Heart Warming, Healthy Squash Soup Recipe

While we sometimes think of squash as a starchy vegetable, it is actually the starchy parts of winter squash that have the most antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties. You, your family or friends will absolutely love this! Enjoy.

Yesterday was one of those rare but perfect fall days.

Chilly in the morning, but warming up during the day under a brilliant blue sunny sky. The trees are beginning to change color and leaves are starting to crunch underfoot.

Nothing said “Autumn” more, and I was ready to pull out one of those delicious, warming, soul-satisfying soup recipes that I had set aside during the summer.

I guarantee you’ll love this one. 

Squash Soup

This simple and easy soup recipe is my own version adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil’s “The Healthy Kitchen” cookbook.

It’s warm, filling and satisfying—the perfect comfort food.

While we sometimes think of squash as a starchy vegetable, it is actually the starchy parts of winter squash that have the most antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties.

And winter squash turns out to be one of the BEST sources of vitamin A and carotenoids in your diet!

Squash actually contains 1/3 the recommended amount of vitamin C, and a hefty amount of the mineral manganese, as well as its high fiber content. Squash also contains lots of vitamins B1, B3, B6, pantothenic acid, and folate.

Squash soup is a perfectly satisfying meal for a chilly autumn day along with an avocado, orange and arugula salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

You, your family or friends will absolutely love this! Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 large winter squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), such as butternut or kabucha, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks

2 medium red onions, peeled and quartered

3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tart organic Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and quartered

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

1 tsp chili powder

Hot pepper flakes, optional

4 cups vegetable stock or organic free range chicken stock

Garnish

1 cup pecans, chopped or whole

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp turbinado or raw sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Sea salt

1/4 tsp of cayenne powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss squash, onions, garlic, and apples in a large bowl with olive oil to coat. Season well with salt, hot pepper, and chili powder. Arrange vegetables in a large roasting pan in one layer. Roast in oven, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 35-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, add butter, sugar, pecans, salt and spices. Heat and stir until sugar starts to carmelize, but be careful not to let it burn. Remove from pan and cool.

Transfer half the vegetables and 2 cups stock to a food processor or blender; puree until smooth. Repeat with remaining vegetables and broth. Return pureed mixture to pot, thinning soup with additional stock or water, if necessary. Season with salt to taste and bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Serve immediately, garnish with toasted, seasoned pecans. Serves 4.

Or if you love this recipe as much as I do, it may only serve two! 😉

 

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!


 


Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Kale, Squash and Apple Salad

Fall Kale, Squash Apple salad

Everyone knows the advantages of eating kale, but now is the time to add squash to your meals as well. There are so many different varieties available right now–and all are delicious!

This awesome vegetable is a superfood of its own right, and is very high in beta-carotene, which provides the majority of vitamin A in most diets–as long as it is eaten with some fat so it can be absorbed and utilized. (Antioxidants don’t work unless you eat this.) Squash also contains vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, which helps fight cancer, colds and flu, and heart disease–to name just a few.

Unlike summer squash, which has edible skin and can be eaten raw, winter squash usually has a tougher skin and will need to be peeled. There are many methods to cooking squash, but the best method for most squash is roasting. Carefully cut the squash in half and scoop out the fibers and seeds. At this point, you can separate the seeds from the fibers to toast them for a snack. Roast the squash cut-side down at 350 degrees F until tender–or do like I did and half or quarter and put on medium heat on grill for about a half hour or so, depending on the size of the squash pieces.

Fall Squash, Kale and Apple Superfood Salad

1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped

1/2 McIntosh, Gala, Fuji, etc apple, chopped

1/2 firm pear, chopped

1 small squash, roasted, cooled and chopped in cubes (I used a Delicata squash)

1/2 red onion chopped

1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (I roasted in pan over med heat for about 2-4 min)

Dinosaur kale, chopped and massaged (can use a rolling pin to make it more tender)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup tart dried cherries or unsweetened cranberries

1-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes to taste

Roast squash, cool, peel, and cube in small pieces. Chop kale in small pieces, and roll with rolling pin or ‘massage’ by wrapping in clean dish towel and rolling with a rolling pin or can to make it more tender. Mix the rest of ingredients in and serve. Serves about 4. Works as a great vegan meal too!

