Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken

A winter treat.

Serves: 4
Prep: 13 min
Cook: 32 min
Total: 45 min
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 carrots, sliced   HINT (use 2 1/2c baby carrots to save time.
• 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1" chunks
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 12 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 7 to 9 ounces baby spinach
• OPTIONAL  stir in some red or green hot sauce for spice.

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic, curry powder, and ginger. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Stir in the carrots, sweet potatoes, and 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots and sweet potatoes are tender.
3. Transfer to a food processor, working in batches if necessary. Puree the hot mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan and add the spinach and the remaining 1 cup of broth. Bring to a simmer.
4. Remove from the heat. Divide among 4 bowls and top with the chicken. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste.
Nutritional Facts per serving
Calories     367.6 cal
Fat     11 g
Saturated fat     2.3 g
Cholesterol     67.6 mg
Sodium     334.9 mg
Carbohydrates     37.7 g
Total sugars     11.4 g
Dietary fiber     8.7 g
Protein     30.5 g
Courtesy of the Rodale Recipe Finder.

A New Energy Source

It is cold here in New Jersey. Today, the snow is falling mixed with icy rain. The temperature is in the low 30’s and it is nasty out there. Yet I have found a secret weapon to give me the energy that I need to get through the day. Help me pass this info on..

While I love coffee, I usually like it with condensed milk and then drink a lot of it. That’s good but it adds extra calories. I was looking for a healthy alternative and something I would feel good about drinking. Coffee, black tea and even green tea sometimes have a bitterness that I do not like. I wanted something yummy for my mid morning break. I did not want a commercially made energy drink. I wanted something natural.

What I found was better than I thought. I found something that has the caffeine that I need, antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids that are beneficial for a healthy lifestyle. Best of all, these all came in the form of a magical good tasting tea – no chemicals or ingredients that are harmful. As a side benefit this plant is grown in the South American Rainforest in the shade so it supports rainforest conservation! Wow good for me gives me energy and good for the earth.

So what is it you may ask? It’s a tea made from a type of holly called GUAYUSA (why-you-sa) which is grown in the Amazone. The focused energy it provides is called “mental strength and courage by the native Kichwa people. It is sold by a new company called Runa LLC which means “fully living human beaing”. The company commitment is to live responsibly collaboratively and intelligently as a global community.

I met one of the company representatives at Whole Foods and had to try the drink. She was kind enough to give me some samples which I quickly gave to teachers and friends in law enforcement. They all liked the flavor and said that they did have more energy. As I type this I am drinking my traditional blend from my new box. You can get this tea at Whole Foods and on line at Amazone (see link)You can contact the company directly at :

Email : info@runa.org

Phone: 1-800-485-3803

Website: Runa LLC

 






No, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I just love their product and that’s just what I need on a cold winters day in New Jersey.



A New Year

2011 is finally here and what a year it has been. Only a few days into it and we have a new start on everything. This year I am opening my box of cleaning supplies. They are all natural and as healthy as they can be made. With an injured little boy in the house it is necessary to keep it as clean and as germ free as possible.


The nice thing is that they are all delivered to my home. I just open it up and start to clean. Since this is a complete job and I am looking after the little guy, I pick one room. Wash the windows, dust and clean out the fallen leaves etc. If a plant needs to be replanted, I do that now. Toss the ones that are not healthy. I use natural wood cleaner and clean and dust all the wooden items. Anything that can go in the cloths washer like a throw is tossed in. The final step is to vacuum. The room smells good now.

Now I will move into the next room. Packing Christmas decorations as I go. I look for frayed wires. If it can be fixed I put it in the to do pile, if not it goes out after I remove the light bulbs. If the decorations are broken or look like they have better days I toss them. If I think someone else could use it because I am tired of it then off it goes to the donation pile. If you do not do this as you go, then next year you don’t have what you need. A bit of time now saves anguish latter. Enjoy and back to my cleaning.

Pine cone feeders

We are in October already. The air is crisp and clean. The leaves are starting to turn. What is there to do? Well I start making my pine cone feeders.

What you will need:

Pinecones,

Either: lard, suet, peanut butter

oatmeal, cornmeal

string

(Optional) High energy feed: dried fruit cut up in tiny pieces, chopped nuts, sunflower or milet



What to Do

First place string around pine cone, leave enough to hang on a tree.
Mix fat (not the Peanut butter) with equal parts oatmeal or cornmeal.
Spread this mixture on the pinecones. If using peanut butter spread without adding anything at this point.
Pour seed on a plate or cookie sheet with edges. You can add the High energy food if you like.
Roll the pinecones in the seed mixture until covered.
Hang the cones outside and enjoy the feast.

What are some of your projects?

