product with a long ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean.

Avoid processed and refined foods
This includes white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Enjoy complex carbs such as whole grains instead. This was easier to do than I thought it would be, mostly because of the immediate difference it made from not consuming these foods!

Know thy enemiesSteer clear of anything high in saturated and trans fats, anything fried or anything high in sugar. You can still have bacon, and coconut oil is truly yummy and versatile!

Consume healthy fats
Try to have essential fatty acids, or EFAs, every day. I take mine in the form of Evening Primrose Oil, every day after dinner. This also helps with mood stability.

Learn about portion sizes
Work towards eating within them. And slowing down while eating your food. Take time to enjoy it!

My first “clean” recipe was Clean Satay Chicken. It was delicious, easy to make and gentle on the belly. 
 

Recipe
2-3 Chicken breasts, sliced
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2-1 zucchini, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced1 teaspoon crushed chilli
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 spanish onion, finely chopped
1.5 tablespoons coconut oil
Juice of half a fresh lime
3 tablespoons natural crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or stevia
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
2 cups water

Heat fry pan, add the coconut oil, coriander, cumin, garlic and red onion and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the peanut butter, chilli, lime juice, Stevia, coconut and soy sauce and stir. This will form a paste. Gradually add the water, about 1/2 cup at a time till you get the sauce to a consistency that you like. (more water = runnier sauce)

Simmer for a few minutes and turn heat off and set aside. In another heated pan, place a little coconut oil and a little garlic. Add the chicken and brown it up. Add the vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes. Pour over the sauce and heat for about 1-2 minutes. Serve this in a bowl with some brown rice or quinoa. Enjoy!