This Butter Bean, Sausage & Kale soup recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes.  It is loaded with flavor from the STAR ingredients ~ Spicy Turkey Sausage and Italian Tomatoes.  This recipe was inspired based on all the delicious soup recipes I saw in my Weight Watcher Classic Comforts Cookbook and the BIG can of butter beans I have been wanting to find a way to use.  I LOVE idea of taking flavored sausage, plus beans plus VEGGIES to create a soup that gets better with each bite.

BUTTER BEAN, SAUSAGE & KALE SOUP (print it!)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 links, 7 oz total, Lean Spicy Turkey Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used Jennie-O)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups water
• 32 oz Chicken Broth
• 15 1/2 oz white beans, drained and rinsed, (I USED BIG Butter Beans)
• 14 1/2 oz can diced, Italian tomatoes
• 1/2 Kale bunch, roughly chopped
• A few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly Ground Pepper and sea salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage, onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently to break up the sausage until the sausage is no longer pink, 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

2.  Add the water, beans, and broth; bring to a boil.  Add the Kale, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 LARGE servings, 5 Points+ Each!!

Nutritional information per 1 HEAPING cup serving calculated using caloriecount.com

STEP-BY-STEPS:

Add your lean spicy turkey sausage plus veggies and cook over medium high heat.

Add your garlic and cook 1 additional minute.

Add your beans, tomatoes, water and chicken broth.

Add your kale, cover and cook until kale is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Tadah!!! Super fast, super easy!  Add crushed red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and additional crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce!

This soup freezes well too so why not double the recipe to have some now and then later for the nights you don’t feel like cooking.

Sometimes looking through my archives for recipes to share with you all this early in the morning totally makes me hungry.  I am pretty sure if I had some of this on hand, I’d be eating it right now, at ohhh, 6 am …..

Have a fantastic day all!  I will be back tonight with my daily eats!

Happy Holidays everyone!  I LOVE holiday meals because to me leftovers always mean SOUP and tons of fun new recipes to make.  I LOVE Turkey Noodle Soup after turkey day and a warm, hearty bean soup after Christmas.  There is just something amazing that happens to soup when you add a smoky hambone, sweet pineapple glazed ham and a ton veggies.

I wanted to finish our Healthy Holiday Series with one of my favorite soups and some tasty Healthy Holiday Leftover ideas.  The next time you are trying to figure out what to do with all your holiday leftovers, give any of these leftover ideas a try.  I think you will make sure you buy extra next year just so you can look forward to this soup the day after Christmas!

NEXT DAY HAM & NAVY BEAN SOUP (print it!)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb dried navy beans
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 32 oz Chicken Broth
• 15 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 leftover ham bone or smoked ham hock (optional)
• A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Garnish with 2 pieces cooked & crumbled bacon and chopped fresh parsley, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Soak overnight or use the following quick soak method.  Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.

2.  Heat oil in a large stock pan over medium heat  and add ham.  Brown for about 4-5 minutes. Add bell pepper and the next 5 ingredients (bell pepper through minced garlic); sauté 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomatoes, beans and hot sauce. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.

3.  Remove ham bone and allow to cool.  Remove ham from bone and chop into pieces.  Add to soup if desired or save for another time.

4.  Place 2 cups of the bean mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Return the puréed mixture to pan. If using, top with the bacon and parsley.

Makes 10, heaping 1 1/2 cup servings, 5 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving (excluding toppings) calculate at caloriecount.com:

Note: This soup will freeze well for up to two months. Pour into single serving airtight containers, leaving enough room for expansion (usually an inch or two at the top). To reheat, thaw completely in the refrigerator; then place contents in a saucepan over low heat, adding some liquid if necessary.

LEFTOVER IDEAS

I froze some of our ham so I can make this New Years Day Soup next ~ doesn’t it sound amazing and I LOVE the stats.

Here are some other ideas for how you can use up all the leftovers you have from your healthy holiday celebration:

Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese Quiches (I make these every year – they are so easy and awesome!)

Ham & Cheese Scones

Green eggs and ham

Ham, Spinach & Sun Dried Tomato Calzones

Ham & Pineapple Pita Pizza

Ham & Pineapple Sandwiches

Leftover Veggies tossed on salad

Is there such a thing as leftover Au Gratin Potatoes?

Oh and last, but, not least, do NOT forget to FREEZE your leftovers.  Make your own healthy little mini frozen dinners for the nights you don’t want to cook or save some ham for soup another day.

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday celebrating, enjoying your friends and family, eating too much deliciously healthy and not so healthy foods.  You can always get right back on track tomorrow ~ it’s one day a year so enjoy it!

See you all tomorrow when I resume blogging my daily eats along with a few highlights of our Christmas celebration and some of my FAVORITE gifts.

Speaking of Gifts ~ GO HERE & ENTER IF YOU LOVE STARBUCK’S!

Night all!

