It’s that time again when the holidays are wrapping up and people are starting to get serious about getting healthy this New Year. I think it’s fair to say that most of us may have indulged a little too much over the holidays [myself included], which is actually not a bad thing. We need to be able to enjoy the occasional indulgence because that’s what makes us human. However, when it comes to getting healthy and staying healthy I tell my clients that they need to make more healthy choices and less of the not-so-healthy ones. I don’t expect anyone to eat perfectly healthy all the time, because I wouldn’t expect myself to do that either. What I do expect is for you to strive for a whole-food based diet and balance; balance with food, balance with home/work life, balance with exercise, etc. By balance I mean that you make an effort to eat whole foods, load up on veggies, drink plenty of water, make time for family, etc. — all while still making sure you are enjoying yourself and taking care of you.
When it comes to getting healthy this New Year, most people are going to try and bust their butts in the gym to lose weight. While this is great and all, I have something to tell you that many of you may have heard before: “You can’t out exercise a bad diet.” And it’s true. You can exercise all you want, but if you are constantly making unhealthy diet choices, you will never really reach your health goals.
So what better way is there to get healthy than to load up on veggies! It can be a challenge for most people to get in even 1-2 servings of veggies per day. But that little amount of vegetables isn’t going to cut it. We need to be striving for 5+ servings of vegetables per day, and including a variety, not just raw celery and carrots. My favorite ways to get my veggies in is by drinking my Super Green Smoothie each morning with 2 handfuls of spinach [2 servings of veggies] and eating vegetable based soups and stir-frys. Not only is this an easy way to increase your veggie intake, it’s a delicious way!
[all veggies in the pot.]
My Veggie + Sausage Soup is far from boring or bland like some other vegetable soups. I strongly believe that if you’re going to eat vegetables, you really should enjoy them. With this soup you will! It’s flavorful + vibrant, and the sausage adds a nice pop of flavor with added protein. I love making this soup on the weekend so I can have leftovers throughout the week. I then pack it up for lunch the next day, or heat it back up for dinner later in the week.
You can easily make this soup vegetarian by omitting the sausage and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Or feel free to add different veggies or a different protein [beans or chicken work well]. This soup will get you well on your way to better health this New Year. Check out the recipe below!
[dished up + ready to eat.]
Vegetable + Sausage Soup
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 package Aidell’s sausage, slices into ½ inch thick rounds [I prefer the jalapeno-mango variety, or any other preservative-free sausage]
- 8 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 yellow squash chopped coarsely
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can organic diced tomatoes
- 5 stalks celery, diced
- 3 large carrots, chopped into coins
- 2-3 cups frozen veggies of choice [I added a mix of zucchini, carrot, cauliflower + broccoli]
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
Directions
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add oil and heat to medium-high. Add garlic, onions and sausage. Stir mixture for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender and sausage has a slight sear. Add the remaining vegetables, stock, spices, salt + pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Soup is done once all veggies are tender [the carrots will take the longest to cook]. Continue cooking if needed for desired tenderness/texture. Adjust spices as needed. Enjoy.
[dinner is served.]
- 1 package Aidell's sausage, slices into ½ inch thick rounds [I prefer the jalapeno-mango variety or any other preservative-free sausage]
- 8 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 yellow squash chopped coarsely
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can organic diced tomatoes
- 5 stalks celery, diced
- 3 large carrots, chopped into coins
- 2-3 cups frozen veggies of choice [I added a mix of zucchini, carrot, cauliflower + broccoli]
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add oil and heat to medium-high.
- Add garlic, onions and sausage.
- Stir mixture for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender and sausage has a slight sear.
- Add the remaining vegetables, stock, spices, salt + pepper.
- Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Soup is done once all veggies are tender [the carrots will take the longest to cook].
- Continue cooking if needed for desired tenderness/texture. Adjust spices as needed. Enjoy.
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