You probably think I don’t get sick
I had a head cold last week!
I rarely get sick these days but definitely know my body well enough to understand the ways it processes a cold. What helped me get better in 3 days instead of 2 weeks: this healing soup, an epsom salt bath, and not allowing myself to work (which if you work for yourself you know how hard that is).
Coming out of my head cold, I was inspired by everything I had on hand to help me feel better. You read that right; getting sick left me inspired. This directly relates to a recent client’s goal— being prepared to cook meals by understanding how to use things in their pantry.
We worked together to achieve this goal by finding helpful resources, experimenting, and getting out of the mindset of recipe-following only. If this sounds like something you’re interested in figuring out for yourself, let’s talk!
Putting this into words, I now realize that my experimentation with a plant-based diet for 18 years has truly taught me what this looks like.
So what does it look like?
Upon seeing this healing soup online during a dark moment of clogged sinuses, I couldn’t be happier that I had everything on hand to make it same day without going to the dang store. Even I despise going to the grocery store sometimes.
These are all things I (usually) have in the house that are called for in the soup recipe. Each of these items has their own unique addition to nutrition and flavor for any meal.
Coconut milk: an excellent source of healthy fat and a great way to make anything instantly creamy.
Lentils: plant-based protein power.
Onion & garlic: yes, I’m Italian, but why don’t you just always have these in your kitchen to cook with?
Turmeric powder: not just for your neighborhood hippie. Mega inflammation fighter that you can add just a little to your smoothies, coffee, tea, chili, salad dressing, morning toast…
Fresh ginger: keep it in your fridge to help it last longer since it’s not something you’ll be using on the reg. Another super inflammation fighter.
Canned tomatoes: a surprising ingredient to add to a lot of meals to increase nutrients and add a different level of flavor. Did you know that cooked tomatoes have a higher level of nutrients than raw tomatoes?
Now that I have made that soup once, I will be able to remember that this combination of ingredients is super healing for when I feel a cold coming on. Plus, I would have never thought to add canned tomatoes and turmeric to lentil soup, so that has further flexed my experimentation muscle for making *new* versions of classic dishes on my own in the kitchen.
What are more things you should keep in your pantry? Well, it’s awesome you’re interested. You should check out my digital guide to eating well because I have a whole section on that in there!
