Soup-er recipe!

I am a bit obsessed with the ole crock pot as of late. I really love soup, guys. I want to eat soup all the time. I know that some of you might find that odd. I live in Phoenix. It's 100+ degrees. Leave me alone. Soup is delicious and it's one of the few things that I can eat for "lunch" at work at 2am that doesn't make me feel slow and sleepy. I have also been sick lately. Something is wrong with my immune system and I am constantly under the weather. Soup is a source of comfort.

I try to make a BIG crockpot recipe, casserole, or the like every Sunday so that the hubby and I have something to take for lunch during the week. The hubs and I had date night at Postinos (I am going to go off on a tangent but you should TOTALLY go to Postinos if you live in the Phoenix area. So yummy.) and we had a delicious bowl of pasta fagioli. I decided at that moment that my next crock pot venture would be a big pot of delicious pasta soup goodness.

Pasta Fagioli

1 onion diced
1 lb ground turkey (you can use lean ground beef if you prefer)
1 clove garlic
1 cup carrots diced
1 zucchini diced ( I am unforts allergic to squash so I omitted this but I love squash so you should add it!) 
2 stalks of celery diced
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of white beans
1 jar of clean pasta sauce (I used light ragu- no sugar added)
4 cups vegetable broth (many recipes call for beef broth so you can do that if you want)
1 cup of pasta (I used whole wheat elbow noodles)
pinch of oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground turkey with the diced onion and garlic. In the meantime, throw everything in the crock pot. When the turkey is done....throw that in there too! I cooked the soup on high for 4 1/2 hours (until the veggies are tender) and then I added in the cup of pasta. Cook for an additional 1 hour and enjoy! Nom nom nom!

Article roundup!

There are a few great articles that I have come across over the past few weeks that I have been meaning to share. All of them are from Babble.com. If you haven't checked out Babble, you need to! STAT! There are always interesting, helpful, eye opening articles that ALSO find a way to be entertaining. Sometimes ya just want to read an article that gives you some good info and makes ya laugh!

This first article speaks to me. This is exactly how I feel in regards to eating clean right now. I used to be a clean machine...but that takes time and effort and right now I just want a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Alright...here are a few more great articles that I found funny, enlightening, or just good info to file away!

Rock Your Pot Belly and 12 Other Life Lessons for my Daughter

Not According to Birth Plan

The Cure for Mom Guilt

Feeling Overwhelmed with Protecting your Children from Toxins? You're not Alone.  

Is there More to Organic than Just the Label?

Yummy Recipe!

I will be the first to admit that I don't really cook much in the Summer (sorry Hubs). This is a sad fact because I actually love cooking. I have good intentions of creating some yummy clean meals for the fam but when push comes to shove, slaving over a hot stove in 120 degrees just doesn't sound appealing.

Don't panic everyone! There is a solution to this problem. Well one solution is to make a lot of salads. But as we all know...salads can get a little old. There are only so many variations you can try. The REAL solution to this problem is the crock pot. Oh the crockpot...only the best invention EVER. One of my favorite things in the entire world is Chicken Tortilla Soup. Soup in Summer? Sure...why not? Hot spicy soup, garnished with cool avocado, shredded cheese (soy cheese? hmmm...maybe no cheese for me) and tortilla chips sounds pretty darn delicious! I drummed up this recipe for a delicious soup that, in my humble opinion, is fabulous and a perfect meal for a Summer evening.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Courtesy of: http://www.honeybearlane.com

Ingredients

• 1 Can Black beans ( I use no salt added organic beans)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can corn (I use one bag of frozen corn)
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 chicken breasts
• 1 can green chiles
• 2 cans fat free chicken broth ( I use low sodium organic broth)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. chile powder
• Dash of any hot sauce you like
• Cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, avocado slices (for garnish)