I'm back again!

Hello there!  Its been a long while and things have changed so much.  Max and I are now living in our own little apartment with our kitty, Lela.  It is a small, one bedroom apartment, that is often messier than it should be and I'm pretty happy here!  As much as I love my parents, its nice to be on our own again.

Now, reason for my absence this time: I haven't been baking much.  Shocking, I know.  The reason for my lack of baking: I have lost twenty pounds.  Part of the reason for my weight loss is cutting back on the carbs and I have gone gluten free for the most part (with some MAJOR lapses during Christmas).  I also use a website called myfitnesspal.com, which is an awesome place for losing weight (as Allison and Joann can also attest to).

I will be playing with some gluten free baking soon, but for now I've been making some delicious, healthy, real food for dinner, breakfast and lunch.  I have not gone low fat or vegetarian or anything like that.  I am eating the realest foods that I can, which I am finding much more filling than processed food.  Real fats and protein also help with satiety, making this weight loss effort much easier than previous.

I am planning on sharing more healthy foods and I will share my gluten free baking ventures when I get a chance to try them!!  Enjoy!

Carrot Soup
from: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• plain yogurt (optional)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or sweetener of your choice)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and chicken broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add cream, agave nectar, and milk as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish if you would like.

This recipe has great reviews on All recipes.  I thought it was really delicious, you can taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  I made some adjustments from the website's version and I added them above.  If you would like the original version, following the link above.