So I bought 10 pounds of carrots...

Yes, 10 pounds of carrots!

My husband looked at me like I had 2 heads when he opened the fridge.  What is my plan for so many carrots you ask?  Good question!

About two years ago my doctor recommended that I buy Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live book to help with stabilizing my hormones and shedding the baby weight from Patrick.  To use the plan for weight loss recommended in the book it starts out with cutting out all meat, which was definitely the hardest part for this steak loving chica.  My doc explained that eating meat brings more hormones into the equation and for someone who is struggling with metabolic issues that is just more stress on your system.  It starts you out with a 7 day meal guide with recipes and honestly I lost 11 pounds that first week eating these veggie focused meals, and within 6 weeks I had lost 18.  Here is a crash course diagram of his recommendations-



So fast forward 2 years and I am now trying to bring the veggies back into my life...which lead me to buying 10 pounds of carrots.  I used 4 pounds of them to make baby food for Baby J, Annabelle (my veggie lover) probably ate a pound herself and the other half I used to make the most amazing veggie soup ever!  Here's the recipe-

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried split peas
1/2 cup dried adzuki or cannellini beans
4 cups water
6-10 medium zucchini
5 pounds large organic carrots, freshly juiced (5-6 cups juice; see note)*
2 bunches celery, freshly juiced (2 cups juice; see note)*
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest (or other no-salt seasoning blend, adjusted to taste)
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning
4 medium onions, chopped
3 leek stalks, cut lengthwise and cleaned carefully, then coarsely chopped
2 bunches kale, collard greens or other greens, tough stems and center ribs removed and leaves chopped
1 cup raw cashews
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (shiitake, cremini and/o white)

Instructions:
Place the beans and water in a very large pot over low heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add the zucchini whole to the pot. Add the carrot juice, celery juice, VegiZest and Mrs. Dash.
Put the onions, leeks and kale in a blender and blend with a little bit of the soup liquid. Pour this mixture into the soup pot.
Remove the softened zucchini with tongs and blend them in the blender with the cashews until creamy. Pour this mixture back into the soup pot. Add the mushrooms and continue to simmer the beans until soft, about 2 hours total cooking time.

An awesome recipe I used to make baby food for Julia with Apples and Carrots is-

1/4 apple
2 carrots
2 tablespoons water

Peel, core and chop apple.  Cut carrots in half lengthwise, then in half.  Put apple, carrots and water in a pot and cook until they soften.  Allow to cool slightly, then puree in a blender or mash with a fork.  Add apple juice, breast milk or formula if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Is my point of this post really about carrots, nope.  I have realized that way too often we loose focus on our health.  Between working, cleaning, laundry, dishes and sleep...I find myself forgetting about things that work for...well...2 years.  Enjoy the soup!