Special Appearance #1-Olivia

My First Post!

Hey guys! As you all know I’m Lucy’s cousin Olivia and I’ll be writing about different bits and pieces now and again. So lately I’ve been training at the gym and doing Total Body Workout classes at my local sports centre and they’re amazing. I feel so much more energetic and I can really see a difference. I’ve been trying really hard to eat healthy and although it’s been difficult these past few weeks I’ve really taken to this new healthy eating lifestyle. Before you’d ALWAYS see me eating pasta, pizza and more pasta and pizza!! I was hooked on carbs and my diet ended up consisting of just carbs. And lets not forget the chocolate!!! At one point I was eating up to 6-8 bars daily. My sweet tooth just couldn’t get enough. But over the summer I decided I needed a massive change. I have always love fruit and veg , but when given a choice I always chose those tasty carbs! LOL  I stopped buying all junk food and now my house is packed full with all sorts of fruits, veg, eggs...all those healthy foods J So here’s my first post on my most favourite healthy snack!!

Ok so I’m a huge lover of soup and it is a great way to pack in all those vitamins that are needed to keep healthy. I’ve made this soup twice so far and I absolutely love it. I made a big pot of it and froze it and it’s lasted me a week and a half. It has turned out a bit thick but that’s the way I like it.

The recipe (makes a week- week and a half’s worth of soup)

Table spoon or two of olive oil

Pepper for flavouring

3 large onions

2-3  large leeks

1 whole head of garlic (yes it sounds a lot but I LOVE garlic and you can’t really taste it   anyway so add to your own liking. I sometimes crush more into it at the end!! )

10-12 carrots

1 head of broccoli (I usually put in 1 ½)

2 large fists full’s of peas

2 large fists full’s of corn

4 large potatoes

2 Chicken or Veg stock cube (I put in chicken)

2L or more of water

How to make it?

It’s simple really.....first melt the butter and add the oil to a large pot. Chop the onions, leeks, garlic and add them to the butter. Keep the heat low and put the lid on. This will steam them but mix regularly. Then peel and chop the carrots, broccoli and add them to the pot along with the corn and peas. Now put on the kettle and when it’s boiled dissolve the stock cubs in the water in a jug. You can peel and chop the potatoes and add them to the pot along with the dissolved stock cubes. This should cover all the veg. If not add water until all veg is covered. Leave to cook on a low heat at a simmer. When everything is soft leave to cool down and blend! No salt is needed as there is plenty in the stock cubes but sometimes it needs that extra bit of pepper for flavour.

Once the soup is fully cooled I usually put them in small containers for freezing, enough per portion size. I add a small bit less than I would normally eat as I like to have a slice of toast with garlic butter with it J. After defrosting it can become a bit thick so I water it down a small bit, but it’s up to you and how you like it!!

So there you go, my favourite veg soup! Hope you guys enjoy this and I will post back soon with more healthy snacks I’ve come across. Enjoy!!

Love Olivia xoxo