The Easiest Detox Lentil Soup

If you’ve been around for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk a little bit at least about the job I had before BurntToast. It was a great job with a good company, but not a great job or even a good job for me, and the end result of my working there was near disaster because I couldn’t make good choices while employed in that environment.

Or, more importantly, I somehow always ended up choosing everything about that job over everything about, well, me.

Anyway, the official/unofficial slogan of that company was “Making ******** Sexy.” (Redacted for protection). To be fair, I’m not sure that it’s still in use or even that they would own up to using it in the past–even though it was on all the t-shirts. Nonetheless, it was something they were very proud of, this sexy part, especially considering they operate in an un-sexy industry.

As a recruiting manager, my job with this company was to lead the charge and bring in new recruits, largely young professionals early in their careers. As such, I was one of the faces of the company and therefore I was supposed to be sexy. Granted, it wasn’t a written rule. But it was very clear. We were supposed to look nice and sell the part. And, like all things with this job, I drank ALL of the Kool-Aid and swallowed the crazy pill whole, never once questioning or pushing back against this “sexy first, substance later” approach to business.

And that, dear friends, was probably the starting point of my downward slide, swallowing hook, line, and sinker the idea that I was just a sexy figurehead. Nothing more. Nothing less.

So, when I left the company in a barrel full of shame, I did an unconscious about-face when it came to my appearance. Instead of taking pride in dressing well or putting makeup on or even running a brush through my hair, I began to dress down and small, to shun attention or focus because of how I looked. Shame has a weird way of making you hide, doesn’t it?

This has been going on for years now. I’ve been slowly devolving into a version of myself so polar opposite to anything I used to stand for that I have become almost unrecognizable. I have gained weight (mostly because of age and eating for a living) and hide my body and my style under the guise of “I’m just a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.” But it has affected me in so many different ways, much deeper than just how I look. I have lost confidence. I don’t feel comfortable in or know how to dress my body. And I hide. All parts of me. I hide.

Until…..this book came into my life.

I received this book as part of a SWAG bag for a trip I recently went on with HeartStories and was lucky enough to meet Alison in person and spend some time with her. Not only is she amazingly beautiful and put together and all the things I want to be when I grow up, but she’s also deep and smart and driven in a way I want to be. She’s an introvert like me, and I felt a deep affinity with her after just a few conversations.

But the book….oh this book.

I cannot do it justice nor do I want to give anything away (because of course, you need to read it on your own–so get yours HERE), but I’ll just tell you that it spoke deep into my heart. Alison opens by telling her own story of leaving the corporate world and the rut she fell into, starting with yoga pants but, just like me, devolving into many different levels of self-neglect, until, she says:

“eventually I did not recognize myself in the woman looking back in the mirror. My self-esteem was melting like a snowman on a hot day, and I was standing directly in the sun.”

Y’all…Oprah Ah-ha moment #1. This is me. This is where I have been. I’ve been hiding so long that I’ve forgotten who I am. In my effort to not be defined by how I look and distance myself from the mistakes of my past, I’ve lost all pride in my appearance in general and therefore all confidence in how I present myself to the world. I read this part with uncomfortable conviction rolling around in my heart and tears running down my cheeks. I needed, as Alison says “permission to feel pretty.”

That’s it. That’s what I needed. And this book and Alison herself gave it to me.

But how? That’s the second part of this equation, isn’t it? It’s all well and good to want to recapture at least some of my previous mojo, but my life is a lot different now as a work-at-home business owner and I don’t need business suits and pencil skirts anymore. Nor is sexy even on my radar unless we’re talking date night with my hubby. So how do I dress? What’s the magic juice that will help me feel pretty without making it become who I am again?

Well, that’s the other Oprah Ah-ha moment, because in this book Alison lays out outfit formulas for every season. Yes, it’s like “fun math” (her words) that you want to do. They make dressing easy. I’m talking like taking candy from a baby easy. For every season, Alison provides a shopping list filled with interchangeable items you then pair up for any one of the dozens of seasonal outfit formulas she provides (with pictures for those who hate to read).

