Fall is the perfect time of year to start making + eating soup. It’s a healthy way to warm your insides when the air is starting to turn chilly outside.

This satisfying minestrone soup features a classic combination of fresh herbs, vegetables, white beans + pasta. Although this recipe is delicious as written, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit with the ingredients. This dish is a great way to use up any extra fresh herbs + vegetables you have available. 

Tip: For best results, cook the pasta separately, rather than in the same pot with the rest of the ingredients. This extra step yields more consistent results by eliminating the release of excess starch into the soup. It also prevents the noodles from becoming too soft + mushy, which means more appetizing leftovers the next day + better results when freezing for future use.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50-55 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 3 large stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 28-oz. can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained + rinsed
• 4 c. organic vegetable broth*
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 1 T. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (or 1 t. dried)
• 1 T. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 t. dried)
• 1 T. fresh oregano leaves (or 1 t. dried)
• ½ T. crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt + black pepper, to taste
• Optional: 3” Parmesan cheese rind
• 2 c. Fusilli pasta
• 2 c. fresh green beans, cut into ½” pieces
• 2 c. fresh arugula
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• *Use additional vegetable broth to reach desired consistency, if needed

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil + garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or just until garlic starts to turn golden brown.
2. Add chopped onion, carrot + celery. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are soft + tender.
3. Add diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, 4 cups vegetable broth, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano + red pepper flakes to pot + stir to combine. Add Parmesan cheese rind + season with salt + black pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover + simmer 20-25 minutes.
4. While soup is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining pasta. Rinse pasta + transfer to a medium bowl + toss with remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside.
5. Remove cover from pot or Dutch oven and add green beans and the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Stir to combine and continue cooking, uncovered, another 20-25 minutes or until green beans are crisp tender.
6. Add arugula + additional vegetable broth (if needed) + stir to combine. Season with additional salt + pepper, to taste. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until arugula begins to wilt.
7. To serve, divide cooked pasta among individual serving bowls + top with hot soup. Top with chopped parsley + freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve with crusty bread + a crisp, green side salad for a hearty meal. Enjoy!

Yesterday, I shared with you some health issues I faced when I was a twenty-something. I also shared info about the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle.

Hundreds of people have already bought the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, but you might be wondering if you should be one of them. I collected the most commonly asked questions to help you decide if you should buy the bundle.

So if you still have questions, keep reading!

Q1: Is this one big course? Or a bunch of different products?

A1: This bundle is a collection of 47 eBooks, 32 eCourses, audios + workshops, 10 printable packs + workbooks + 2 summits. Once you purchase, you receive an email with all the login information so you can access your bundle inside the Ultimate Bundles access area. You can download all the eBooks, access the eCourses + start putting all the information to work right away! It’s basically all your favorite bloggers’ products together in one collection – all for $37.

Q2: What if I don’t want all the resources?

A2: That’s the beauty of this bundle! Some of the eBooks + eCourses have a lot of appeal right now + some won’t. You have lifetime access to everything so when things change in your life, you can turn to these resources- it’s like your own personal healthy living library! Not to mention, there are 24 resources alone that are individually worth as much or more than the cost of the bundle itself. So, even though you won’t use every resource in the bundle, it would still be really hard to not save a ton of money anyway.

Q3: Will this bundle actually improve my health?

A3: Obviously, that’s up to you. 😉 What I can tell you is that this bundle has high-quality resources on brain + mental health, how to balance your hormones, create a successful exercise program, eat healthy, allergy-friendly recipes, protecting yourself from EMF radiation + more! There’s no reason why you can’t apply the strategies in these resources to improve your health, but the results are totally up to you!

Q4: OK, but what if I buy it + don’t like it?

A4: Although Ultimate Bundles has an extremely low return rate at less than 1/4 of the industry standard, there are some people who it doesn’t work for. That’s why they offer a 100% happiness guarantee refund policy for 30 days. If you don’t love it, just email customerservice@ultimatebundles.com to ask for a full refund. No questions asked, no problems.

Q5: This sounds like a scam. Can you prove it’s not?

A5: I know it seems too good to be true. Pay $37 for $3,108.45 in resources? Doesn’t that mean someone’s losing big time? Or the prices are inflated?

