In April, I will be running in the Oklahoma City Half Marathon with my sister Jill. This will be the fourth year that we have participated. The first year we ran the race was her freshman year in High School and now she is a senior!!!!  Valedictorian too!  Now that I live over 5 hours away and do not get to visit as often I would like, running in a long race with her is good quality time together…you know running in rain and sleet, loosing toe nails…the typical sisterly bonding type of stuff.  You can see in the picture below how much she enjoys our yearly tradition of running 13.2 miles for fun! She is so lucky to have me, right? RIGHT????

April is creeping up fast and my training schedule is beginning to ramp up.  I do CrossFit at least 3 times per week, 1 small run mid-week, and 1 long run on the weekend. This means I need quick and nourishing meals throughout the week that provide nutrients to fuel and refuel my training schedule.

Long endurance training sessions (60-90+ minutes) cause inflammation and deplete our bodies of stored glycogen.  My old refueling routine was through breads, pasta, pancakes, and pizza…but NO MORE.  This will be my first endurance event to do while maintaining a strict Paleo lifestyle.  So, I am refueling with healthy fats, eating grass-fed protein, and incorporating plenty of whole foods and vegetables that contain complex carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and other winter squash.

I whipped up this Curried Chicken and Butternut Squash soup last weekend after I finished a cold 8 mile run.  It warmed my frozen fingers and buns. This soup was the perfect recovery meal full of muscle-building protein and glycogen-restoring butternut squash.  I used leftover shredded chicken from a roasted chicken that I had made earlier in the week. 

Another perk of this meal is that this soup is easy on the pocket-book and nourishes your family.  It also freezes well!  Feeding your family healthy and unprocessed meals can add up, but it is important. My money-saving tip of the week is to buy whole organic free range chickens rather than chicken parts.  This will save you at least $3 bucks PER POUND.  Roast or poach the whole chicken, then shred the chicken for using later in multiple meals.

Wait…..DON’T THROW THAT CHICKEN CARCASS AWAY! Throw it in a crockpot on low with water and some onions, carrots, celery…whatever and make homemade chicken stock overnight as described here.  I’m not afraid to admit that I have actually taken a chicken carcass home (not for voodoo) from a friend’s house to specifically make chicken stock. Should I be afraid to admit this? Maaaaybe…but, folks, I am also the gal that proudly carries around a coupon book….so I am not ashamed. I stand proud…with lots of change in my pocket! And a full belly filled with healthy restoring soup. Mmmm!

Curried Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, butter, or ghee
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder (I used madras curry powder)
• 3 cups diced butternut squash (about 1 small, or 1/2 large)
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 whole chicken breasts or 2 chicken thighs or 2 to 3 cups of leftover precooked shredded chicken
• 2 to 3 handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup diced fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. In a heavy stockpot or dutch oven, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions, stirring often, and sauté until translucent (about 5 to 10 minutes).
2. Add garlic, bell pepper, curry powder, and butternut squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often so that the mixture does not burn. Once the vegetables start to soften a bit, add the broth. Bring to a boil. Add chicken.  Lower heat and simmer covered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender when pierced with a fork. 
3. If you added whole chicken breasts or thighs, remove them from the soup and place them on a cutting board. Let them cool slightly (about 5 minutes). Shred the chicken using either your hands or two forks.  Add the shredded chicken back to the soup.
4. Add spinach and cilantro.  Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the spinach becomes wilted. Serve with additional cilantro.

I love soup. I love soup like I love sweaters…and throws…and wool socks. I mainly love soup because they require little effort and you get a huge piping hot bowl of comfort. This soup is loaded with sweet potatoes and kale, which are both great fall/winter veggies.  It should be no surprise at this point of my infatuation with kale. So I shall skip forward to my utter love for the amazing sweet potato.

I love roasting sweet potatoes, making them into sweet potato fries, throwing them into chili, or dumping them into soups and stews.  So I was über pumped when I came home from my family’s farm with a boat-load of home-grown sweet potatoes!

Sweet potatoes are planted in the summer and harvested in late October before the first frost.  The variety that my dad planted are amazingly sweet with red skin and bright orange flesh.  Sweet potatoes are naturally rich in antioxidants, and are great sources of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C.  They pack some powerful nutrients, dietary fiber, and are a great source of healthy carbs for athletes. So stock up on these in-season veggies. Store them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place (not the fridge). They should keep for at least a month or two. Yay for food hoarding!

This is one of those soups that can be adapted from whatever you have on hand.  I used italian sausage, sweet potatoes, and kale.  If you don’t have sausage, try chicken…no sweet potatoes, try butternut squash or red skinned potatoes…no kale (weirdo), try spinach.  You can even add tomatoes or mushrooms.

The sausage that I had on hand was a spicy italian sausage from my CSA.  If you do not have access to local sausage and you are purchasing sausage from the store, read the ingredients on the package.  Some types of sausage contain preservatives, nitrates, and wheat-based fillers.  So just be aware of what you are buying. If you can not find a gluten-free or organic brand of sausage where you live/shop, then substitute shredded chicken (or a can of white beans for vegetarian version).

Sausage, Kale, and Sweet Potato Soup (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage (gluten-free and nitrate free)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Heat large heavy pot or dutch oven or medium heat. Add sausage and cook until brown, breaking into pieces (about 5 to 10 minutes).  Transfer cooked sausage to a bowl lined with paper towels to drain.
2. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook in sausage drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
3. Add potatoes and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften.
4. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes (stirring occasionally), until potatoes are soft when stabbed with a fork. Using a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes in the pot. Add cooked sausage back into soup. Stir in kale (or spinach) and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes, until greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.