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.

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

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?

Do you know how certain flavors, tastes or smells can bring you back to a certain place or time in your life? Basil pesto does that for me. It kind of brings me right back to Italy, but only the homemade kind. There's just something about fresh basil blended with parmesan and olive oil. YUM it's so good. I whipped up a batch this morning to use for dinner. Michael and I picked up some salmon on Sunday and I couldn't wait to make it with fresh basil pesto. I've found that my favorite nuts to use in homemade pesto are walnuts. I've tried it with pistachios, pine nuts and even cashews, and walnuts seem to give it my favorite consistency.

Here's what you need: 

• Large handful of fresh basil
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• S & P to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt (added for creaminess factor)
• Small squeeze fresh lemon juice
• Some sort of food processor or powerful blender

Here's what to do: 

• Blend!

All I did for dinner was topped the salmon with pesto and lemon slices and baked for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees! Super simple. Crazy delicious. I served ours with golden zucchini zoodles. Golden zoodles. Golden Doodle? And some roasted brussels sprouts.

Enjoy!

- Rach

Do you have a food that reminds you of a certain place?

It's hump day (YAY two more days until the weekend) and I've got another yummy recipe for you!

I started today bright and early with a 3 mile run. I've been absolutely loving my runs lately, in case you were wondering. I think what has made running so great in the last few weeks is getting to explore a whole new neighborhood. If you're ever in Philadelphia, take a day to explore the Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill area - it's gorgeous! As much as I love being in the city, the new area that I live in is more suburban, and it's such a breath of fresh air. I don't have to wait to cross the streets in the mornings and the greenery is amazing. It's fun to run past all of the little bakeries, boutiques and little markets. I also like to run down the streets where the "millionaires" live - looking at the big homes takes my mind off of all the HILLS.

After running, I came back to shower real quick and didn't really have time to cook anything for breakfast, so I threw together this easy bowl before catching the train to work. The high-protein main ingredient is...cottage cheese! I didn't want to title this post "Cottage Cheese Bowl" because I have a feeling that a lot of people get grossed out by cottage cheese. You shouldn't be - it's delicious! And super versatile. And packs a punch of protein.

Anyway, I threw together about a cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 a banana, 1 small plum, blueberries, a handful of chopped walnuts, a sprinkle of coconut and a drizzle of honey. It's a refreshing breakfast or snack. I would much rather eat fruit with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese than yogurt - is that weird? Who cares. I LOVE CHEESE.

Okay enjoy :)

-Rach

Cottage cheese - love it or hate it? 

How do you get your protein in the morning?