Skip to main content

Shock Cardio and Soup Sunday

Well thankfully today I managed to wake up on the right side of the bed. The sun was even out and shining for a change. Though, sadly, it has clouded back up again. I was feeling really lazy about a cardio workout I must admit. My legs aren't totally sore from weights yesterday, but there is just that hint of tiredness going on. I managed to do 2 Shock Cardio HiiT workouts though. I started with 40/20 and then kept on going with 30/30. Good times. I then opted for a pilates-based abs workout from STS Abs Circuit. I don't do that one often because it's 20 minutes. But it was very calming and relaxing. I'm glad I chose that one today.

I had some errands to run, so I did that while Jason got out on his bike for a ride. You have to take advantage of even the remote ray of sunshine when you can. After, we decided to be bad and have a late, unhealthy lunch at a local pizza joint called Vino's. It's an interesting spot to say the least. You'll see men in business suits, then people covered in tattoos and more piercing than you care to count. Very eclectic dive. It's a fun place to sit back, indulge in pizza and beer, and people watch. Oh, and they have their own microbrewery on site.

So, after stuffing our faces with pizza, we felt like dinner should be on the lighter side. You know, balance it all out right?? I decided to try a Hot and Sour Coconut Soup from The Urban Vegan. The temps dropped here throughout the day, and a soup sounded pretty tasty by the time dinner rolled around.

Hot and Sour Coconut Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk organic celery, sliced (did not use)
1 carrot cubed (I used 2)
1 1-inch piece ginger, grated
1 tbsp canola oil (I used less)
1/2 - 1 heaping tbsp hot-and-sour paste, to taste (vegan tom yum)
1 15 oz can mock curry abalone or 1 cup seitan or firm tofu cubed (I used Quorn Chik'n Tenders)
2 tbsp agave nectar
6 dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk
2 cans water (use coconut milk can)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 lb rice noodles, broken
Fresh Thai basil, scallions, or cilantro for garnish (I used cilantro)\


Directions:
Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and ginger in oil on medium heat until soft. Add hot-and-sour paste and saute a few minutes until combined. Add protein, agave, and mushrooms, saute for a few more minutes, then toss in the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil and add the lime juice.

Add noodles. Stir well and turn heat down to low. Cook on low until noodles are soft, about 15 minutes. Careful to not overcook.

Garnish with Thai basil, chopped scallions, or cilantro.




This soup was so fresh and refreshing. It felt like a major indulgence. This is most definitely a keeper recipe.

Comments

  1. Hot and sour paste, eh? Where did you find that? This sounds souuuper tasty. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmmm...that soup looks absolutely delicious, Heather!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Isn't it crazy how much the sun can affect our mood in the morning? It's so much easier to get up and greet the day when it's nice outside! That coconut soup looks so delicious! I'm loving the vegan- friendly recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow. Your soup combines so many things I love. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. oooo I love coconut milk in soups! This looks very tasty.

    I love easy soups that you can make from scratch the same day you want to eat them! Some soups and stews take a mighty long time....

    XXOO

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sarah @ The Ordinary Vegetarian Just read the label on the Tom Yum. Some are made with dried shrimp and/or added MSG.

    Hey Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg the soup was soooo good. It was really refreshing, but the coconut milk made it a little creamy. I felt like it was a major indulgence even though it wasn't. Or maybe it was - I did have 2 bowls!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jenna @ Health and Happiness it really is amazing how much the weather affects us. This time of year can be so hard when it gets dreary and cold. Soup is such a great comfort food though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kris | iheartwellness This soup was so good. I too love fast soups. I liked being able to substitute my choice of protein as well. The lime juice really brightens the whole dish.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for stopping by Jasmine @ Eat Move Write ! Your 5-Alarm Curry sounds pretty good too!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Soup looks great; I love coconut soup! And nothing beats a good (bad) pizza lunch :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for stopping by Matt (No Meat Athlete) ! I'm not a coconut fan even, but love the use of it in soups (I do use the lite version of course). BTW - your sorbet looks fantastic.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Workout Wednesday - Body Blaster Tabata

Happy Hump Day! I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on yesterday's post: Be Kinder to Your Body. Calories are Not the Enemy . It sounds like it resonated with many of you. Today I wanted to share a new workout with you. I've been working on interval workouts for some of my clients. I try to give them the most bang for their buck (time). I know that in an ideal world, we would all have time to do longer workouts. There would never be scheduling conflicts, sick husbands or kids, or sick us. In reality, workouts need to be effective and efficient. And they don't have to be lengthy to be effective and efficient either. There's no need to spend hours in a gym to get in a good workout. Interval workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or tabata, or even interval running are great ways to get in a fantastic workout in a short amount of time and have many benefits. You can read more about Tabata workouts  here . The benefits of this type of work

Piriformis Update & Grilled Veggie Salad

New Piriformis Exercises Today wasn't too terrible for a Monday. Of course, I did leave a little early. That always helps huh ;-) I had another round of physical therapy today. My PT has been really researching piriformis syndrome and found an interesting article that discusses the use of McKenzie Exercises - typically used for back pain. I have started adding in low back extensions (one of the exercises) but now have a whole new list of exercises to add into my workout rotations. But, if it helps, I'll do it. I also asked her about dry needling (thanks Sarena ), which is sort of similar to acupuncture, but is more about trigger point and intramuscular stimulation. And I'm glad I asked because the timing is uncanny. One of the doctor's in the clinic happens to be going to get certified this weekend. They both believe that I am a prime candidate for the procedure. So we'll see how that goes. Kind of scared because I hate hate hate needles. Have any of you tr