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Six years ago, I decided to take a radical step.
If you’re familiar with our family’s story, then you know it all started with a light dinner conversation that turned into a dare from Dustin: “I bet you can’t shop from just the produce section of the store for a week.”. I’m not one to turn down a good challenge, so I responded, “Sure, I got this!”
The next week was difficult. Beyond difficult. But, we survived. Soon, we started buying the majority of our food from the produce section and within weeks embraced a “real” lifestyle. A radical step for two fast-food loving young adults on a very limited college budget.
At the time, the concept of “real food” was still foreign to the majority of Americans. I quickly found our newly embraced lifestyle frustrating. Sure, I highlighted every section of Micheal Pollan’s books and watched Food, INC until my DVD wouldn’t play anymore, but information on the practical everyday side of this real food life was missing. There weren’t a million blogs offering recipes and the majority of cookbooks I found called for “healthy” ingredients such as: margarine. (Just for clarification: margarine is not healthy!
A few years later, while searching the internet, I stumbled upon a blog named, 100 Days of Real Food. The name instantly intrigued me, ” A website totally devoted to our lifestyle?” I spent my afternoon reading page after page, printing recipes, and taking notes. The information I had craved on the doable side of this real food life was finally at my fingertips.
In a short time period, the 100 Days of Real Food blog has brought awareness throughout the country to a lifestyle that’s doable and healthy. This week Lisa’s first book, 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, And 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes made its way into the homes of countless families; proof that this movement of getting back to “real” is quickly becoming mainstream.
In her cookbook, Lisa offers practical tips for making the switch from a processed food diet to real food, and shares 100 recipes from simple dinners to easy lunchbox ideas. Each recipe contains real food ingredients, so there’s no need to stress over substitutions.
Today, I’m honored to share a delicious Veggie Corn Chowder from Lisa’s new book. Veggie Corn Chowder is perfect for a busy evening, requiring only 30 minutes of cook time. Each real food ingredient comes together to create a nourishing, real soup the whole family will love.
Veggie Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 TB butter
- 2 TB whole wheat flour
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 3 large celery ribs diced
- 3 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, whisk the flour into the butter until dark (do not burn), approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until soft, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the corn, salt, and cayenne (to taste), cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil. Then, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes, until the soup is thick.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. You can also transfer half the soup to a blender, allow to cool (do not place boiling liquids in a countertop blender) and puree. Returning the pureed soup to the pot.
- Serve warm or freeze for a later date.
Nutrition
With permission, recipe from 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, And 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this soup after I added some crisp bacon pieces 🙂
I’m so glad, Bethany! Bacon makes everything better.
Thank you! The recipe and the photos look amazing. I’ll be using veggie broth and adding some homemade breadsticks to make it a meal!
Yum!! You’re welcome, Nicole.