Kid Approved Creamy Carrot Soup

I have been trying, like many other mothers out there, to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into our day. The promise of summer and the soon to come gardening season leaves me yearning for fresh produce. My shopping trips have resulted in boxes brimming with kale, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, avocados, onions, apples, pears, bananas, and strawberries. As I stash them all away in my kitchen, I admit that I feel just a little guilty as I briefly consider just how far some of these item have traveled to find their way into my kitchen. I brush the thought away: “Soon it will be summer and I can buy most things locally.”

My husband's shopping trips result in some other items finding their way into our kitchen. He had to return an item to ACE, which happens to be right next door to Albertson's, and I asked him to pick me up a few apples for the cookies I was making. He brought back apples, but also several different varieties of chocolate, flour tortillas (with hydrogenated oils), and I was slightly surprised that there was no ice cream. (This is the primary reason I do the grocery shopping.)

Thankfully, I forgot about the chocolate until today, and I will admit that I just shoved four pieces of chocolate into my mouth in quick succession, as I am sitting here drinking my much needed cup of coffee. Magically, Sylvan, Ivory and our little friend Sadie, who is one and a half and came to hang out with us today, are all fast asleep upstairs. I wish I could be fast asleep upstairs.

The six hours of sleep, (last night it was probably closer to four), I have been getting this last week are starting to wear on me a little. It is the last week of my ceramics class and I am trying desperately to at least finish one more sculpture and to throw just a few more mugs and bowls. On top of that, I decided at the beginning of the month to enter the Bathing Beauties Bead Challenge 2012, not considering the unfortunate timing of the deadline. I spent last night looping embroidery floss around the edges of fabric and sewing on the random, and boy, do I mean random, assortment of beads that were provided in the bead challenge kit. To top it all off, Sylvan has been waking up, just when I finally crawl into bed, screaming hysterically and then nursing the remainder night, which makes sleeping just a little challenging. It didn't occur to me until this morning that maybe his belly is not approving of the avocados that I have been putting into his smoothies. I know the keifer, blueberries, bananas and spinach are fine... but the avocado?? All this leaves me sneaking chocolate and sipping my mug of coffee.

But, all this is side tracking me from subject of incorporating more vegetables into our daily routine. While I cleaned up the kitchen, folded laundry and pondered to what to do with my five pound bag of carrots, and then fixed lunch Ivory snacked on orange slices and carrot sticks and the creamy carrot soup I eventually set on the table for lunch was warmly received and seconds were demanded. I based the recipe on one I found on the internet, but since I lacked some of the ingredients I worked with what I had in my fridge. Here it is the result:

Creamy Carrot Soup

5 cups sliced carrots

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

3 cups water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

2 cups of milk

3 ounces of cream cheese

parsley

basil

salt

pepper

• Slice 5 cups of carrots and steam them. Fold two loads of laundry. Check on carrots, turn them off if they are soft, set them aside and let them cool a little.
• Melt the butter, add the flour, water and bouillon.
• Add the milk and cream cheese, stir until the cream cheese is mostly melted (do not boil).
• Add the carrots and parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of parsley and basil.
• Blend it all with an immersion blender. Done.

The only thing that would have made this lunch better is if I had thought of making a quick loaf of Cuban Bread to go with it.

I haven't managed to think about dinner yet. There are beets, spinach, sweet potato and potatoes waiting for me, but before then I still have to drop off my beaded swag at Bathing Beauty, pick up some blue cheese, fold a few loads of laundry and maybe go to the park.