Lately, I’ve been on the run a lot. Are you feeling it too? We are in the middle of summer, a very active time from a Chinese medicine perspective. When things get stressful or super busy in my life, I find it extra important to nourish my body with anti-inflammatory, healing foods that keep me grounded and stabilize my blood sugar. However, lately, I’ve found myself having little time to make a meal as I run out of the house. So here’s what I’ve been doing: I’m making a blended soup elixir, a.k.a., the Hot Summer Smoothie!
While soup or broth may not feel like the right thing for summer, I’m finding that blended broth elixirs, full of medicinal spices, have been exactly what I need as a light summer on-the-go meal that beats stress and keeps me feeling balanced.
To start, you can use either veggie broth or bone broth. I like bone broth because I’ve found that it’s helping my skin and hair stay healthy during all of the outdoor-sunshiny activities of summer.
Next I Add to 2 Cups Broth
- A healthy fat, like coconut oil, raw organic grassfed butter or ghee (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- Anti-inflammatory, stress-busting spices – 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Metabolism boosting, energizing, grounding minerals and spices: 1 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Veggie(s) of choice – today’s is broccoli (1-2 cups, chopped). Other great green veggie options are bok choy, collards, kale, green beans and I’ve even added lettuce, like Romaine.
- Fast cooking animal protein (optional) – small amount of ground beef or chicken or 2 eggs.
Instructions
Heat all of this up, then add it to your blender and blend it all up, so it’s like a hot smoothie.
Put this into a thermos or insulated Kleen Kanteen. My favorite is to fill two Kleen Kanteens, using the insulated top, then switching to the sippy top once I’m ready to start drinking it.
You can find a ton of wonderful recipes for bone broth and a healing veggie broth elixir, along with how to make healing elixirs for your digestion, weight loss, energy, better moods and more in The Bone Broth Secret: A Culinary Adventure in Health, Beauty and Longevity, the book I wrote with Louise Hay.
Find More Recipes on My Website
Now, I’m not a big fan of meals on the go. The true way to nourish your body is to sit down and focus on all of the taste sensations of your meal. Why? Because food speaks directly to your brain, not only at the level of your tongue (taste buds), but through the rest of your senses and your gut. One of the ways to feel satisfied and to regulate your appetite is to fully experience these signals to your brain. This allows the “satisfaction” hormones to let your brain know you’re done eating…and it’s one of the key steps to getting into natural slim mode!
However, sometimes, life steps in and we find ourselves making a decision between getting into our day and nourishing ourselves. If you need to have a meal on a commute or when you arrive at your destination and want something really easy, this is a great solution!
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