Book Review – Nutribullet Soup Recipe Book by Stephanie Shaw

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Nutribullet Soup Recipe Book:  Low Carb Nutribullet Soup Recipes for Weight Loss, Detox, Anti-Aging & So Much More! (Recipes for a Healthy Life) (Volume 3) by Stephanie Shaw is an unusual cookbook. It’s not only about soup, or health, or nutrition (although it is about all of those things), but it is specifically about how to create delicious, healthy soups using a Nutribullet blender.

In the first two chapters of Shaw’s unique book, she lays out her case about how nutritious soups can be used for weight loss, detoxing and anti-aging. She also gives details about the health benefits of certain ingredients she uses throughout this cookbook. In the third chapter, she gives details about how to make these soups using a Nutribullet blender. These first three chapters are well researched and documented, as well as easy to understand. In the remaining seven chapters, Shaw breaks down recipes into health-affirming categories: Healthy Heart, Detoxification, Weight Loss, Healthy Skin, Energy Boost, Anti-Aging Effects and the use of Superfoods.

What I like most about Shaw’s recipes are 1) each is only for 2 servings, which means you won’t be wasting ingredients or making large pots of soup that could potentially go bad, but you could easily double or triple the ingredients for a larger family; 2) the ingredient lists are simple, usually everyday ingredients that one would have in their home; 3) there is a nutritional breakdown for each soup (calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein); and lastly, step by step explanation for making and processing the soup.

One needs to keep in mind that since you will be using a Nutribullet blender, these will be blended soups. So nothing chunky here. This is good for two reasons, the soups can be easily drank for their health benefits, and can be used for young children and the elderly whose dental health may not be formed or up to par.

Before completing my review, I wanted to try some of the recipes. I decided to make the Carrot Squash Thyme Soup (page 16) for the Healthy Heart, the Cucumber Mint Soup (page 39) for Detoxification, the Fresh Asparagus Garden Soup (page 61) for Weight Loss, and the Minestrone Soup (page 97) for Energy Boost. All of these soups were easy to make, used easy to purchase ingredients and took little to no time to make. The results were delicious and refreshing.

I did an experiment on my own by freezing the Carrot Squash Thyme Soup and the Fresh Asparagus Garden Soup, just to see what would happen if I did make a larger batch and wanted to save the soups for a later time. I froze each soup for three days, unthawed them, and heated them up on the stovetop. While they still tasted fine, they did not have the same freshness as on the day of first making them. My suggestion is to only make what you will use that day to get the optimal freshness and health benefits of the soups.

For anyone who has or plans to buy a Nutribullet and wants great soup recipes, I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed with the quality information given here or the well-researched and presented recipes.

Note: I was given a free copy of this book by the author for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre(s): Cook book, Health & Nutrition, Nonfiction

To Purchase: Amazon

Latest Health Update

Hello dear friends and readers. I come to you all with a heavy heart and in complete frustration. I was ‘well’ for maybe three days tops. I’ve doing all of the right things – high dosages of Vitamin C, cayenne pepper, lemon tonics, ginger, garlic, echinacea, zinc, pre/probiotics, and even Beta Glucan. Pulling out all of the known stops here. Using everything that the experts say work, everything I’ve known to work in the past, and everything I’ve researched recently. And yet, I am once again sick. I am still doing all of those things and haven’t stopped doing any of them for the past 25-35 days (as I’ve added things). And I won’t stop, even though I am so frustrated and feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall.

My symptoms returned on Monday. Fevers, chills, body aches, lethargy, upset stomach (can’t keep solids down), brain fog, light and sound sensitivity, and dizziness. I don’t even know if this is still the flu or another cold that has hit me or if it is something different altogether. I am just so tired and so weak and spending about 75% of my day in bed sleeping. When I am up, all I feel like doing is lying about and reading. It even hurts my eyes and ears to watch Netflix or something else on the computer, even at low volume and a dimmed monitor. I should probably give in and just go to the doctor, but I know antibiotics won’t help whatever this is. That’s evident since I am taking so much natural antibiotics and they aren’t helping or are helping, but slowly.

I hate feeling like an invalid. I went through this for several years when I was in Oklahoma and I don’t want to feel this way anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to update you all on my health so that you know why I am not doing much these days other than book reviews. It’s about the only energy I have… to read and then write a few quick reviews. My brain isn’t functioning too creatively right now.

Keith, just wanted to let you know that I am going to try to write a part to the Zanzibar story for Sunday. It may take me until then to get it written. I know where I want it to go, just getting there may take time.