I totally get your concerns. I’ve been an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles for years + I can tell you that I offer these bundles to my readers because they’re a great value. Even though a blogger may be including their product in a bundle that costs less than their product, product creators get exposure to new potential readers, which can pay off in big ways later. When you buy a bundle through your favorite blogger (hopefully me!), you’ll support them, too! Plus, the bundle is offered for such a short time that they can go back quickly to selling their product at full price.

In short, it’s a great deal for everyone. Ultimate Bundles is a reputable company, so if you try the bundle + don’t like it within 30 days, just ask their friendly, helpful customer happiness team for a refund.

Q6: What are the cheat sheets?

A6: The cheat sheets were created because bundle customers wanted a quick way to find the resources that were most applicable to them right now. These CliffNotes-style summaries of each resource allow you to zone in on which resources you should start with + allow you to absorb the key principles wayyyy faster. This helps you take charge of your health on your terms – without missing a beat. 🙂

I hope that fully answers your questions!!

In my opinion, you really don’t want to pass up a deal this good. But I’ll leave that up to you. Just don’t wait too long, because the sale ends Monday! Learn more or get your bundle here: https://ultimatebundles.com/sale/uhlb2019-main?a_aid=a7102&a_bid=18a928db

It’s that time of year when all the crud is going around. My girls seem to bring home ALL. THE. GERMS. from their respective schools.

I’m always looking for ways to fight off the crud before it lands in my house. Here’s a recipe for a warm wellness tonic for you moms.

Boost immunity + stave off illness with this warm morning tonic.  It isn’t like a medicinal drink but a warming tonic — almost latte made with turmeric + other superfoods for a morning boost. 

It’s sweet, creamy + delicious.  A drink that is a cross between white chocolate chai + pumpkin spice lattes but with health benefits.

Ingredients

• Turmeric AM Tonic
• Milk

Directions:

Mix hot Milk or plant based milk with a 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of the tonic. Stir. 

All About Turmeric

Curcumin, the active component in turmeric, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries due to its strong antioxidant properties (1).
Antioxidants are compounds that fight cell damage, protecting your body from oxidative stress.

It’s essential to the functioning of your cells + studies regularly show that diets rich in antioxidants may help lower your risk of infections + disease

The Turmeric AM Tonic has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Chronic inflammation is thought to play a major role in chronic diseases, including cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s + heart disease. For this reason, diets rich in anti-inflammatory compounds may reduce your risk of these conditions.

Research shows that ginger, cinnamon + curcumin — the active ingredient in turmeric — have potent anti-inflammatory properties (6, 7, 8).

These anti-inflammatory effects may reduce joint pain from osteoarthritis + rheumatoid arthritis.

You can check out the 10 Health Benefits and Uses for Turmeric Curcumin Supplements for more information.

INGREDIENTS : Real Cream, Turmeric, Monk Fruit, Erythritol, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Vanilla, Natural Flavors

If you try it out, let me know what you think in the comments!

This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my coffee drinking habit if you use these links to make a purchase. It does not cost you anything extra +  you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.

We’ve all done it.

Peering inside our fridge, hoping that this time you find thawing meat, a little inspiration or even – miracle of miracles – a ready-made meal.

I know I have.

There’s one thing that I know helps with this daily dilemma: meal planning.

When you know what’s for dinner every day, you’re more efficient, less stressed + you get some of your time (+ life) back. While meals won’t throw themselves together, you might be surprised at how much easier (+ even enjoyable) it feels when you have a meal plan in place.

You probably already know that, but do you want a way to make planning easy peasy lemon squeezy?

The Healthy Meal Planning Bundle 2019 is on sale now. It helps you put healthier meals on your table, in less time, with less stress.

With over 1000 recipes, a clickable index, ready-made meal plans (with grocery lists), nutritional information for every recipe + more, the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle is designed to save you from the pain of the frantic, pre-dinner hour. 😉

Plus, when you buy your copy by midnight tonight, you’ll also get the 30 Meals in 30 Days Challenge (a $21 value) for free.

If the hardest part of meal planning is making the habit stick, this is for you!

This challenge comes with a free Facebook group for accountability +reminders, weekly live trainings + frequent email support to help you use your bundle, find time-saving ways to meal plan + cook + get loads of tips to streamline the whole process. At the end of 30 days, you’ll have made 30 meals + kicked off your year with a shiny new habit!

Pick up your copy of the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle + the 30 Meals in 30 Days Challenge (for free!) today.