treat yourself in the thick of it

I don't know about y'all, but I for one am completely in love with Jessi's theme for November, In the Thick of It. As a working mom, wife, leader, writer and overall sinful perfectionist I find myself in the thick of it daily, working hard for myself and then realizing, daily, that God's grace is what I need more than anything.

Lately I have resorted to dealing with stress and anxiety via snacking constantly, sleeping instead of exercising, and otherwise not taking care of myself well. I'm not proud to admit it, but I know I'm not alone in these tendencies. I know there are other mommas out there trying to make it all work and sometimes we just feel like we deserve to eat something for all of our hard work. 

First of all, this notion is certainly true at times, we do deserve to give ourselves a little reward for working hard and loving well. But the problem comes when I choose to "treat" myself to something that does NOT do my body good and leaves me anxious or tired or unhealthy at the end of it. That's no treat, and I know it. 

I'm working on redefining the treat for myself. A treat should be something that I don't always have, but I also believe that a treat should also help me to feel better after eating it. Not sick or bogged down, but energetic and ready to keep working and playing. Something that helps me rather than hurts. Something that ultimately brings me closer to God. 

This silky soup is so easy to throw together. It has a truly luxurious texture that I find only comes from making your own pumpkin puree (it's seriously so easy - the canned stuff has nothing on this recipe!). I suggest making a large batch and storing it in the fridge for a fresh batch of soup whenever you want. The crisp apple is a great texture, and the toasted pecans add some great healthy fat and protein as well. 

I hope you guys can enjoy this soup as a way of treating yourself well. Rewarding ourselves in the thick of it doesn't have to be complicated and it can be good for us. Y'all enjoy!

SILKY VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP WITH FRESH APPLES AND TOASTED PECANS

• 2 cups pumpkin puree, preferably from freshly roasted pumpkins like from this recipe
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional; if you're going full vegan maple syrup is a great substitute)
• 2 sweet apples (I love Honeycrisps)
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Combine the pumpkin puree, stock, salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil and honey (if using) in a pot and whisk together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the mixture reduces about 1/4 cup, about 10-15 minutes. Whisk it together again and allow to sit off the heat for a few minutes while you chop the apples. Serve hot with the fresh apples and chopped toasted pecans on top!