I’m not a big meat eater by any stretch of the imagination, but yours truly, the Clean Eating Coach, does enjoy free range chicken, lean turkey and fish for several meals during the week.  I buy the highest quality meat and fish I can find but try to eat it in moderation.

Lately, however, I’ve been thinking more about eating less meat and eating even more of a plant-based diet.

I’m motivated largely by prevention. I talk to my clients all the time about the power of clean eating with a focus on more fruits and vegetables, less congesting meat, dairy products and of course, less sugar and salt to stave off chronic illnesses.  And as I think about 5 people I know who are battling cancer and other health issues, I can’t help but believe that what we put into our bodies has a large impact on how we feel and how healthy we are.  Is it the only determining factor in optimal health? Of course not, but what we eat plays a key role.

Although I practice what I preach with clean eating, carefully choosing the freshest food possible, limiting sugar, eating almost no unhealthy fats, and buying locally, I still feel like I could take it up a notch. 

For me, that translates into adding in more raw vegetables, getting creative with plant based protein and drinking a lot more water — clean eating vegetarian style.

So this past weekend I announced to my husband Bruce that we wouldn’t be eating any meat…at least for a week.  Of course, he gave me that “are you serious?” look before coming to the realization that he would be going along with the program.  The real bottom line is that I do most of the cooking so he eats what I make, and this week I decided my body needs a rest.  I thought it was funny, though, when he said maybe we could try going meat-free every other week when we hadn’t even gotten started on day 1.  

What are we eating this week? Here’s what I’ve got planned:

• Sunday night and last night we had a stir fry with brown rice
• I made a pot of vegetable chili that we’ve been having for lunch along with a salad
• Tonight I’m making portabella mushroom burgers thanks to Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry
• I roasted a batch of veggies on Sunday night — beets, carrots, onions, turnips, to name a few — a simple recipe I found in the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook
• Tomorrow I’m making a raw kale salad to have along with some brown rice pasta
• And next up will be a lentil dish that has Swiss Chard that I thought sounded easy and delicious

I feel like that’s a pretty good start for my week of experimenting, trying to keep it quick and simple. Since dairy products don’t agree with me, I won’t be adding those in. And since I try to avoid bread, I won’t be loading up on a lot of that either. Which means there’s more room for fruits and veggies.

I’m curious to know the last time you took a look at your diet and made some adjustments. Are you practicing clean eating? Are you able to take it up a notch? What could you do this week to add in more clean, whole foods?

The inspiration for this recipe came from Vegetarian Times magazine. Several years ago I came across the recipe but never made it. It’s one of those that I copied, put in my recipe binder and pretty much forgot about it. Recently, I was going through my recipes in an effort to mix things up and try something different.  This one jumped out at me and I was really appreciating how simple it was to make.

I love that it’s all natural, is focused on a variety of clean eating foods and can be made in minimal time — all criteria that make this recipe a keeper.  And it’s the perfect winter soup — seasonal, hearty and satisfying.

I gave it my own spin by switching up some of the ingredients — instead of a white potato, I used a sweet potato (seasonal root vegetable full of antioxidants and fiber), instead of parsley, I used my all-time favorite veggie, kale (rich in Vitamins A, C, E, K, iron, potassium and fiber, to name a few).  And I added in a dash of rosemary which gave it a fantastic flavor. 

I thought it was so cute when my husband Bruce emailed me from work to tell me how delicious it was. You have to love getting others on the clean eating bandwagon too, without a huge amount of effort.

Check out the recipe below and let me what you think if you whip some up.

White Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet potato, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
2 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 tsp. dried rosemary
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. In food processor, mince garlic then add onion and chop; remove to plate.
2. Add carrots and chop until coarse.
3. In soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion and carrots and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add sweet potato and 5 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for approximately 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
5. Puree half the beans in the food processor, adding some of the remaining broth to thin.
6. Add the pureed beans, whole beans, kale and remaining broth to the pot along with the rosemary, salt and pepper.
7. Simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until kale is tender.