9/11

It happened 9 years ago. Like today there was not a cloud in the sky. Life was good. Expecting our first child and buying a new house. My husband drove into the city and I went to the law office in Princeton. We were having coffee and settling down for the day when someone screamed. We ran to the conference room where the TV was on. Normally a busy office the phones stopped ringing. We just stayed around the TV and watched. I could not reach my husband but since he was in law enforcement, I knew he would be in harm’s way.


He called to let me know he was on the road and saw the second plane hit the towers. The turnpike was at a stop but he was going in. He later told me that the tunnels to NYC were closed but he put on his lights and sirens and was waved through. It was eerie being the only car in the tunnel, he said.

I did not hear from him until late that night. I was a New Yorker living in New Jersey. Did not have any good friends near and my close friends were unreachable in NYC. I had no way to get in and only wanted to go in and help - man phones at the Police station, help at a hospital but I could not. My parents were in NYC, they owned a house near the Police Department and like many opened their doors to the First responders that could not go home. A place to crash, a bath, and some food.

We could not believe that this was planned. It had to be a horrific accident. But after the second plane hit we knew we were under attack. I was afraid for us, I was afraid for my unborn child. I was afraid for those who would not see their loved ones come through the door. I saw a country shaken but pull together. The sleeping dog was up and growling. Lady Liberty was crying with her fist in the air. I saw people going to give blood that would not have done it at any other time. I saw strangers hugging and candles lit at night. I saw a unity that was not there before. It did not matter what you were a maid or CEO, who cared about the color of your skin, what language you spoke, what you looked liked we were all the same—Americans. We were united.

After all planes were grounded, I was proud when I saw a Military plane overhead. People around me would stop and look up and wave. We knew they could not see us but we were proud of them.

I learned that two childhood friends were each in one tower. One called the other and true to form said he would race him down to safety. That was the only reason the second left his office. The second waited for his friend outside and only saw the tower fall. Our friend was still inside.

We saw real heroes die and folks saved by a late train. We heard of lost dogs that got lost to comfort lost children. We saw unlikely friendships made. And the search for victims all in vain. We saw cars at the station never to have their owners come back. We saw searches for loved ones never to be seen again. We saw fathers come home covered in ash.

Yet, nine years later, a little voice asks why do you cry today Mommy. What is today? She says her prayers for the fallen. She cannot understand how we all came together since she has never seen that. I cannot explain how the world was so different. How we played outside alone; how we lost the innocence. She never knew the innocent time.

All gave some and some gave it all. Let us Never Forget. Teach your children what this day means.
R.I.P all those who died that fatefull day.  "Let's Roll" to a better world where innocence is not far gone and say "GOD BLESS THE USA".

Ketchup Recipe

My daughter LOVES ketchup.   I do not like all the stuff they put in to the store stuff. The organic one is expensive and is hard to get in my area. So what is a mother to do? Can’t find it – then make it. Here is a recipe I found that works.

My little girl likes it plain but you can add spice to it and change it up a notch. The water is what makes it thin or thick so adjust that to your tast.

Ketchup

3 6 oz cans tomato paste organic is the best

1/4 c honey local if you have it since it helps with allergies

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

pinch of cayenne

pinch all spice

pinch garlic powder

3/4 c cider vinegar organic if you can

Water as needed to reach the right consistency.

Mix together and simmer while stirring, for five minutes. Remove from heat. Cool. Adjust seasonings. Flavor will improve on standing .

For those that have to have it now. You can skip the simmering but this helps blend the flavors. Try adding different spices like chipotle to the mix.

Bon appetite.

Toronto

We took a trip to Toronto, Canada as a family. Wow what a beautiful city. It was clean and the people were very friendly. Two things caught my eye. First on the main strip, the restaurants have big windows facing the street. In two of the restaurants, right by the big windows, I saw not one but two MOMs breastfeeding. It was a beautiful sight. Yes they were not exposed but they were not shoved in the back or told to hide. It was accepted as normal. Yet here in the USA we still see lawsuits about MOMs not being allowed to breast feed or asked to move out of sight.

I then noticed a lot of wheelchairs. The city accommodates them and they are seen everywhere. It was with great ease that they moved around and the transportation system easily accommodated them. I always remember a trip to NYC where I saw a wheelchair bound person struggling with the buses. Here everyone seemed to be more mobile. It was nice to see.

And finally the last thing that impressed me was the way recycling was a part of everyday life. From the time we crossed the border there were blue bins for paper and cans and glass. Even the hotel rooms had these bins. Some places even had organic matter receptacles headed for a compost heap. I wish we did that more. They made it easy to recycle so more people did it.

Well those are my thoughts for today. How can we make the world better? One step at a time. Do one nice thing for another today.