This is the first year in my life that I can remember setting New Years resolutions – Seriously, I’m not kidding. I’m kind of like Vince Vaughn in Dodge Ball when he states:
I found that if you have a goal, you might not reach it. But if you do not have one you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell you, it feels phenomenal!
Yes, shamefully enough, I’m kind of that way…. Scared to set a goal for fear of not reaching it. However, then again, I also don’t set goals because I feel like everyday I’m working on bettering something – so really, I guess my whole life is just one ginormous goal.
Any who, among a few of my resolutions, was reformatting my blog. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my old artsy layout, but the search engines didn’t. Moreover, it’s specialized coding was extremely difficult to edit and/or tweak. So, after a week of speaking typing a different language, I feel like I’ve hit a good stopping point with this new layout. Sure, I’ve got some stuff I’d like to add, but for the most part, all of the big changes have been made. The biggest being the logo design… which, has been a sad work in progress for the past 5+ months. Way to stay on top of it, Callie.
Another exciting addition to my blog are the tabs! Yes, tabs, in all their glory… You can read about me, contact me, or even enlist me to help you out! I feel so good about this change, and not to mention, accomplished! This new format has also opened the windows for SEO optimization and customized widgets… Hoolllaaa!
Now besides getting a new blog layout this week, I also got a…. Wait for it….
VitaMix 5200! Finally. I mean, I loved my Commercial Series KitchenAid blender, but was definitely ready for a 2 hp blender (instead of a 1hp).
So you ask, what is the first thing I made with it? Well, I decided to make soup. Which is kind of a weird thing for me to make, given that I’ve never really loved soup (read: I actually kind of hate it). However, in soup’s defense, the only kind I’ve ever had, is the standard American diet kind (loaded with god only knows what). So, I figured in all fairness I’d need to give raw and/or vegan soup a chance before declaring my all-out hatred for it.
Creamy Garden Chowder (pictured above)
1 stalk of celery (I use celery hearts, include the leaves!)
1 cup of carrots
1 small zucchini, chopped
.5 red bell pepper, chopped
.25 C olive oil
.5 C water
1 shallot (or, 1-2 T of chopped onion)1 clove of garlic
1 tsp sea salt
Blend all ingredients in blender until warm. Mine had a bit of steam, but only read 85-90 degrees on the thermometer. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped red bell peppers and lemon-pepper seasoning.
The verdict? Holy Moly – you mean I’ve gone the past 5 years and not once tried raw soup!? What was I thinking. This was delicious, and not to mention, much warmer than I had imagined a raw soup to be. Moreover, it’s really no more than a savory smoothie that’s easy to digest and super filling – Did I mention, also chocked full of nutrients! Ahhh, just perfect.
I’m warning you all now, this could be the start of many more soup post to come 
Cheers!
