January Foods + Carrot Boost Soup

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Let's jump in with my favorite foods for January. I'm hoping to make this a monthly video feature where I rummage through my cupboards and refrigerator and share with you the stuff I'm loving to eat that particular month. As mentioned yesterday, I'm doing Weight Watchers -- so some of these foods are particularly friendly for that program.

JANUARY FAVE FOODS

// If you aren't watching the video: PB2 Premium Chocolate, Kodiak Cakes in PB Protein, Grillo's Pickles, Republic of Tea Gingerbread, carrot soup (below), and Poor Gal's Kombucha.

Our family has r.e.a.l.l.y taken to this carrot soup. It's full of immune-boosting ingredients. Stephen has been making a carrot soup for quite some time, actually. In a way, this is his recipe. Ada and I keep getting sick. And I decided I wanted to see what I could add to the mix that might help matters.


Immunity-boosting ingredients, according to Healthline:

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Turmeric  

We actually made a TRIPLE batch of this soup recently. Feel free to play with the recipe and make more if you want to stock up. Though I'm still new at it, I'm thinking this soup has only 1 point for WW people who are tracking. We ate the first bit for dinner and then packed the rest for lunches. It's easy to sip down soup even when you have a Velcro-baby.

See?

CARROT BOOST SOUP

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 pounds organic carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch coins
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5-6 cups water, depending on how runny you like your soup
• Juice of one lemon 
• Pinch salt and pepper

Method . . . 

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add in onions and cook until softened.
2. Add in the garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook for a minute or so. 
3. Then add your carrots and water. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
4. Lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. 
5. Then let cool for a little while before blending until smooth. Feel free to add more water, if necessary.
6. Return to stove to season with the salt and pepper + stir in lemon juice.

Enjoy!