I also want to work on Andromeda Dreaming, but I am foggy on where I am going with the story and need time to sort it all out again. I know I knew where it was going at one point, but now, I am just not sure anymore.

Prayers, healing thoughts, and healing energy are all welcomed here. Much love to all of you.

Health Update – Flu Edition #3

Hello dear friends and readers. Just an update on my health. It has now been over two weeks since I caught that nasty flu bug. I am mostly better, but still not 100%. The cough has lingered and so has the fatigue. As some of you know, I have a suppressed immune system from taking chemo several years back, so any time I get sick, it takes me far longer than normal to get well again. But, not only have I been trying to take care of me, I have also been taking care of my dad. We are both on the road to recovery.

Some things I have been doing to help take care of myself:

  • lots of rest
  • using cayenne pepper and garlic in all of my soups and broths (still the only things I’ve been able to keep down)
  • taking high dosages of Vitamin C (2000 mgs twice a day)
  • drinking ginger and tulsi (holy basil) teas – (thank you to tigre23 for suggesting the ginger tea!)
  • dry brushing and hot showers

Although I’ve had the severe cough, I didn’t get the gunk in my chest like my dad did. I attribute this to the cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my dad to use these remedies. His went into pneumonia, while mine has just been irritating. My brother took my advice about cayenne pepper and hot sauce, so his never got more severe than an annoying cough too. We all plan on kicking my sister squarely in the arse on her next visit for giving us this nasty flu *laughs*

I have the desire to jump back into all of my writing projects, but since I am still so fatigued, I am going to hold off until the end of the month. Hopefully within the next 6 days, the sluggishness will have vanquished and I will be able to do more than just sleep all day. I miss all of you and look forward to engaging with you all again soon. Much love and blessings to you all!

Health Update – Flu Edition #2

Hello, dear friends and readers. Just an update on this nasty flu that caught up with me. I am still sick. It’s the upper respiratory thing with fever that is keeping me down. It has been nearly two weeks now and since I am following the path a few days behind my dad and brother, it is safe to say that it will probably be another week before I feel well enough to begin writing again. The worst part is the constant coughing. I’ve been to the doc and there is no pneumonia, which is a good thing. My dad wasn’t so lucky. He is worse off than I am with this upper respiratory issue.

This is what really bothers me with the mandatory flu vaccine for nurses. The nurse gets the vaccine and becomes a carrier of the flu. Even if the nurse doesn’t get sick, anyone she/he comes into contact with can get the flu, especially if that person didn’t get the vaccine. This is the case with my sister who is a nurse. She did get sick and brought that here to us. We don’t take the flu vaccine in this house. My parents never believed in taking any unnecessary vaccines, and it’s been proven year after year that the flu vaccine doesn’t immune against all strands of the flu. Anyway, enough of my soap box.

Suffice to say, I don’t know when I will be well again. I spend most of my time in bed – sleeping, watching Netflix or reading. I just don’t have the energy for anything else. All writing projects are on hold until I am well. Thank you all for your kind words and I will see you all again soon, I hope.

 

Health Update – Flu Edition

Hello dear friends and readers. Just wanted to take a moment to let you know why I’ve been absent. Story time….

Around the 28th or so of December (I can’t even remember the exact day now), my sister came to visit after Christmas. She is a nurse and works in a hospital and as such, she was required to take the flu shot. She came down with a horrible case of the flu. She hadn’t fully recovered when she came to visit. My dad and brother caught it first from her. She has a habit of kissing people on the mouth, but I don’t like that from her (feels phony and well.. I have issues with her so-called sisterly love) and I usually turn my head, but dad and brother didn’t.

Anyway, so they got sick and for about four days, I was okay. But now I too am sick and have been for several days as well. It is a horrible case of flu – the cough and congestion, the stomach issues and of course the overall body aches and continual fevers. This is far worse than what I had in November and I thought that was pretty bad. Anyway, I was a bit prepared this time (since I saw what dad and brother were going through) and have taken better care of myself during the whole ordeal – drinking lots of fluids, sipping broths and taking meds – but I am still sick and quite weak and just don’t have the energy to do anything but sleep.

I had hoped to be better by tomorrow and begin my round of writings again, but it just isn’t going to happen and for once, I am not going to push myself.

I hope all of you are well and if any of you are sick, you have my sympathies. This is a horrible flu that is going around. Please take care of yourselves. I’ll be seeing you all, when I recover fully. Much love and blessings.

More Bad Health News

Hello readers and friends.

