{personal image}

in keeping with the healthy recipe posts from my trainer’s shred* diet, today’s is something i threw together last night in an effort to use ingredients i know are part of the plan, and see if we could change things up a bit from the same things we’d been eating every day. and let me tell you - this is SO delicious and flavorful, you’d never know it was healthy too! (you may have also seen me post a picture on instagram last night, my username is “lovelydetails” if you care to follow!) my favorite part about this recipe is that it is 100% natural - from fresh tomato puree to ground turkey, there is nothing artificial or processed!

here’s the recipe:

jacin’s turkey, tomato & basil soup

ingredients:
2 packages (8oz total) lean ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Fresh basil, chopped (as much or as little as you like, depends on your taste and you can always add more)
8 cloves garlic, chopped
7 whole medium tomatoes (on the vine)
1 arbol chili pepper, stem removed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt, garlic salt, garlic powder, red chili flakes (all added to your liking)
1 tbsp apple vinegar

directions:
remove stems from 7 medium roma/on the vine tomatoes, rinse, and throw in a blender along with the chopped carrots to puree. add a bit more basil and the arbol chili to the blender mix.

in the meantime, sauté onion & garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat (about 5 minutes), add red bell pepper and chopped basil (to your liking). add ground turkey, salt, garlic salt, garlic powder & chili flakes. cook turkey through, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the tomato puree and vinegar, bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. simmer on low until ready to serve.

or

cook turkey through, puree tomatoes, sautee garlic & onion separately then throw all ingredients in to a crock pot and let it do the work for you.

this is seriously so delicious it felt like we were having a cheat meal! high in protein, low in carbs and tons of flavor.

enjoy!

*note: i am not trying to lose weight per se, i’m just trying to get back to my old wedding self. this is not a crash diet, it is a healthier way of living for us. i lost 26 lbs by following this plan before our wedding and now i’m just trying to gain the muscle back and get closer to where i started over a year ago. my trainer put this diet together for us, and no two people are the same, so please consult with your own trainer/nutritionist before following such a plan. in the meantime though, enjoy these healthy recipes because they are yummy.