Last week was a tough one. Poppy was hit hard with her first cold of the season and as you can see from the above photos she was not emotionally prepared to deal with the havoc a cold can have on a little one’s spirit.

*note: I’m sure some of you are thinking why wasn’t I hugging her while she was crying like this…why didn’t I put the camera down! Well these tears were close to constant during the first few days of the cold. Poppy was crying over every little thing. She cried when she was thirsty. She cried when she wanted an orange. She cried when her sleeve was bunched up. She cried when I zipped up her sweater, and when I unzipped it. These tears I believe were because she desperately wanted a tissue but when given the tissue she wanted nothing to do with it. I couldn’t win so I snapped a few pics then promptly went back to cuddling her.

Yesterday was cold and rainy. It’s the end of May and I figured that this weather was not going to last much longer. I decided to make the most of it and cook up my last batch of soup before saying goodbye until the fall.

• 1 med butternut squash, cubed
• 1/2 cabbage, chopped
• 1 can diced tomato (if you want less tomato flavour strain the tomato before adding to the soup)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 med onion, diced
• 2 cups of black eyed peas ( I used the canned ones)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 cups of veg broth (or any liquid, water, beef broth…etc)
• 1 1/2  tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chilli powder
• 1 tso dried oregano

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it begins to brown. Now add the garlic, cabbage, squash, tomatoes and broth. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or so (until the squash is cooked). Now add the spices and the beans; stir until combined. Cook another ten minutes allowing the flavors to blend. Remove from heat. If you like it a bit thicker and smoother (I do) give the soup a quick pulse with your immersion blender…not a ton but just enough to thicken the broth. Salt and pepper to taste then top with some avocado and goat cheese. Enjoy!