Leek and Potato Soup

Soups are my favorite thing to make. They are virtually impossible to screw up, are usually very healthy, easy to make, cheap, and are great to take for lunch.

One of my favorites is Leek and Potato soup, It is healthy because leeks contain much vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron and Folate and the potatoes also contain much Vitamin C, B6, Iron, and Potassium. In addition, this soup has a creamy consistency, but has no cream in it.

This is how I make it:

1 Yellow Onion, minced
1-2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1-2 bunches of Leeks, white parts only, chopped
2-4 Potatoes (depending on size and type, I usually use 4 red potatoes), cubed
5 cups of Vegetable Stock or until all veggies are covered in the pot, you can also use Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base and Water (this is my method of choice, its cheaper).

First, saute the onions and leeks in about a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once they are mostly cooked, add the minced Garlic, and cook for another minute.

Next add the potatoes, and the stock or base and water until the veggies are just covered in liquid. Let boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Next, blend the mixture with either an immersion blender or regular blender, be careful with the hot liquid. The soup should have a creamy consistency then.

Note: you may add whatever other spices you want to this, dried or fresh thyme is good, sometimes I add cheese into it, and sometimes just a little bit of salt and pepper.

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse/Detox: Day 3

YAY!!! This is my last day of this cleanse! I am ready for some bread or pasta tomorrow!

There is nothing new today.

While the smoothies/shakes are good, I am kinda getting tired of them. They seemed more filling today so I only had half a package during each meal. After this cleanse was over, I have 2 packages left.

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse: Day 2

I forgot to pack my lunch smoothing mix to bring to work today, hopefully the day will be ok without it. I did pack plenty of fresh raw veggies and fruit, so I think I will be good.

9:30 am: Luckily my morning smoothie made more than normal, so I think I can get by with drinking half of it, and it is delicious!

11:00 am: So far today, I have some cravings, but they are definitely not as intense as yesterday. I had some celery and carrots as a snack, they are quite flavorful and are filling.

1:00 pm: Was doing so well until now, we have a warm food lunch n' learn in the office and the food smells so good. I haven't given in yet, but the cravings are back.

4:00 pm: Made it through the afternoon while only having one spoonfull of rice, not bad

7:00 pm: Just finished a run and I feel great. For dinner I am having a shake mixed with a little bit of plain Greek Yogurt and a banana. Yum

8:00 pm: I had two mushrooms that Tim didn't eat out of his Chicken Pot Pie. I think this cleanse/detox is working because those mushrooms tasted too salty, I had to drink a whole glass of water afterwards, just to get the overly salty taste out of my mouth.

So far so good!

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse: Day 1

After eating non-stop all weekend, this cleanse couldn't come at a more perfect time. My motivation for trying the cleanse is because after I studied abroad in France, I did not crave or want any processed foods for about 6 months. I wanted to get back to that point where I didn't find the processed foods appealing so I decided to do a detox/cleanse.

I found the cleanse through a health newsletter I subscribe to. Unlike some cleanses you actually can eat food, only raw fruits and veggies that is. It seemed to be the most reasonable cleanse and it is all natural. This is the website for more information: http://www.kaengraeng.com/. I tried the three day beginners cleanse, I think the 6-day cleanse is a little excessive for me just starting out, maybe next time.

I was a little nervous getting everything together this morning, what if I am starving, what if I have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes.

9:30 am: This morning I did the daybreak package of mix that came from Kaeng Raeng and I put that into a blender with a container of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 medium-sized banana, a few strawberries, and about 1/2 a cup of soy milk (I eyeballed it). It actually does taste pretty good and is surprisingly very filling. Ok I think we can make it three days

11:45 am: I am seriously craving salt and carbs. I could really go for either cheese and crackers or chicken noodle soup right now. I guess the whole point of this cleanse is to ease the addiction of salt. Hopefully I last through the whole 3 days without breaking!

12:00 pm: I tried to cure the salt craving with fresh slices of red bell pepper, it seemed ok, at least enough to hold me over. It helps I am at work and can only eat what I brought to work for lunch. I also had my afternoon shake mix, this time I mixed it with milk. It tasted good, but is a bit grainy, I felt like I was drinking a cup of blackberry seeds.

2:00 pm: I decided to go for the salad I brought. I made the salad with baby fresh spinach, shredded carrots, sliced strawberries, and avocado slices. The dressing was just an orange I cut up and squeezed the juice for dressing. It was actually a quite refreshing salad and I think the a avocados and strawberries really went well together, I will have to make it again.

4:00 pm: I am craving sandwich, I don't know if I can make it three days without carbs. Instead of a sandwich, I am going to have blueberry green tea, it sounds weird but is delicious, and hopefully it will take my mind off of the carbs.

7:00 pm: Ate my salad and cheated by putting a dab of low-sodium soy sauce on it. Soy sauce on salad might sound weird, but after my cravings today, it was so delicious.

8:00 pm: Drank my smoothie and it was rather delicious and very filling. Tim tempted me to eat Sour Patch Kid Jelly Beans (the best jelly beans I have ever had), and I even managed to turn him down without temptation on that offer.

I also did not have use the restroom every 5 minutes today.