Posts tagged soup
Healthy Vegetable Barley Soup

Happy first Monday of 2016! Here's to coming back to reality, right? I'm excited today to kick of this year on a strong note and feel more than ready to after about 2 months of some hard core indulging! I think that as I get older, the holidays seem to become longer. Not complaining, but I'm definitely ready to get back into the swing of things and rid my body of the unnecessary pounds of sugar and alcohol that was consumed!  I started today with my 6 a.m. spinning class. My participants were awesome, as always, and I could just feel the excitement of a brand new year. Stick around till the end of this post for my spin playlist if you need some music motivation! 

I'm heading to work now for a full week ahead, but I do feel very refreshed and ready to tackle it, especially after a packed weekend full of cooking my meals ahead and getting a lot of chores done around the apartment. Before I go I wanted to share this amazing winter soup recipe for those who are starting to feel the cooler weather! 

Healthy Vegetable Barley Soup via ahealthfulheart.comHealthy Vegetable Barley Soup via ahealthfulheart.com IMG_3119

Warm your soul with this hearty vegetable barley soup. It is packed with filling vegetables, barley and a flavorful tomato broth. 

[yumprint-recipe id='13'] Enjoy!! And here's a new spin playlist for ya...

 

XO - Rach

How do you feel on this first Monday of 2016?

 

Easy Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons

Although the name of this recipe is not so appealing, this Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons is extremely easy to make and so delicious! The soup is filled with fiber to fill you up and the croutons make it feel a little fancy without the fuss. It's still hot here in Philadelphia, and I made this soup right after I was DRENCHED in sweat from a humid run on Sunday morning, so I have really no clue what urged me to make soup, but I was flipping through a cookbook and came across a pea soup recipe and it just called to me. Of all things? Like usual, I didn't follow the recipe. I don't like following recipes, I just like creating them and hoping they come out great - it keeps it fun.

Easy Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons via ahealthfulheart.com. So creamy and delicious + packed with fiber to keep you full!

 

Here's what you'll need:

For the croutons: 

  • 2 slices of cubed wheat bread
  • Olive oil or olive oil spray
  • Kosher salt & pepper

What to do:

  • Preheat your oven (or toaster oven) to 300 degrees
  • Lay out the cubed bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil/spray with olive oil spray
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper
  • Bake for 25 minutes

For the Soup: 

  • 2 bags of frozen peas (told you I like to keep things simple.) I used 2 10 oz bags.
  • 1 white or yellow onion
  • 6-7 cloves of garlic (you can tone this down, I just REALLY love garlic.)
  • 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth if you are not a carnivore.)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter

What to do: 

  • Melt the butter in a big dutch oven pan
  • Add the chopped onions and garlic (rough chop)
  • Saute until the onions become slightly transparent
  • Add in the broth
  • Let it come to a boil
  • Add in both bags of peas and lower heat to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes
  • Season to taste
  • Turn off the heat and let everything cool
  • Once cooled a bit, add to a big blender or food processor to puree
  • Lastly, add in the sour cream and blend

Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons! Delicious and filled with fiber.

Easy Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons via ahealthfulheart.com

That's it! Told you it was easy. I can't wait until the weather cools down a bit so I can try out new soup and crockpot recipes.

I ventured out for a 3 mile run this morning and it was HUMID. The humidity really affects how I run. My legs feel like cement pillars and my lungs feel like they can't hold enough air. Does anyone else feel this way or do you like running in the humidity? I stopped to walk a bit. It's crazy to me how our bodies respond differently to different times and temperatures. I don't get how I can run a nice 8 miles one day and then 3 miles another day feels like crap. OY.

But I guess that's life, sometimes we win and sometimes we don't :)

Alright I need to go make breakfast and get myself together! I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

XO - Rach

What's everyone got planned for the long weekend?