Bone Broth // Vietnamese Pho with Zucchini Spaghetti
Want to optimize your gut health? Bone broth is the incredibly nutritious, deeply healing liquid you get from simmering chicken or beef bones for many hours. It contains tons of amino acids (like proline, glycine and glutamine) that help repair your gut lining. Bone broth is rich in collagen which soothes the intestinal lining and helps form connective tissue to protect our bones and joints and maintain healthy skin, hair and nails. It is also full of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur – all of which are offered in forms that the body can easily absorb.
Vietnamese Pho is traditionally made with bone broth. You can make it yourself (click here), buy it from a local whole foods supplier, or like this recipe calls for, simply use a pre-made chicken, beef or vegetable stock.
Sweet Potato // Spicy Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew with Chipotles
Sweet potatoes come in a range of colors, which represent this vegetable’s varied nutrient profile. For example, a bright orange sweet potato is one of the better plant-based sources of vitamin A, while those deep purple potatoes are rich in anthocyanins, a nutrient that loves to combat free radicals, fight inflammation, and lower cholesterol in your body. All sweet potatoes contain a wealth of other nutrients (the list is literally too long to include here) and they’re one of our favorite post-workout snacks because of the way they restock glycogen stores in the body. They’re incredibly filling with a great fiber/carbohydrate mix, and are a great choice for diabetics thanks to their blood sugar-modulating properties.
This zesty soup really hits the spot when you’re craving something with pizzazz. If you can’t find cumin seeds, just use the pre-ground spice. We also added a few avocado slices on top to round off the flavor profile!
Winter Squash // Butternup Squash Soup
Winter squash are rich in anti-oxidants and fiber. Their massive dose of vitamin K is reason enough to cook with them, but they also carry a large amount of vitamin-B’s, potassium, phosphorous, copper, iron, manganese, and energy-promoting iron. And don’t throw out the seeds! Those crunchy little pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are overflowing with minerals & vitamins. Beyond being a wonderful support for your immune system, they’re a great source of zinc. Vitally important for countless functions of the body, zinc is especially great for the production of hormones, healthy skin, immune support, and fertility in both men and women.
We’ve been on the lookout for a dairy free, gluten free Butternut Squash soup recipe and this one really knocked it out of the park. We definitely recommend using slightly less garlic than this recipe calls for, but beyond that, this soup was SO DREAMY.
Sweet Potato & Squash // Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
If you have some leftover squash and sweet potato, this soup gives you the best of both worlds. We use Ellenos Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream. Loaded with all the nutrients these vegetables have to offer, this soup has been our favorite this fall. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I have always loved Vietnamese Pho. It always makes me feel better even when I am under the weather. I always save the bones and use them when cooking. You get so much flavor from them besides the fact that it is healthy for you.
We love making homemade beef broth for Pho, too! One of our go-to meals during head cold/flu season, or as gut-repairer after a stomach bug or food poisoning.