Just an update on my health. I now have pneumonia or as the doc called it, walking pneumonia (if it is pneumonia, can’t they just call it that? Ok, I know it is a severity thing, but still… anyway). I spent most of yesterday evening (Monday) and into the early morning this morning (Tuesday) in the ER. It didn’t seem like the antibiotics was helping the bronchitis much, my chest was feeling heavy and the coughing… god the coughing.. I think I’ve pulled a muscle in my back from it. Anyway, x-rays confirm that yes, I do have pneumonia. I am mostly on bed rest, more antibiotics, fluids.. yadda yadda. I am very tired and weak. I’ve slept 90% of today and will likely be back in bed soon. I have to go to my PCP on Friday for a check-up to see if the status of the pneumonia is getting better or worse.

What does this mean for my story Seeing You? It will still continue, just as soon as I am well enough. I was going to try to work on through and complete the last 4 parts, but I’ve decided to just get better first. The ending IS coming though. Give me a few days of constant rest and I will get the ending written. For those who haven’t read the story yet, this would be a good time to catch up, perhaps? *smiles*

Thank you all for your constant appreciation of my work and for being such loyal readers and friends. Much love ~Lori~

Updates on Current Events

Hello, my lovely readers. I just wanted to update you all on what’s going on with my health and current writing projects.

Health-wise, I am still sick. This whatever I have is determined to linger. I am having short bouts of okay-ness where I am able to get out of bed and do a few things. And then I must resolve myself back to bed. I don’t do sick well, never have. The weather isn’t helping any. We had a few days of warm weather and now it has turned bitterly cold again. I go from sweating to chills. Today is one of those chills days. I did go to the doctor and am on a series of antibiotics because I have bronchitis now. Yay me.

My ISP company has been shutting down the internet nearly every evening for the past week or so. It goes down for about six hours. I’ve been using those hours to sleep. I schedule posts on up-hours in case it doesn’t come up when it is supposed to. We’ve been assured that they have no updates this weekend, so I am going to try to catch up on my writing projects. Next week? More rounds of interruptions, although they haven’t even sent out a tentative schedule yet. Apparently they are trying to secure some communication lines for this winter and upgrading some in-house technical mumbo-jumbo that I haven’t a clue what they mean (and I am fairly techie). The good news? Free HBO for next month. That seems to be the gift they give out any time they do ISP work. Not sure what people who don’t have cable through them gets. But I am a writer and rarely have time to even watch television. Go figure.

And that brings me to my current writing projects. Here on A Whispered Wind, I am working on my novella, Seeing You. I am currently two days behind again (yesterday and today). I hope to get those caught up between now and midnight. Tomorrow, I will try to get the next part of the science fiction round-robin, Zanzibar, up over at Promptly Written and another part of Seeing You up.

I have promised to read and review 10 novels through the end of December. Luckily, I can read in bed when I just feel too poorly to be up at the computer. So, my lovelies, be prepared to see more reviews in the upcoming weeks.

Over at As the Fates Would Have It, I’ve been working on a daily series titled Inspired! where I post something (quotes, poems, videos, art, music, etc.) that inspires me. I’ve got these scheduled out for most of the remaining month. I’ve also recently caught up with Calen’s The Sandbox Writing Challenge and will continue to do it on Tuesdays. In the meantime, I have started a new series of journal writing titled, The Daily Me. I also have some of these scheduled out.

So, my lovelies, as I sit here coughing and wheezing, sniffling and blowing my nose, I want you all to know that more stories are coming, more reviews are on the way, and I am still plodding along. Thank you all for continuing to read me. You all inspire me.

 

Announcement & Update

Hello friends

First, I would like to make an announcement. Two of my poems, Seeking Balance and Unripen, have just been published in In-flight Literary Magazine, Issue #8. You can view them here:

http://inflightlitmag.com/issues/issue8/

And now I would like to give you all an update. I am still not at 100%. Still working through some personal issues and making some life-changing decisions. I am still not sure when I will be back and writing on a regular basis. In fact, because of these issues that I am dealing with, I’ve had no desire to write. I am hoping this is not permanent.

I miss you all and I miss interacting with everyone. Thank you all for your comments and well-wishes in my absence. I hope you are all enjoying your summer or winter, wherever you are in the world.

Much love and blessings

Lori

small stones – February 24, 2016

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art credit: Contemplation by Maurice Fillonneau

Precious memories arise
leave me longing
for those days wrapped
in poetry and prose
living my dream

and then the tragic memories
float by, depression
and pain, a mind void
of the chattering of muses
no poetry or prose flows

And as I sit here
I am reminded of how quickly
a life can journey
from health to sickness
to health and dreams once more