This is Nacho Mama’s Cabbage Soup.

I remember my parent’s going on the Cabbage Soup Diet several times growing up, specifically before their high school reunion and their trip to Hawaii.  While I always found stuffing oneself with bananas and skim milk or tomatoes and beef a little bizarre, I did enjoy the soup.  Now an unlimited milk and beef day?  Holy cow, that I could be down with.

Let me state for the record that I am NOT trying to lose weight (but if you are looking for a cleanse to participate in after the New Year, steer clear of the Cabbage Soup Diet, and checkout the new Spark! Wellness program my dear friend Gena is launching.  Like Miss G herself, it sounds well thought out and fabulous).

As for me, I just have been spending more than my share of our furnace repair money on store bought soup and tea in an attempt to defrost.  So while I will not be eating cabbage soup for breakfast, I will be drowning out the smells of Christmas trees, sugar cookies and gingerbread men by eating hot garbage unlimited amounts of Cabbage Soup.

I kind of haphazardly threw all the elements of the original soup recipe that I like into a pot, including celery, carrots, red cabbage, diced tomatoes, green pepper, organic vegetable broth, vegetable juice and spices.  I chopped up the vegetables in a fashion that will not have me showcasing my knife skills on Top Chef or earning the nickname Hung.  That’s reserved for someone else in our house.

I added vegetable broth, fire roasted tomatoes and some vegetable juice.

This is Nacho Mama’s V8.  Literally.

Snap-E Tom, meet Snappy Tom.

If only he were wearing a sombrero, too.

I threw in some random spices, including salt and pepper, curry, coriander and garam masala, and I let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes and then served up several cups full.

Along side a giant salad topped with GC‘s favorite dressing,

This was Nacho Mama’s lunch.

I made the girls their favorite smoothie.  This is Nacho Mama’s Chocolate Shake.

1 frozen banana

1/4 c. quality cocoa powder

1-2 c. almond milk

Big ol’ scoop of peanut butter

Mounds of spinach

Sure, it looks a little green,

but that’s the beauty of opague girly sippy cups.

By the way, this is Nacho Mama’s VitaMix,

and this is Nacho Mama’s tamper.

Oops.

As for the smoothie, it’s Nacho Mama’s, but it’s their mama’s.

Now what to make for dinner…

Why do I suddenly have a craving for nachos?