InPSYCHfully Nourished

Hello fabulous Fashionable Food readers! We are so excited to have the opportunity to introduce ourselves to all of you..especially on one of our favorite blogs!

We are Mel & Ali, bloggers in chief at inPSYCHful Living {www.inPSYCHfulLiving.com}. With backgrounds in psychology and interests in all things adventurous and fashionable, our blog emphasizes the importance of mindful beauty, style and living. Our shared passion for writing, positive psychology and overall mental/physical well-being sparked us to share our ideas for living a simpler, happier, healthier lifestyle on our very own blog. That said, we were thrilled to team up with Keri, fellow blogger and nutrition aficionado! Her recipes are a constant motivator for us to get creative in the kitchen. Keri and Alison attended high school together and couldn’t be more excited to learn they they share common interests not only in food, but for sharing their experiences through blogging!

Over at InPSYCHful living, we are full Spring ahead, which means we are focused on helping our readers put their best foot forward into the new season with a fresh take on food, fashion, and overall well-being! As psychologists, we love to share how the balance of all of these factors work collaboratively to create a happier, healthier you! On that note, we are pleased to be sharing a tasty Spring recipe along with a few of our go-to tips for nourishing our minds and bodies.

As soon as the weather changes, our taste buds change too! In the winter we gravitate toward hearty, one-pot meals, but as soon as we switch into spring mode, we long for crisper, lighter meals. Today we are sharing the recipe for a wonderful chicken pot pie soup. It has an absolutely beautiful presentation and is packed full of nutritious vegetables, making it the perfect dish to share with family and friends!  The nostalgic aromas that fill up the house when making this soup take us back to our childhood kitchen, where our mother’s would whip up indulgent chicken pot pies from scratch. We wanted to recreate something that satisfied those same cravings for a delicious, home-cooked meal without cheating on our clean, healthy-eating lifestyle.

Here’s what you’ll need:

**(Printable Recipe will be at the end of the post!)

• 3 – 4 pre-cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (I picked up a pre-roasted chicken at the grocery store to make it easier on myself)
• 3 stalks of celery (diced)
• ½ of a large onion (diced)
• 2 cups frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, green beans, corn)
• ½ of a medium butternut squash (cubed)
• 1 can of coconut milk (I used lite coconut milk, but feel free to use the full fat for an extra creamy soup)
• 2.5 cups chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (for sauteing)

Getting Started:

Start by sautéing the diced celery and onion in a large soup pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the celery and onions start to soften, add the butternut squash. Sauté for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic, thyme, oregano, and salt/pepper to taste. Stir the spices into the veggies until the spices become fragrant.

Next, add the chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn down the heat for a gentle simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until butternut squash is tender. Be careful with the squash, if it is overcooked it will start to break down. Last, I added the pre-cooked diced chicken and allowed the soup to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Ladle into your favorite bowl, sprinkle with some fresh flat leaf parsley and enjoy! You’re bound to love this soup. It’s colorful, satisfying, and has a touch of richness from the coconut milk! Consider serving the soup with your favorite biscuits for an extra treat!

Now that we’ve raved about some nutritious food, lets talk about other ways to stay on the right track throughout the day and be well on your way to a healthy lifestyle!

Fit Bits and Tips:

1. Meditate: Set some time aside daily for a bit of meditation. Sound intimidating? If you’ve never meditated before but are interested in trying it, start by turning on some relaxing music and just focusing on your breathing. I like to listen to the Calm Meditation station on Pandora radio at times when meditation in the morning. Worried about fitting this into your schedule? Studies show meditating for even just 1-2 minutes can have positive impacts on your overall well-being. Start small and aim for 5 minutes in the morning. Use this time to set your intention for a positive day and/or visualize any goals you’re working to attain. Whether you’re working towards a goal or striving for relaxation, meditation is a great way to begin your day with a calm body and clear head!

2. Get Steppin: We all know it’s better for our bodies to maintain active vs. stagnant lifestyles. Sometimes we don’t realize how stationary we are throughout the day unless we actually see the facts. The inPSYCHful gals have recently become equipped with FitBit’s and we’ve been increasing our daily steps ever since! It was interesting to collect some baseline data in order to determine how many steps we walked in a typical day. We’ve both turned up the step-heat since then and have been feeling quite invigorated! Who thought simply increasing your daily steps could feel so rewarding..not to mention the toning effects it has on your legs (bonus)!

3. Keep a Fitness Log: Jot down fitness ambitions and triumphs daily. This will serve as a quick reference guide in tracking the progress you’ve made toward your fitness goals.

