The Big Snow

Well we finally got our big snow this winter - 14" give or take. This gave A a real chance to try it out. 

Kyle went and picked up a sled for the occasion. 

Looks like he's having fun right? Well, unfortunately not. He wasn't a big fan and almost immediately wanted to go inside because it was cold. 

Nothin' says snow day to me like some hot chocolate :)

We tried going back out the next day (clearly it wasn't going to melt overnight, and in fact it snowed another inch or so). Luckily it was much warmer. I decided against sledding though and went to snowman action instead. 

He approved :) 

Snow and Soup

They kind of go together, right? Well, today we had a "snow day." For my family in the mid-west, the pictures show all of about half an inch. Yup, that's it. We were supposed to get 4-8 inches, but well, like usual, we didn't.

Anyways, we made the most of it of course :) In typical fashion we decided to spend a lot of time making delicious food in the kitchen, starting with carrot ginger soup! It was so good. A literally had a second helping...the first second helping ever! So, I thought I'd share the recipe for this soup, and two others we've been loving this winter. I'm obsessed with my wand blender, but you can use a regular blender too (just be careful for hot liquids!). And, these are all 2 yr old approved and super healthy!

Carrot Ginger Soup

Adapted from Simply Recipes 
2 T butter
2 lbs carrots, ends chopped off and chopped in to chunks
1 onion diced
salt
5-6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 inches of ginger root, half grated, half chopped
orange peel, a few good strips
- Melt butter in soup pot, add carrots and onions and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft but not burnt.
- Add stock, salt, ginger and orange peel. Cover and cook on low for at least 20 minutes (we cooked it for like an hour, because we had time.)
- Remove orange strips and puree the soup. Enjoy!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from a recipe from my girl Alicia! 8 cups cubed butternut squash - fresh or frozen

32 oz reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
A big ol'scoop of peanut butter
1 12oz can of evaporated or coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 lb of shrimp (chopped) or tofu (cubed)

- Combine broth, butter, and salt in slow cooker. Cook for 8-10hrs on low or 4-5 hrs on high.

- Stir in milk, curry paste and peanut butter. Blend with an immersion blender. Stir in raw shrimp and cook on high for another 20 min. 

- Top with Siracha or other hot sauce if you like

Creamy Tomato Bisque Soup
From SkinnyTaste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)
Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
dash of salt and black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed

- Combine everything through the bay leaf in slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low. 
- Puree the soup. You can remove the cheese rind, if you like, but I tend to forget and leave it in (and it tastes great!)
- Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth. Pour back into the slow cooker with the pureed soup and stir, add the grated Pecorino cheese and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.