Before I share a delicious recipe with you all, I just wanted to mention that I’m trying to get back into early morning work outs again. GO ME!
Call me crazy, but I actually miss getting up at 4:45am to meet Maria at the gym. Not only did I love having a workout partner, but it always felt so good to have my workout done before I began my day.
Now, we both workout at home. I’ve been wanting to workout in the mornings for the longest time, but it was always difficult since I could never predict the time Roberto would wake up. For the past month, we’ve gotten the closest that we can to a schedule. He sleeps from 7:30pm-7:30/8:00am and he only wakes 1-2 times to nurse in between. It’s really nice that I’m finally getting plenty of sleep myself. Last night I was feeling brave so I set my alarm to get up before Roberto.
This was the first time I’ve actually set an alarm since giving birth! Up until now, Roberto was always my alarm clock. Anyway, I got up and was so excited to start my day off right. I did a 10 min warm up on the treadmill and I had just finished the first round of some strength training I was doing until this happened…
Yah, of course the one day I decide to get up early, that little guy decided to wake up earlier than normal. At least I did half of my work out and I’ll give it another shot tomorrow. Hopefully I can do a complete exercise!
Ok, well now let’s get to that recipe.
I’m a huge fan of soup. Rinaldo on the other hand is NOT.
He really isn’t a picky eater but if there’s one thing he doesn’t love, it’s soup. GREAT…
It’s always a challenge to create a soup that he will eat and love.
What he does love are creamy soups. Lobster bisque, clam chowder, etc. Basically, vegetable less soups. He hates the texture of boiled vegetables so soups like minestrone are a no go. For the record, I made a fire roasted tomato chicken soup last night and he DID NOT like that one! Poor guy, he really tries hard to like them, but just can’t help it.
It’s been a couple years now where I’ve experimented with soups that he would like and so far this one is a winner. I’ve learned that if I puree the veggies and add some cream to it, he’ll eat it up! This soup is full of green veggies and so comforting during these cold winter months. I love making a big batch and then having leftovers for lunch during the week.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1\2 large onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bunches of broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like heat)
- 3 1\2 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 big hanfuls of spinach
- 3\4 cup of heavy cream (or any kind of milk)
- salt & pepper
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, thyme, red pepper flakes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
- Once the broccoli is soft add the spinach and let wilt for a minute. Next, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and reheat over gentle heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve by itself or with some sour cream and cheddar cheese
I love that there’s broccoli and spinach in this soup. Sometimes I get bored of roasted or sauteeing vegetables for dinner and I think soups are great ways to pack in the nutrients and not get bored of eating the same things over and over.
Hopefully I can come up with more soups that both Rinaldo & I will enjoy. It sure it tough but I love a challenge!
Do you like soup?
What’s your favorite soup?
Do you prefer working out in the mornings?
