Recipes

Monday Motivation-Soup/Salad recipe!

Movin' it with Michelle

Gosh, is it Monday already?  Seems like the week really flew by!  Last week was a whirlwind to be honest with you.  My husband has been gone about a week and a half, and in that time I’ve gotten SOOOOOO much done.  But my busy-ness has kept me from blogging, so I thought I’d write something up quick while I’m on my break at work.

Things I learned last week:

-I really CAN do all the things.  I know I’ve said this before, but it truly is freeing to NOT rely on anyone-my husband included.  Last week I worked, took care of the kids/house, moved furniture and steam cleaned my carpets, refinished my bathroom wood work, trimmed trees, and cooked.  Talk about finishing the week feeling accomplished.  I even managed to run twice, and do my daily 21 day fitness challenge.  Today is day 9!

Phase 1 of my bathroom update!
Phase 1 of my bathroom update!
Me and the Rug Doctor, LOL!
Me and the Rug Doctor, LOL!
Veggies!!!
Veggies!!!

-If people distance themselves from you when you’ve done all you can to be a positive force in their lives-LET THEM GO.  Some people prefer to hang on to negativity because it’s easier.  Let them…it only steals YOUR joy to hang on to THEIR drama.  #rantover

It’s ok to not always be training for a specific race/distance.  Sometimes we need to step back from racing and the stress of training and just BE.  I loved sleeping until 9 a.m. this weekend, and don’t feel one ounce of guilt for not being registered for a race.  I’m sure I’ll be back at it this fall!  For now, my kids and other responsibilities come first.

This week’s recipe is Tomato/zucchini soup!

Last week I tended my neighbor’s garden while they were out of town, and my payment was all the veggies I picked. Score!!! I didn’t want to waste anything, so I shredded and froze some zucchini, as well as made this yummy soup!

Ingredients:

1 large white onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

12-15 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 large zucchini, chopped

Drizzle of EVOO

1 cup of white wine

1 pat of unsalted butter

Basil, oregano, parsley, kosher salt and black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika-about a teaspoon each/to taste.  Also, 2 bay leaves-remove after the soup is cooked.

Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Drizzle in the EVOO and sauté the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Next, add in your tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings.  Add in your wine, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Stir occasionally.  Reduce the soup to a low simmer, and let cook for an hour.  Add 1 pat of butter, and let melt.  Puree with a blender or immersion blender.  VOILA!  Simple, yet so flavorful!  For a ‘thinner’ soup, feel free to add chicken stock or water.  I prefer my soup to be a thicker consistency. 

I also served this dish with a zucchini salad. I used my noodler, and topped the zucchini with black olives, cucumbers, shallots, and cherry tomatoes!  I used a great store bought balsamic dressing to dress the salad and it was DELISH!

I roasted pork belly to use as my protein, and let me tell you what…it was amazing.  I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning and seared it on all sides rendering off the fat.  I transferred the pork belly on to a baking sheet and roasted at 275 degrees for 2 hours.  AMAZING.

Dinner is served
Dinner is served
Zucchini noodle salad
Zucchini noodle salad
Don't forget to let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing!
Don’t forget to let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing!

Have you done any DIY projects? This was my first major one, so I was super proud of myself, hehe!  Do you own a ‘noodler’?  What’s your favorite soup?

Have a great week everyone!!!

❤ Michelle

Published by Movin' it with Michelle

My name is Michelle and I am a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. I have found a passion for running, cooking, writing, photography and all things that move my love for life! I've ran 3 full marathons, with a PR of 4:25, and 17 half marathons with a PR of 2:00:11 (yup-missed sub 2 by 11 seconds, lol). Thanks for joining me on my journey!

44 thoughts on “Monday Motivation-Soup/Salad recipe!”

  1. Love your comment about people who distance themselves. I can totally relate and as sad as it was, the best thing I could’ve done was stop trying to force something that was no longer there. Best soup = carrot ginger. It’s my absolute fave 🙂 Hope you have a fabulous Monday!

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  2. Love the comment about relaxing and taking a break from training. I have 1 more race this year in October, and I can’t wait to take a run-cation… I want my weekends back! Also, your soup looks totally delish. YUM!

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  5. I think it’s good to take time off and not train for a particular event. In fact if you never did another event what would it matter really? All that’s important is keeping fit and healthy and if racing helps with that good – but it’s certainly not a prerequisite.

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  7. It’s absolutely amazing what we accomplish when our hubbies are out of town! Good for you Michelle – you got loads done!! 🙂 The soup sounds delicious…my favorite soups are Butternut Squash and one called Sancocho..Next project – redecorating our creekside cottage this Fall… 🙂 🙂

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  9. So funny that you posted about people distancing themselves. I have a friend with a really negative attitude and outlook and I’ve distanced myself from her. It’s like a whole host of problems just disappeared. I don’t think people need to be happy and cheerful 24/7, and people need to vent and rant – but every single conversation we would have was NEGATIVE. Even if I asked her about something positive (like her vacation), it was a sob story! It’s very draining. Your soup sounds FAB!!! I have tons of tomatoes and zucchini and will be making this!!

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  11. Um…okay, so what time should I come over for dinner? 😉 Your food pics look so delicious! Yum!

    And big kudos to you for having a super productive week! That’s awesome! Maybe you’ll inspire me to check some of my projects off of my to-do list.

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  14. I totally agree with you about the periods of not training. I wasn’t really training for anything from March until July and it was refreshing to just go out for runs without a specific training plan. And I felt ready to jump back in when it was time for training again instead of dreading it. That soup looks amazing! I’ve never thought to try zucchini in a tomato soup.

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  15. You are amazing with everything you do! I haven’t done much DIY stuff yet, but I’m sure that’ll change when I have my own house one day. I LOVE soup and am a huge fan of hot and sour soup, and tom kha (thai chicken coconut soup)…yummy! Though that tomato zucchini one sounds fantastic too!

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