Carrots Carrots (by Evelyn)

A woman I once met, with a husband and four sons, only cooked on Mondays.  But she cooked all day long to make meals for the entire week.  Although I cook a little more often that that, I do have a couple of days a week where I make several dishes to have ready for anytime.  At the very least, there is always a green salad and a fruit salad in the refrigerator so that I’m not tempted to eat something not as healthy.
Since we began eating plant based foods, I’ve found shopping at Costco ideal for their large quantities of vegetables and fruits, many of which are organic. A few days ago I bought a 10 pound bag of carrots not realizing there was still about 2 pounds in the produce drawer. . And, coincidentally, there is a link on my internet home page that updates each week with the name and an article about one of the world’s healthiest foods. This week’s food of the week is carrots. So today was carrot fixing day!

But first I made the kale salad that Lynne posted in the recipe section last week.  I did this before having breakfast which I ended up skipping because the salad was so tasty.
Then I put on a pot of Yam and Split Pea soup which I had made before and love.  Except this time I didn’t have any split peas so I substituted dried mung beans and couldn’t taste the difference.  Mung beans are high in protein and other vitamins, plus they have a few less calories than split peas. This soup also includes carrots.
Next was a fruit salad made with fresh pineapple, watermelon, honeydew melon, oranges, jicama, and a bit of cilantro. (Sometimes I add purple onion, salt, and cayenne pepper for some zing).
After that Steve jumped in to help and made Ginger Carrot Salad which is so easy and has that satisfying crunchy texture.
My new Blendtec (like Lynne’s) came with a recipe book that included carrot juice.  But I have to say I didn’t care for it so I added some to the soup when the liquid ran low and Steve drank the rest. 
Speaking of carrot juice, if any of you have spent any time in Germany you would have noticed many babies having a very ruddy-tan complexion along with rosy cheeks.  When my daughter Lauren was 4 months old I went back to work in Heidelberg and had a German babysitter.  This lady was a grandmother who had raised several children and was obsessed with making sure very pale Lauren was healthy so she added approximately 2 ounces of carrot juice to each baby bottle of milk. And to give her rosy cheeks, she put her outside in a buggy for her naps covered with a big down pillow to keep  warm.  After a couple of months, and even though it was mid-winter, Lauren also had a beautiful “tan”.
Oh, and I am down 2 more pounds and now weigh 150.  I am looking forward to an interim goal of reaching 145 because that is when some clothes will go to Goodwill and I will fit nicely into other pieces that I haven’t worn in several years. 

Evelyn