Make it Mondays: The Soup that Started the Blog

 Roasted sweet potatoes and acorn squash with a coconut milk base give this soup a rich & creamy flavor. This soup is colorful, comforting yet nutritious, and is an easy way for you to get in your daily amount of vegetables.
*Printer-Friendly Recipe

Soup is often treated like the ugly step sister of meals. It is often passed over when reading a menu; or on rare occasion when it is chosen, it is to be paired with a sandwich  or endless amount of salad and bread sticks. 

 And so, like you my best friend Jimmy and I, never chose soup as the highlight of any of our weekly dinners. Each Monday, during the season of the Voice, Jimmy would come over for dinner and to watch the show. Prior to this past season, Jimmy had never watched the Voice. Yet by the end of this season, I had created a monster. There in my living room, Jimmy had taken on the role of the fourth judge, making comments such as “poor song choice” or  “Wow, what a voice!”

Jimmy, like a lot of guys,  has a very specific palette. He loves buffalo chicken, pizza, and chicken Parmesan; and if something looks particularly "leafy” or extremely healthy than it is most likely won’t be consumed.

 Needless to say when I asked Jimmy each Monday if he would like to order take-out or have me cook something; before he responded, he would apprehensively ask the question; "What were you planning to make?"  When I would respond with meal ideas such as a leafy green salad and vegan lasagna, he would offer to pick up takeout on his way over. 

On one night, however, I decided  not to tell Jimmy any of my  “meal ideas.” Instead, I simply told him to come over for dinner. Jimmy had called me on his way over, declaring that he was "stahhhving" (he has a Boston accent); yet when he arrived that was no longer the case. He had taken one glance at the very colorful, orange soup, and said "I'm not very hungry". It was clear that Jimmy had begun silently brainstorming what drive-thru he would pass on his route home.

Jimmy apprehensively walked over to the dining table , where I placed  a gigantic bowl of the bright orange liquid in front of him. Rather than begin eating,  he slowly got up from the table to retrieve a small mug from the cabinet. He then sat back down and began to dish out a very small amount of the soup from the large bowl into the mug.  When I questioned his odd behavior; he once again, sweetly replied; "I'm just not that hungry."

Yet something miraculous occurred after that. Jimmy  began eating bite after bite of the soup. He would dish out more from the bowl into the  mug, until finally he had dished out its entire contents. Once he had finished, Jimmy declared; "If you can get me try Vegan food, then you can get anyone." He went on and on about how delicious and creamy the soup tasted, how healthy he felt, and even stated that he could eat it every day for lunch.  

Jimmy and I, November 2013
Kings, Dedham, MA

Over Voice commercials that night, I told about Jimmy how I had cleaned my oven that day by making a baking soda and water  paste that I then painted onto my oven with a paintbrush. It had worked really well, removing all of the grease. That's when he pointed out how all of my little tips/ tricks and recipes could be very helpful for a lot of people, such as his sister Nicole (featured in the Wordless Wednesday photo here) and had recently bought a house with her fiancé.

From that Monday night on, I have felt truly excited and passionate about Creatively Lu. Each morning when I wake up, my fingertips hit the keyboard and it’s like they have a mind of their own. The ideas simply flow.  

My biggest goal out of this whole little venture is to help you, the reader, create something extraordinary in your day. To experience moments in which you are able to create a delicious meal that someone (including yourself)  raves about. Knowing that my recipes are being made in your kitchen, DIY activities from Thrifty Thursday are being conducted in your home over the weekend, or simply that a quote of the day has been able to bring you inspiration is the best feeling in the world. 

One quote that has been a guiding force for Creatively Lu  is; "You can't use creativity. The more you use, the more you have." There is never a day for which I feel the need to” save “a recipe for a different week, or that I hesitate in sharing a "special" tip in order to ensure that I have one for next week. This is due to the fact that every recipe and tip I share with you is special because it is inspired by you all. 

I am grateful that I never have to wonder how  I will ever think-up yet another idea for a particular post thanks to the engaging, Creatively Lu community that has been created by you all. And so I write this post and share this special recipe in dedication to all of you. I'd also like to give a big shout-out to Jimmy McCarthy, my best friend of 9 years, who has put up with A LOT and has supported me every step of the way. Love you Bud! 

Below is the soup recipe, as well as your daily dose of inspiration for Monday. Create a wonderful week everyone! 

 For a heartier soup: Saute ground turkey in a skillet with a little olive oil.
Add in the turkey at Step #5

Roasted veggies are delicious on their own. So roast up a double batch and eat the rest throughout the week.
I even throw them into my omelets in the morning.

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