But before I get into that, how was your Christmas? Hopefully as fun, food and family filled as mine. We had fun, beaches, long-lost family get-together, drama, games, play dates, pressies, tinsel, drums, jollof rice, ginger beer, midnight feast, raffia, skype calls, WhatsApp chats, sleepovers, phone photography and much much more. Soooooooo much fun. Soooooooo very exhausting. But I would not change a single minute of it.

Heck, I loved it so much that I am already planning my next Christmas and I have been hoovering up presents in the sales. Anything to extend the festivity period in my life. Because two weeks of it has not been enough. Nope. No way. Oh, and Five Spice and Sweet Potato Soup is very easy to make – perfect for after-holiday fatigue.

How to make five spice sweet potato and carrot soup in less than 15 mins

Sauté onions in olive oil for 6 mins Add the spices along with the sweet potato and carrots and cook for 2 mins until fragrant. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer till the veggies are soft, which normally takes only about 10 mins. Blend this into a thick and creamy soup, without any of the cream.

If you don’t have five spice then you can use a combination of other spices like cardamom, cloves and star anise.

Toppings for five spice sweet potato and carrot soup

I topped my bowl of lovely Five Spice Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup with chilli oil, but here are a few other ideas:

Sour cream Yoghurt Chopped peanuts or almonds

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup

You can easily make this a pumpkin sweet potato soup by swapping some of the carrots for pumpkin. You can do the same with other squashes you have. This soup is all about using what is already in your pantry. The squashes all still work well with the five spice flavour. So easy on the pocket. So moorish. So New Year, New You perfect right?

More recipes like this easy sweet potato soup

Please be sure to check out some other winter warmer soup recipes, like this butternut squash and star anise soup, this gammon laksa, and this peanut butternut squash soup. 

A healthy 2018 – How to stay motivated with your health goals

I read that around 80% of people fail their New Year’s resolutions within 3 months. I admit I have fallen into this statistic some years, but not always. I started thinking about what I’ve done right in those ‘good years,’ and I’ve come up with a list of 5 tips to share.

Pick 1 or 2 resolutions, not 10 or 20. It’s sooo easy to dream up a gazillion resolutions on Dec 31 and say we’re going to keep them all. Problem is, this approach is destined for failure. Focus on 1 or 2 reasonable goals (see #2) instead. Set reasonable goals. You probably won’t run 27 marathons this year if you’ve never run more than a few mins before. Set realistic, reasonable, and achievable goals. Plan your meals. I didn’t give you a meal plan just for fun — meal planning really works. Instead of giving in to temptation when you’re tired or grumpy or busy, meal planning helps you focus on eating healthy meals. Celebrate your ‘small wins.’ Treat yourself (but not with food) when you achieve small goals on your way to bigger goals. Lose 1kg? Treat yourself to a new book or your favourite Netflix show. Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you don’t stick to your resolution perfectly every day, don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone has bad days. Take a deep breath and refocus.

More Soup Recipes

What to serve with Sweet potato and carrot soup recipe

Thank you for reading my five spice sweet potato and carrot soup recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you.

Sweet potato and carrot soup recipe

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