Taco Soup A La the Entire Garden

When the internet hands you lemons, you say “Yes! Please! This mama loves her some lemons!” and thank the sweet sponsor who sent those lemons your way :)

I’m 5 runs into my 5K training. 

This is big you guys, really big. Because I hate to sweat and I hate to run, and yet, it’s always been on my Bucket List to complete a 5K. So, instead of saying “someday, someday” I decided to say “today … TODAY” and off I walked/jogged.

It’s going well. Mostly, I just feel stinkin’ proud of myself that I’m sticking with it. Race day is August 23rd and my only goal is to finish. Ok, ok if I’m being honest I’m thinking that 40 minutes might be a decent time goal. I’m both training and will be racing with the double BOB filled with 70+ pounds of littles so I know I won’t go mega fast and honestly I don’t even know what the course is like. Can you tell that I jumped in kind of blind? My training only has me jogging 90 seconds, then walking 90 seconds for 30ish minutes this week so yeah, I’ve got a looooonnnnnng way to go in the training department. But, I have cute shoes and I just bought a running skirt from the Nike Outlet so there is a lot of motivation in my corner of the world.

And also, I don’t say sweat anymore. I’m strictly calling it “glisten” – because I can totally get on board with glistening 4 times/week.

So, as I sit here typing with jogging in one hand and a bag of chocolate covered potato chips in the other, I sense a wee bit of unbalance. Thus, I’m breaking out all my healthy-er-ish recipes and skipping my daily dozen of cookies. I kid, I kid I don’t eat a dozen cookies EVERYDAY – only some days :)

Now, back to my lunch – which was definitely NOT 100% sugar. You see, I’m mightily impressed with this taco soup recipe I’m about to share because it’s practically ALL veggies and has such a bold, rich and delicious flavor. I have so much restored faith in vegetables after 4 meals of this soup. Especially lemons – boy, do those amp up the fresh zing that make me want to lace up my tennies and glisten around the block!

TACO SOUP

Ingredients

• 2 campari tomatoes
• 3 carrots
• 1 garlic clove
• Big handful of spinach
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon base (I buy mine at Costco) – you could use vegetable bouillon too, I just didn’t have any on hand
• 1/2 teaspoon Southwest spice blend – I use this one
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed
• 2 cups of hot water
• Big handful tortilla chips
• Optional toppings: cheese and sour cream

Directions

• In your blender add everything but the tortilla chips and optional toppings. Blend until you’ve got a smooth puree.
• Toss in chips and pulse once or twice.
• Pour soup into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream if you wish!

Modifications

• This recipe normally calls for a full teaspoon of seasoning, but I cut it in half and added 1/2 a lemon and ended up with less sodium and more flavor – loved the fresh splash the lemon gave to this soup!
• Have some celery? Mushrooms? Zucchini? Feel free puree those veggies in too!
• Pulse in black beans, shredded chicken and/or corn for a more robust soup. You can read that as … your husband MAY consider it a true meal and not just a girly side dish :)

Fresh squeezed lemons are often overlooked for their flavor enhancing capabilities, but let me tell you – these babies are a must have in your kitchen. Plus, Sunkist conducted some valuable research on the benefits of cutting back on salt and adding in lemon – a great tactic in creating a more balanced meal since the majority of Americans consume too much sodium.

Oh, and after you squeeze that lemon into the blender – toss the rind down the garbage disposal for a deep clean and fresh kitchen scent! No reason to waste!

Ready to take the Sunkist S’Alternative? Take a peek here, pin some AMAZING recipes and learn a bit about the loveliness of lemons while we all take a moment to #tablethesalt!