Turmeric Pumpkin Soup
I’ve spent the week focusing on anti-inflammatory foods. Specifically, I upped my fiber and vegetable amounts. In the end, it was very enlightening! I always thought I did a good job of eating my vegetables but taking a closer look, I was only eating about 4 servings per day. Most articles I read that discussed an anti-inflammatory diet recommended 8-9 servings per day. So that’s what I focused on, at least 8 servings per day and 25 grams of fiber.
My week in NYC really inflamed my chronic conditions. I came home after a week of eating everything and anything I wanted (including bagels, pizza, and cheesecake. Everything I shouldn’t have!) feeling bloated and sluggish. Then, the weekend hit and a migraine put me in bed, miserable. Sunday night, I looked up anti-inflammatory foods. What did I need to do to correct these conditions I had brought on myself? And was it going to be expensive? I’ve overspent the last three months on groceries and I was determined not to do so in February! So, I chose the two things, fiber and vegetable, to focus on. Here’s the outcome.
I spent $58.23 at Sprouts and Safeway stocking up on things like almond milk, frozen vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a little bit of meat. I already had chicken breasts, ground beef, and some sausage in the freezer. Basically, I got Teton Waters hot dogs. That’s it 🙂 I love them so much! I focused on adding vegetables into every dish I made. That included two soups, my breakfast smoothies, and a few salads I made throughout the week. In order to hit 8 servings, I needed to have two servings of vegetables per meal plus incorporate a serving into snacks as well. It took some focus but it wasn’t all that difficult. Instead of a carb, I ate mashed cauliflower a couple of nights. Or I mixed in chopped onions and carrots into my meatloaf last night. Things like that. By the end of the week, it was pretty routine!
I had also read that turmeric and ginger are incredible anti-inflammatory foods so I grabbed a big chunk of fresh ginger (I already had a bottle of turmeric at home). Both my soups I concocted had turmeric and ginger in it. I also tried out golden milk , but I wasn’t a fan. Super healthy for you though. My smoothies had ginger in them and I finished each night with a cup of ginger green tea. Ah, relaxing!
The results: I haven’t had even a hint of a headache since Sunday. I’m down 4 pounds and I feel like the bloat is gone. My skin, which tends to break out the minute I consume dairy, has cleared up and I’m sleeping all the way through the night again. I only exercised once this week too! I was totally lazy. Increasing my fiber content I think helped keep me fuller, longer which helped with the weight loss, in spite of my laziness. It’s been enlightening and really enforced the concept that sustainable weight loss is 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym.
So here’s my last anti-inflammatory focused recipe for you. Last fall, we went veggie picking up at a local farm and picked several pumpkins. After Thanksgiving, I stewed them all and froze them. The pumpkin I used in this recipe was the last of my frozen puree.
- 2 cups pumpkin, pureed
- 2 T coconut oil
- 2-3 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 14 oz can of coconut milk
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 2 T parsley, for decor
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium heat.
- Saute onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add ginger and turmeric to pan and stir to combine.
- Add pumpkin and chicken stock to pot, stir to combine. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until onion is soft.
- With a immersion blender, puree soup till smooth.
- Lastly, add coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot.