This is a sponsored post of the best kind: Mama Earth is a company I have using for a number of years so I’m thrilled to be partnering with them over the next couple of months to highlight different aspects of their local/ organic food delivery service.
How do you get your five-a-day (or more) in the winter? It’s definitely not as easy as in the summer when fresh fruits and veggies abound and you *feel* like eating more of them. Something Neil and I have been doing that has helped us out a bit in this respect for many years now is to order an organic produce box. Over the past number of years we’ve been using Mama Earth and couldn’t be happier with the service.
Why use a local/ organic produce delivery service?
1. It’s convenient
Ordering your Mama Earth delivery online couldn’t be easier (I tried a few different services before settling on Mama Earth and one of the reasons I chose them was the ease of use of their website). Choose your weekly (or bi-weekly) box from the comfort of home (they have boxes of different sizes, fruit-only and veg-only as well as a local-only box). Customise your box before delivery to make sure you get what you need/ want that particular week. You can even tell them which items you NEVER want to receive by marking a list of produce “Neutral” “Love” or “Dislike”. You can even customise your produce according to specific varieties (!).
2. There’s more than just produce!
While we love the convenience of local/ organic produce delivery, there are lots of other options to choose from at Mama Earth. As well as pantry and fridge staples (including our favourite European-style butter!), they offer a range of baked goods, prepared produce, prepared meals (salads, sides and main meals) and juices, meaning you can get most of what you need for your weekly shop through Mama Earth. I’ve tried a number of the prepared meals and am a fan – cheaper and healthier than takeout for those times when you just need a little help in the kitchen!
3. You’re supporting more than just your own good health!
Mama Earth’s vision and philosophy is impressive. They not only support local farmers by sourcing their produce from them, they also provide loans and financial support to the farms. As well, Mama Earth contributes food to local food banks and are committed to lowering their own food waste. Mama Earth is also committed to paying their workers a fair wage (over minimum) and “treating people with kindness and respect”. All ideas I can totally get behind.
The main reason for most people to use a local/ organic delivery service, though, is likely so they can eat better. Having a box of goodies delivered weekly (or bi-weekly if that’s what we need) has certainly challenged us to be creative in the kitchen and it’s most definitely helped us eat better – and eat more veggies!
Case in point last week when my delivery arrived – I’ve been trying to include mostly local items in the box but in winter it can be a bit bleak – lots of root veggies and not much else! Looking at my array of onions. garlic, sweet potato, turnips, parsnips and potatoes, there was only one thing for it – SOUP! Soup is a great way to get more veggies in your diet when it’s cold and this soup comes together in no time and is enough for a few meals so it’s the perfect thing to make on a weekend for meals during the week. Just add grilled cheese for a perfect winter warming meal!
Yield: Serves 6-8
Creamy 7-Vegetable Soup
Creamy 7-vegetable soup. An easy way to get your five-a-day (or more!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion (7 oz/200 g), roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large sweet potatoes (14 oz/ 400 g) peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot (7 oz/200 g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 3–4 small turnips (7 oz/200 g total), peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 small parsnips (7 oz 200 g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium potato (7 oz 200 g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (1L) vegetable stock
- 1 cups (250 mL) 2% milk
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
- Sour cream or thick Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the onion is just starting to soften but not brown.
2. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips and parsnips and potato with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and give them a good stir in the pot to coat them well with the butter.
3. Pour in the stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered (with the lid slightly off the top of the pot), for about 30 minutes. The vegetables should be fairly soft at this point.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly.
6. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup. Stir in the milk.
7. Taste and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper, if you like. If you don’t find the soup creamy enough, you can swirl in a spoonful of sour cream or thick Greek yogurt just before serving.
Recommended Products
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Try Mama Earth Organics for yourself – with $50 off your first order!
That’s right – from now through the end of February, use the promo code MAMAMARDI50 at checkout for $50 off your first delivery! So go on, give it a try (and let me know if you do!).
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Disclosure: I have been compensated in kind by Mama Earth Organics in exchange for for sharing my weekly deliveries on social media. I have not received financial compensation for these posts and they have not been reviewed by Mama Earth prior to publication. All opinions are my own (we’ve been using the service for a number of years so I can vouch for it!).
Please note: This recipe contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