I know it might sound like the overstatement of the century, but this changed my life. In no way shape or form am I a math person, but these formulas are so easy that I might convert. Not only does it make dressing a breeze, accessories, shoes, and all, but if you follow her online or join her group Get Your Pretty On Group on IG, you get trend updates seasonally that make it easy to incorporate new items into your curated capsule wardrobe from the book.

Sounds like you’d be spending more, I know. But in the end, I feel confident that with a guide and outfit formulas, I’ll spend less because I won’t be buying one-off items that I don’t know how to work into my wardrobe and therefore toss after one awkward use. A win for all involved, including my thrifty husband.

Ladies, I know how hard it is to pull yourself out of a wardrobe rut once you’ve fallen deep into the pits of one. I know how sometimes when you’re a mom or a full-time career woman, or both, the last thing you have time to worry about is how you look. But I also know how much this can affect your heart and how you feel about yourself, and how that trickles over into how you take care of yourself (or don’t). I’ve been there. That’s where I was when I found this book (or it found me).

But if there ever was a “simple” fix to one small part of the problem that might also fix a lot of the larger problems, this is it. So grab this book and see what you think. Even if you just take a small fraction of it or just a few outfit ideas but they make you feel better, it’s done its work.

Because you, my dears, have permission to feel pretty.

The Easiest Detox Lentil Soup

There is no easy way to connect this recipe for the easiest detox lentil soup to a conversation about dressing nicely and self-confidence other than to say that it is really not a pretty soup and might suffer from some negative self-talk because of its ugliness. But, then again, what it lacks in style it makes up for in flavor and health benefits, so maybe not. Maybe it’s a really well-adjusted soup that has been through more therapy than I have who understands that beauty is more than just skin-deep.

Maybe.

Anyway…this is a super easy recipe. It’s one I usually make on a Sunday and save it to have all week for lunch. It’s chock full of flavor and easy to make your own–I adapted it from a recipe from Shauna Neiquest’s Bread and Wine so I should know. But it’s also a great soup for days when you have overindulged and just need something to help balance you out.

Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse, filled with fiber and protein. They keep you full for hours, help regulate your blood sugar, and have been shown to boost energy levels and regulate blood sugar. Plus, as a frugal grocery shopper, they’re super cheap forms of plant-based proteins you can find almost anywhere. Total win-win.

The rest of this soup is easy and can be pulled together with things you probably have on hand–just basic veggies and stock. I like to throw in whatever I have on hand and have been known to add spinach (right before serving) and sausage just for fun. I highly recommend using the balsamic drizzle before serving. It is such a small addition but adds an incredible amount of depth and complexity to an otherwise simple soup.

However you enjoy it, let me know if this soup was a hit for you during this crazy holiday season. Don’t forget to tag me in your pics, outfit or foodie, either one. I love seeing how BurntToast comes to life in your own lives every day!

Peace, love, and self-confidence,

Meaghan

The Easiest Detox Lentil Soup

December 3, 2021

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 boxes vegetable broth
• 1 bag green lentils (16 ounces)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: oregano, basil and rosemary (1 tbsp total)
• Parmesan Rind

Directions

• Step 1 In a large pot over medium-high heat a drizzle of olive oil until shimmering (a couple turns of the pan).
• Step 2 Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sautee until just beginning to brown.
• Step 3 Add spices (if using) and bay leaf, stir to combine.
• Step 4 Add lentils, broth, tomatoes and parmesan rind (if using), bring to a boil.
• Step 5 Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are cooked through, around 30-40 minutes.
• Step 6 Taste. Season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to each bowl before serving.
• Step 7 Note: Be sure to remove the rind and bay leaf before serving.

For more delicious BurntToast Soup Recipes check out this awesome soup round-up article.

PS: If you are really interested in stretching your style quotient this winter, join me as I try Alison’s Winter Capsule Wardrobe. It’s a shopping list, style guide, two months’ worth of outfit pairings, and a private FB group filled with supportive women doing it with you. It’s a stretch for me because some of the items are really out of my comfort zone, but I am really excited about trying. Join HERE and let me know you signed up so we can do it together. I promise it will be fun!

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