2008 Goals & Spicy Lentil Carrot Soup

It’s a new year! And I celebrated by cutting all my hair off. I have a cut that would now blend me perfectly in both the 90s and a group of soccer moms and I love it. Gone are the days of brushing my hair, a laborious task as it stretched further down my back, and my family and personal obligations continue to grow.

I made the decision after spending the first 12 days of 2008 with something reminiscent of a plague running through my house. There were fevers, chills, vomiting, and diarrhea. We had a great holiday and celebrated my son’s first birthday on New Year’s Eve, and then I was puked on in the face concurrently. To make matters worse, I was way behind on my work, and was trying to do too much. The sickness stopped me right in my tracks. We spent days laid in the house, doing absolutely nothing. We were forced to stop.

I took an absurd number of naps with my babe in arms all around the house in places I had never thought to nap before. We rested. The house became filthy in a way I have not seen it since we have had a child in it. It was kind of beautiful in a sick way. Literally. Slowly, with the ever changing nursing duties split between my husband and I, we brought things back to healthy, but are still recovering.

Through all of that, I had one nagging problem…damn, it is hard to squeeze a shower in with all this sickness going on. And then, when I did, I didn’t feel like the bother of washing my hair. And then after several days of that, it got kind of tangled. That annoyed me, so I cut it off. New year, new things! I feel lighter, which I need to float through the challenges before me.

I started winemaking school this week, which has left me extremely stressed out and busy. I am so excited about this, but will have to save that for another time, as I have too much reading and work to do write clearly about it right now. Needless to say, with three-quarters of a full load of classes added onto my schedule of FT mom and marketing manager, I am busy!

So for the new year, a couple of things I would like to do more of:

1. Crafting: I read many great crafting blogs and even got inspired to make some felt animals for my son. I really want to keep doing this more this year to explore my creative side and give an outlet for my imagination.

2. Blogging: I want to write more! I barely posted in 2007 and want to change that. I have so much to say about so many things and would love to meet likeminded people to share with. And I want to connect with family and friends far away, and let them know what is happening with me.

3. Bath Time: I want to pamper myself. I have been taking one bath a week lately and I love it. Nothing too fancy, just me and some bubbles and a good book. It is amazing how relaxed I feel after a nice hot dip.

4. Reading and Running: Balancing extracurricular activities has never been more difficult. But not balancing them has more dire repercussions - a funky attitude about everything. I need to keep my mind and body in shape to drive away negativity and depression that often wants in during idle times.

5. Meal Planning: I have finally accepted that this is the only way to efficiently cook on a regular basis. I don’t have time for daily trips to the store anymore, so I need to make my shopping count. The best way is to plan and I am starting next week.

With that in mind, below is the recipe for an amazing soup that I have made a couple of times now. The original recipe is from a great little book I thrifted from my favorite (so far) neighborhood Portland thrift store – the Value Village on SE 82nd. The book is Practical Soups from P3 Publishing. I have adjusted the recipe slightly to my taste. This soup is easy to make and relatively effortless.

Spicy Lentil and Carrot Soup

4 oz lentils
5 cups of vegetable bouillon
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
2 onions, chopped
12 oz can of chopped tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T veg oil
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1 t chili
½ t turmeric
1 t lemon juice
salt

1 ¼ skim milk
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
plain yogurt

1. Combine 4 c of the bouillon with lentils, carrots, onions, tomatoes and garlic. Bring to boil, simmer for 30 minutes or more until everything is soft.

2. Heat oil in separate small pan. Add all dry spices and cook carefully for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and salt to taste.

3. Puree soup in blender (I use a food mill) and return to pan. Add spice mixture. Add remaining 1 c bouillon and let simmer 10 more minutes.

4. Add milk and cilantro and heat gently a few more minutes.

5. Serve. Add plain yogurt dollop to each bowl for individual added goodness.