Last week, the flu kicked the you-know-what out of me so I wasn’t able to prepare as many posts as usual for this week. Luckily, one of my favorite chefs, who also happens to be a blogger, offered to do a guest post for Lemon Stripes. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the lovely Robyn Youkilis guest-posting today! Robyn, founder of Your Healthiest You and {Healthy} Cooking Camp, was coined by Pure Wow as “the busy ladies health coach”, supporting busy guys and gals on their journey to becoming the healthiest that they can be. Plus she’s absolutely stunning and incredibly stylish. Enjoy!

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Hey Lemon Stripes fans!

I’m so thrilled to be featured on one of my favorite blogger’s websites, Lemon Stripes! I’ve been a big fan of Julia’s for a while, with her mix of food and fashion (two of my favorite things), I always want to check out what this fun and fresh girl about NYC has got going on.

With the holiday season in full swing that is most likely A LOT, as this time of year can feel super hectic for most folks. My remedy? A perfect pot of a grounding soup ready to go in the fridge! This recipe is full of lovely root vegetables that have grounding properties to them, as well as an array of warming spices – perfect to welcome you home after a hectic day of holiday shopping.

Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Cinnamon Spice

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large white onion
2 large carrots
2 parsnips
1 small turnip
½ large or 1 small rutabaga
½ large or 1 small celery root (can swap 1-2 stalks of celery)
1 small potato, sweet or white
4 cups vegetable broth or stock
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¼- ½ tsp red pepper flakes depending on desired level of heat
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Splash (roughly ¼- 1/2 cup) of water, if needed

Directions:
1. Chop all vegetables to small or medium dice.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive in a large pot. Once heated through add onions and garlic and cook 5-7 minutes.
3. Add carrots and celery and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Add remaining chopped vegetables and spices. Toss to coat and heat through another minute or two.
5. Add stock and vinegar and bring pot to a boil.
6. Once boiling lower to a simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
7.Using an immersion blender puree half the soup (if you don’t have a stick blender you can use a regular blender and then add it back to pot). You may need a splash of water to thin for blending. Taste and adjust seasoning and add honey if using.
8. Serve with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon and pinch of cayenne pepper. Enjoy!
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Robyn Youkilis, a board certified Health Coach and Healthy Cooking Expert and founder of Your Healthiest You and {Healthy} Cooking Camp, was coined by Pure Wow as “the busy ladies health coach”, supporting busy guys and gals on their journey to becoming the healthiest that they can be. At Your Healthiest You, Robyn offers boutique style one-on-one coaching, runs a seasonal “members only” cooking club, and co-launched a cutting edge online cooking show, {Healthy} Cooking Camp. Her techniques break the mold of traditional health coaching and give her clients the energy and the motivation to cook and to nourish hassle-free in the kitchen. Robyn is currently working on a cookbook and developing a cooking and lifestyle show for network TV.