Earlier this week I bought a 5lb bag of carrots from Costco. I have since realized that 5lb of raw carrots is a LOT of Bugs Bunny fuel. There is a reason that my major is nutrition as I have always loved creating things in the kitchen, taking my favorite full fat, sugar and calorie laden recipes and trying to make them healthier and just as tasty or making something new altogether! Sometimes I look up recipes on other blogs and sometimes I just go crazy and hope for the best.

I opened my fridge and this is what ended up on the counter ready and willing to become a part of my creation:

• 1 Large Onion
• 1 HUGE Sweet Potato
• 2 Half full 32 oz. containers of broth: 1 Vegetable, the other Chicken
• A chunk of neglected Ginger Root
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• ….and my 5lb bag of Carrots. (of which I used ~2-3 lbs)

After peeling and chopping the carrots, yam, and ginger, I sauteed the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then threw everything in my crock pot for about 4 hours on High. After that I simply pureed all of it in small batches in my blender and Voila!! Carrot Ginger Soup! A veritable superfood soup that’s super simple, super yummy, and super healthy!

Just in case you were wondering, here are the health benefits of a few of the ingredients:

Garlic: As a vampire’s worst nightmare, it should be your best friend. Garlic is not only a powerful antioxidant, but it also contains potassium, Vitamins A, B, B2, and C, Calcium and Zinc. It promotes weight control, helps strengthen the immune system, lowers the risk for multiple cancers and stimulates overall hearth health. In other words, eat it, lots of it!

Ginger: Ginger has a wide variety of effects on the human body and is known to be effective for the treatment of nausea, arthritis, colds, cramps, heartburn, migraines, and has been noted for its use in cancer prevention.

Carrots: High in antioxidants such as beta-carotene, and Vitamin A, this popular root is most noted for its help in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Sweet Potato: A good sources of vitamin A and C, manganese, copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron, health benefits of these tasty spuds include: antioxidant properties, cancer prevention and cures, anti-inflammatory agents, digestive health, respiratory complications, prenatal dietary supplement, respiratory health and heart health.

And as for the fate of the other 2.5lbs of carrots. I have a weird aversion to baby carrots (they get slimy and its weird) so I chop up my own carrot sticks. Great for munching with or without homemade hummus!