4. Workout First Thing in the Morning: We are big proponents of getting the meat of your workout over with at the start of the day. Not only does this leave you with less time to talk yourself out of exercising, but starting your day off on a health-conscious note assists you with keeping your ‘healthy head’ in the game for the remainder of the day. Not to mention the major jump start you’ll feel when you hit the ground running and get the blood pumping early on – that’s your metabolism getting a boost!

5. Find a Fit-Buddy: If you can find someone to bounce new workout ideas off of and a gym partner, you’ve covered half the battle! There are strength in numbers after all, and when it comes to sticking to your health routine it’s no different. Buddy up with a friend who is sure to give you a positive boost and has similar fitness goals. If you partner with a pal who hates working out and is hung up on junk food, it’s likely to put a cramp in your wellness repertoire.

6. Set Realistic Goals: Forget the fad/extreme diets that claim you can lose 5, 10, 15 pounds in a week. Anything that claims to produce such drastic results in a short amount of time is likely to be highly unhealthy and short lived. Set attainable goals that set yourself up for success and put you on the path to a healthy lifestyle, not a week of starvation/exhaustion.

7. Stretch: Remember to take time to stretch your body before and, especially, after all it’s hard work. Along with the benefits to your muscles and joints, stretching can also be quite relaxing. Not sure where to begin and feeling adventurous? Take a beginners yoga class to learn some basic stretch poses. A great activity to try with your fit-buddy!

8. Be Good to Yourself: Along with maintaining our healthy habits, most of us are also juggling jobs, relationships, families, and life’s unexpected surprises/hurdles. Through all of the turmoil, stress and responsibilities, you’re bound to have some slip-ups and drop the ball. In addition to making an effort to cut yourself some slack, nurture yourself by reminding yourself of your accomplishments and positive attributes. It isn’t until we feel happy within that we can shine our positivity outward toward others – so, just be good to yourself! 😉

9. Acknowledge Your Progress: Take the time to celebrate your triumphs by doing something special for yourself! Indulge in some well-deserved ‘you time’ by taking part in an activity you thoroughly enjoy, keeping in mind that your hard work should be rewarded. It’s okay to pat ourselves on the back every now and then..in fact, it’s essential. Whether you opt for a hot bubble bath, going for a walk, or watching your favorite movie, pick something fun and maintain the awareness that your hard work deserves a decadent indulgence!  

10. Enjoy the Process/Keep it Fun: Instead of viewing your fit routine as a chore, try looking at it as a fun, wellbeing-enhancing adventure (sounds way better right?)! By simply mixing up your workout routine or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, you’ll keep your muscles and taste buds interested! We are getting excited to incorporate more outdoor sports activities into our workouts now that the warm weather is fast approaching. If you keep it interesting, you’re more likely to stick to it!

If you liked this post, consider stopping by our blog {www.inPSYCHfulliving.com} and social media sites for a daily dose of mindful Beauty, Style and Living!

inPSYCHfully Yours,

Melissa & Alison

inPSYCHful Living

“mindful Beauty, Style & Living”

@inPSYCHful_living {instagram}

@inPSYCHful {twitter}

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2015-03-22 13:33:46

This chicken pot pie soup has an absolutely beautiful presentation and is packed full of nutritious vegetables, making it the perfect dish to share with family and friends!

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Ingredients

1. 3 - 4 Pre-Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I picked up a pre-roasted chicken at the grocery store to make it easier on myself)
2. 3 Stalks of Celery, diced
3. ½ of a Large Onion, diced
4. 2 Cups Frozen Mixed Veggies, carrots, peas, green beans, corn
5. ½ of a Medium Butternut Squash, cubed
6. 1 Can of Coconut Milk (I used lite coconut milk, but feel free to use the full fat for an extra creamy soup)
7. 2½ Cups Chicken Broth
8. ½ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
9. ¼ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
10. ½ Teaspoon Garlic
11. Salt
12. Pepper
13. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, for sautéing

Instructions

1. Start by sautéing the diced celery and onion in a large soup pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the celery and onions start to soften, add the butternut squash. Sauté for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic, thyme, oregano, and salt/pepper to taste. Stir the spices into the veggies until the spices become fragrant.
2. Next, add the chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn down the heat for a gentle simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until butternut squash is tender. Be careful with the squash, if it is overcooked it will start to break down. Last, add in the pre-cooked diced chicken and allowed the soup to simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Ladle into your favorite bowl, sprinkle with some fresh flat leaf parsley and enjoy! You’re bound to love this soup. It’s colorful, satisfying, and has a touch of richness from the coconut milk! Consider serving the soup with your favorite biscuits for an extra treat!

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