A Votre Sante!

cat

Save the Colorado picCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is an international health, wellness and longevity expert. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing, she has spent the last 30 years studying sustainable diets, health and nutrition all over the world. She also has 4 books including the worldwide best-seller,  “The Fat Burning Kitchen,” “The Top 101 Foods That Fight Aging”, and “The Superfoods Diabetes Reversal Diet”,  and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help create a healthier planet and healthier people.

                             Cat’s Global Green Kitchen

My Favorite Superfood, Kale

Kale is part of the cruciferous vegetable family with broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and collard greens. These vegetables contain powerful compounds that prevent or reverse many cancers…

Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.”

Eating healthy foods not only helps to prevent many of the most prevalent diseases of our modern world, but some superfoods are actually almost medicinal in their ability to reverse and heal many diseases, without the unpleasant and dangerous side effects of certain drugs.

Superfoods can help you easily lose weight, fight cancer, improve your digestive function, counteract osteoporosis, reverse heart disease, improve your mental outlook and help your brain function, stop the aging process, and give you boundless energy and wellbeing.

Here is one of my all time favorite superfoods:

Kale, Superfood Extraordinaire

Often used as a garnish in salad bars, this super-powered dark green leafy cruciferous vegetable contains more powerful nutrition than the whole salad bar combined!

Kale is part of the cruciferous vegetable family much like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and collard greens. These vegetables contain powerful organosulphur compounds that have been scientifically proven effective at preventing or reversing many cancers, including stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Scientific studies have shown that these compounds can actually shrink tumors or stop their growth.

Eating kale is like popping a multivitamin and mineral supplement in your mouth—except way better, since it’s a whole food!

Kale has large amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, B6, manganese, calcium, copper, and potassium!

A serving of kale provides almost 200% of the daily value of vitamin A, and 100% of your recommended amount of vitamin C.

The manganese in kale is an important trace mineral that works with fatty acids in the body to produce sex hormones, maintain the nervous system, and metabolize and utilize energy from protein and carbohydrates, making it the perfect fat-burning food.

Kale’s minerals are great for bones and far better than milk or dairy products. When combined with the vitamins A and K, it is easily utilized in the body, and works to strengthen and maintain the calcium in bones and teeth.

Kale also protects your eyes with the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. These phytochemicals work to prevent cataracts, and age-related blindness.

And kale maintains your brain health as well!

Kale and other green leafy vegetables can slow age-related mental decline in Alzheimer’s by a whopping 40%!

Kale contains a unique phytochemical called indole-3-carbinol that not only protects against estrogen-related cancers (like breast and ovarian cancer), it also counteracts unhealthy chemical forms of estrogens (xenoestrogens) in our environment that contribute to cancer, infertility, impotence, (undesirable female characteristics like ‘man boobs’), weight gain and belly fat.

Kale is a dark, blue-green leafy plant with curly-edged leaves. Select kale with smaller leaves or the more tender dinosaur kale for the best taste.

Try kale chopped up and added raw to salads or smoothies (you can’t taste it, just throw in a handful), or cooked lightly with a little water, olive oil, grass fed butter, and a squeeze of lemon and garlic.

[Just a note:  frozen kale has far less vitamin K than fresh kale does.]

Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy kale: Lightly saute`chopped kale with a little olive oil and with chopped green apples. Drizzle with some balsamic vinegar and serve with walnuts or almonds sprinkled on top.

Be sure to include this superstar on your plate on a regular basis!

Stay tuned for more superstar superfoods and recipes…

 

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!


Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Heal and Prevent Sports Injuries

Jim rugby

Injuries, both minor and major, are one of the hardest and most frustrating thing an athlete has to deal with.

Injuries usually seem like they occur  just as you are beginning to ramp up your training for big events. And now that the weather is warming up, amateur and professional athletes are starting to pick up their training for another competitive season in their favorite sport.

Injuries can often be your body’s way of telling you are pushing it too hard, too quickly, or overtraining, and not getting enough rest and recovery in between demanding workouts.

Is there any way to prevent injuries?

Of course–you probably already know some of the things you can include in your training to prevent injury, like rest days, warming up slowly, easing into your training, and stretching.

But, did you know, your diet will also make a HUGE difference in whether you get injured and how quickly you recover?

Think of it this way: your body is a machine. Just as you work out hard to become stronger, feeding and fueling your body well will help to strengthen and maintain the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone in the best and strongest condition possible.

In contrast, a diet high in refined sugars, starches, and poor quality protein will result in weaker muscles, increased inflammation and a higher likelihood of injury.

So, what’s the best diet for a serious athlete or weekend warrior?

First of all, high quality protein is absolutely essential. Good protein sources are VITAL to grow and repair muscle, strengthen bones and tendons, and allow for proper function of cells.

Most training protocols tell you to eat protein right after exercise in order to help rebuild muscles; however, the best time of all may be shortly before a workout as well. It’s been found, that to limit the loss of muscle fiber associated with overuse injuries, eating protein shortly before exercising, and then immediately afterwards is best.

An active teen or adult needs to have at least 1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight a day.

To figure this out, one pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to about .45 kilograms. So dividing your weight in half will give you a rough estimate of your weight in kilograms.

For example, an 150 lb male would weight about 70 kilograms and will need 70-100 GRAMS of protein a day, which comes out to about 30 grams per meal, or a decent sized serving of meat, chicken, fish or eggs at every meal.

The very best, most usable protein is grass fed meat, with 5 times the muscle-building Conjugated Linoleic Acid as regular grain fed meat, healthy omega 3 fats, and important muscle-building minerals–zinc and iron.

Other great sources of protein are wild caught fatty fish, free-range poultry, and organic eggs. All of these are higher in the healthy omega 3 fats, and lower in omega 6 (inflammatory) fats, as well as being free of pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.

Many athletes rely heavily on protein bars, shakes and powders, which is a big mistake.

The protein in these processed foods is very poor. This protein usually comes from heat-processed whey or soy protein isolate. Both of these protein sources are denatured, weak versions of protein and virtually unusable by the body.

Whey protein can be an excellent protein source, but it must be cool-processed (which keeps the protein intact) and should be from grass fed dairy cows as well, for the maximum amount of CLA and healthy fats.

Healthy fats are absolutely necessary.

Fats also help to lubricate the body, muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs and skin, and increase feelings of vitality and energy.

Athletes who switch to a higher fat diet see the results with more energy, less injuries and better recovery times. Be sure to include these fats:

•    Omega 3 fats–Provide plenty of fuel for energy, and anti-inflammatory properties to heal and protect the damage that hard training wreaks on the body. Omega 3 fats are found primarily in wild caught fatty fish, grass fed meat, organic eggs and grass fed butter. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds also contain healthy doses of omega 3 fats.

•    Conjugated Linoleic Acid–Helps to provide the fuel the body needs to power through a demanding practice. CLA builds muscle, burns fat, raises the metabolism, and helps prevent cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol.

•    Saturated fats and cholesterol--The good saturated fats (like the kind that come from grass fed meat, organic egg yolks, and butter) actually help to strengthen and repair muscle fibers, strengthen the immune system, aid in the proper functioning of the heart, lungs and brain, and boost metabolism. So don’t shy away from these important fats. However, you do want to avoid the grain fed versions of this fat as it is high in inflammatory omega 6 fats.

