Recipe // Spicy Italian Sausage Soup

/

Who doesn't love crockpot meals? I know we do! With winter in Portland comes rain almost every day, so we've been indulging in one of our favorite soups quite frequently lately. But let's be real - soup is delicious anytime of year, right?

This recipe is so simple and really only requires about 20 mins of real effort and prep, then 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 

Before I dive into the details, let me say that I am definitely not claiming this to be our own recipe - just one that was shared with us and needs to be shared with you all because of how amazing it is! Unfortunately,  I'm not sure where it originated, but I do know it says the recipe was created by a Kalyn. So thank you, Kalyn! ;)

The ingredients you'll need are:

  • 2 tsp. olive oil

  • 1 pkg. (19.5 oz.) raw turkey Italian Sausage (we like hot but it's good with mild, too)

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 1 T minced garlic

  • 2 tsp. Italian Herb Blend

  • 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed well and drained

  • 2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

  • 3/4 cup water

  • 1/2 cup basil pesto

  • Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

  • Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the sausage over medium-high heat

  2. When the sausage is cooked, add the onions to one side of the pan until they start to soften

  3. Add the minced garlic and Italian herb seasoning and cook one minute more

  4. Once steps 1-3 are complete, transfer the mix into the crockpot

  5. Drain the garbanzo beans into a colander and rinse well until foam disappears

  6. Add the beans to the slow cooker with the diced tomatoes and water

  7. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low

  8. About 20 minutes until it's done, add the pesto to the crockpot (or if you're like us and a little impatient because it smells so good, add the pesto, mix it in, and serve right away)

  9. Season to taste and add Parmesan if desired

One of the best parts is how amazing the house smells while it's cooking. We like to pair the soup with fresh french bread and some delicious red wine. Let me know what you think and happy cooking!

 

Recipe // 3 Health-Filled Smoothies

/

If you follow me over on Instagram, you know one of the gifts Tim and I were most excited about this past Christmas is our Vitamix. We've been testing out various smoothie recipes, some we like, some we still need to refine ;) So today I wanted to share 3 of my favorite recipes so far. There's nothing better than a good smoothie, don't you think?

1. Leafy Greens Smoothie

This is one of my all-time favorite combos because of its simplicity and perfect balance between sweet and salty. Here's what you'll need:

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 cup kale and chard mix
  • 3-4 ice cubes

2. Berry Green Smoothie

This one might not look like much, but the combo between leafy greens and berries makes it taste absolutely amazing! Here's what you'll need:

  • 1/2 cup strawberries
  • Handful of raspberries (I didn't measure this, but 1/2 cup is probably about right)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 3-4 ice cubes

3. Mighty Mango Smoothie

This mango smoothie is amazing! It ended up with a thicker texture, so it might also be good served like an acai bowl with berries and coconut flakes on top (as I'm writing this, I'm planning my next trip to the grocery store to buy coconut flakes - yum!). Here's what you'll need:

  • 2 tablespoons Chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2-2/3 chopped mango

When I was making these yesterday, beautiful, fluffy snow was falling almost all day. It made me feel a little silly making ice-cold smoothies, but they were certainly a delicious treat, even in the below-freezing temps ;)

What are some of your favorite smoothie recipes? Share them in the comments below!

 

Peppermint Essential Oil Cookies

/

Who doesn't love chocolate peppermint anything? We can't get enough of it, especially during the holiday season! I decided I wanted to try out baking with my peppermint essential oil from doTERRA® for the first time and it turned out SO well! I highly recommend this super easy recipe - it's cute, simple, and absolutely delicious!

To make these cookies, I purchased a pre-made sugar cookie mix from Betty Crocker, followed the instructions to a tee, and then mixed in 5 drops of doTERRA's peppermint essential oil. I rolled each cookie into a one-inch circle and baked as directed. The small amount of peppermint oil added huge flavor to the cookies - Tim and I both definitely overindulged. ;) Once they came out of the oven, I let them cool a bit and then placed candy cane Hershey's Kisses in the center of each one. Warning: allow the cookies to cool completely before trying to move them or you'll have melted candy cane kisses spread across the batch.

Full disclosure: I made two batches of these because the first ones didn't turn out so well! I took the first batch out of the oven, immediately placed the candy cane Hershey's kisses in the middle of each, and then left them on top of the hot oven while we were cooking dinner. I quickly found out that's a no-no ;) The kisses melted all over the cookies and ruined what I thought was going to be quite the photogenic batch. Luckily the second batch turned out much better!

If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think! Make sure to bake extra because they'll go fast. ;)