•    Monosaturated fats like coconut, nuts and olive oil are extremely effective at reducing inflammation and increasing energy, so be sure to include these healthy fats as well. Coconut oil is quickly and easily metabolized for energy as well as being an excellent healing agent, so be sure to include this in your diet.

Antioxidants are extremely important to athletes as well. Intense exercise creates tons of free radicals which can lead to damage and breakdown of tissue–including muscle–within the body.

Be sure to include LOTS of brightly colored fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to supply the body with the necessary antioxidants. The brighter and more colorful, the more antioxidants! Raw organic veggies and fruit contain the highest amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals; they also contain massive amounts of enzymes because they are raw.

Enzymes are proven healers of damaged tissue.

To prevent and heal injuries try to eat at least 50% or more of these raw.

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants and is also very important for the repair of the collagen, connective tissue, and cartilage; it is helpful add extra to your diet when injured.

Aim for five or more sources of foods that are high in vitamin C such as red peppers, papaya, cantaloupe, kale, oranges and broccoli.

And don’t forget about Vitamin A for its rebuilding properties.

Higher amounts of vitamin A also aid in repairing micro-tears that occur after a hard workout, so it is a valuable addition for any runner, cyclist or weight lifter. Best food sources of vitamin A are: grass-fed dairy products such as raw cheese, grass-fed butter, and grass-fed (commercially raised beef liver contains lots of toxins) liver; bright orange or red vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, papaya, winter squash, red peppers, apricots and spinach.

Digestive enzymes also aid in the recovery process.

Look for ones that contain plenty of bromelain and protease, and take with meals. Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapple, and is effective as an anti-inflammatory. Protease is an enzyme that digests  proteins and will travel to the injured sites to dissolve the byproducts of the injury. Other enzymes have similar healing effects.

One of the most important building and repairing nutrients for injuries is zinc.

Zinc works alongside protein and other nutrients in the body synergistically. Zinc is also an immune enhancer which is powerful in the whole healing process. To ensure you are getting enough, include grass-fed beef, liver, oysters and other shellfish, seeds, nuts, chicken and egg yolks in your diet.

So now you know what foods to be sure to include in  your diet, but there are definitely some foods that must be avoided as well.

These foods not only fatigue the body, run down the immune system, and interfere with the processing of important nutrients, but they also contribute to inflammation in the body.

A tough and demanding training plan adds enough inflammation, so why add to that burden?

Inflammatory foods include the obvious junk foods–cookies, candy, excess alcohol, processed foods, and artificial foods with chemicals and preservatives.

Sneaky food additives (even in so-called health foods)  such as transfats, omega 6 oils such as corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grains of all kinds including wheat, rice, oats, corn, and soy ( a legume) and sugars are also highly inflammatory as well.

Many athletes are switching to a gluten free training diet, even if they do not have gluten issues.

Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. It has been found that gluten is an inflammatory agent in many people (even those who seemingly do not have issues with gluten sensitivity) to some degree.

Athletes who have adopted a gluten free training diet report that they feel more energetic, less sluggish, lose a little weight, sleep better, have better digestion and generally feel better overall.

Sugar in all forms is highly inflammatory and actually stimulates an inflammatory response, so avoid it at all costs.

Pasteurized, processed dairy foods,  (as opposed to raw dairy) also tend to add to inflammation.

Dairy contains a lot of histamines, which will add to the inflammation already present in the body.

And last of all, be sure to be getting enough water.

Water helps to carry away toxins and keep your metabolism and healing processes working efficiently. There is no excuse not to stay well hydrated as the benefits are really endless.

You will feel better, have better energy and heal quicker!

Eat well, work hard and you will most definitely reap the benefits of a stronger, faster body!

 

Till next time, stay healthy, lean and active!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.


 

 

References:

Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC, CITP, The 12 Step Program to Healing Sport Injuries http://hubpages.com/profile/Shannon+Clark Horwitz,

Dr. Steven, Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Inflammation, Prevent Sports Injuries, Jan 21, 2011. http://preventsportsinjuries.blogspot.com