As I have told all of you recently, I cannot get enough soup.  Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the produce, but I LOVE having thick, healthy soups in the winter time and often load them up with fresh vegetables.  I put a fun spin on traditional Minestrone Soup by adding in a bunch of vegetables to bulk it up and using cheesy tortellini for the pasta.  Comfort food at it’s finest ~ this soup is chalked full of veggie goodness and a complete meal in a bowl.

MINESTRONE SOUP WITH TORTELLINI (print here)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz lean Canadian style bacon, diced
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 28 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz fire roasted, diced tomatoes with garlic
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• A few pinches crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch organic kale, roughly chopped
• 1 package tortellini, I used pesto flavored or 1/4 pound uncooked whole-wheat pasta
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil plus Canadian bacon and cook 1-2 minutes until slightly browned.

2.  Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot; cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

3.  Add the tomatoes, broth, beans, spices and kale, bring to a boil.

4.  Add tortellini/pasta; return to a boil and cook until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes for the tortellini and 8 minutes for the pasta.

5.  Remove from the heat and stir in the basil, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

* Make it VEGETARIAN by subbing the Canadian bacon for fakin’bacon or omitting.

** Make it VEGAN, by omitting the Canadian bacon, plus cheese and using Whole Wheat Pasta for the Tortellini.

Makes eight, 1 1/2 cup servings, 6 Points+ each!

Nutritional Information per serving

STEP-BY-STEP:

Canadian Bacon is by far the “healthiest” bacons you can get, in my opinion.  I liked the version at Trader Joe’s (surprised!) because of it’s awesome stats.

Start off by adding olive oil with your diced Canadian bacon to “brown” it over medium heat.

Add your garlic, onion, carrot and celery cooking until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add kale, tomatoes, beans, broth and bring to a boil.

Plus spices!

This is your optional step.  I LOVE mixing up a traditional recipe with something fun!  Why add plain WW pasta when you can add Trader Joe’s Pesto Tortellini.

Add your choice of pasta and cook according to the package instructions ~ about 5 minutes for the tortellini.

Remove from heat and stir in your chopped basil.

If desired, top with parmesan and Enjoy!

This is the type of soup that is fantastic the first day but even better the next as all the flavors blend together.  It’s total comfort that packed with veggies and healthy!  What more could you ask for? Try it and get creative with your mix-in’s.

Thanks everyone for being so understanding on my last post about my struggle to find balance and for your tips.  I know it time I will find my groove again…..for now ~ I hope you enjoyed this recipe from my archives, it is by far one I NEED to make again ~ YUM!

You still have time to win your signed copy of Rocco’s new book!

Tomorrow I head over to TJ’s Test Kitchen for a fun Fit Bloggin’ Pizza~tastic day!

Night all!

Happy Friday Eve all!! Yesterday I told you all my pre-workout breakfast would be something different because I was out of eggs.  I NEVER said it would be a pretty picture though LOL.  This was me being super tired at 5 AM and not caring how the picture turned out ~ oops.  It was tasty even though it may not look like it.

Banana plus Trader Joe’s Sweet Maple Chicken Apple Sausage (3 points+)

Today I decided to do a Weights Workout.  When I do strength training I always like to make sure I don’t’ have any DOWN time.  For example, I will work my biceps, then, while my arms rest, I work my legs.  Today’s workout went a little like this:

* 5 minute warm up on the treadmill followed with a little stretching

Then, I did 3 sets of 10-12 on each of the following always in constant motion

* Leg Press and Chest Press

* Calf Raises and Bicep Curls

* Hamstring Curls and Static Tricep Press

* Lat Pull Downs and Crunches (regular, oblique’s and leg raises)

* Seated Row and Sumo Squats

* 5 minutes of deep static stretching

It’s funny how I am actually HUNGRIER after a strength training session than I am after cardio.  I couldn’t wait to bust into my Egg-Wich (5 points+)

I FINALLY ate the lunch today that I had planned on eating all week and it was AWESOME.  I was originally planning on making this Caribbean Citrus and Beet Salad.  However, I never got around to making the chicken.

CITRUS AND BEET SALAD

* 2 cups Organic Mixed Greens

* 1 cup roasted beets

* 1 orange, sectioned

* 2 Tbsp Pistachios (I used the BBQ ones I got at the Farmer’s Market)

* 1 Tbsp Shaved Parmesan

* 1 Tbsp Newman’s Lite Lime Vinaigrette

Start with the mixed greens and layer all on the toppings finishing with the dressing.

Makes 1 HUGE salad for 4 points+

I think the textures and flavors really make this salad phenomenal.  The sweet beets are complimented by the citrus in the dressing and oranges with hints of saltiness from the parmesan and the nuts.  The pistachios give another layer of flavor and crunch.

For my “bread”, I had 1/2 a Lentil Bolani toasted and topped with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce…..LOVE!!! (3 points+)

Mid afternoon I snacked on the last of our watermelon.

The CRAZIEST thing happened on my way home tonight. When I left work and hopped on the train it was a sunny day.  On the ride home, I was actually pondering a nap when the conductor said that had to stop the train because they needed to clear the snow from the track.  I thought maybe I just didn’t understand her because I was so tired.

The only thing was when I got off the train it was SNOWING!!!  I can say as long as I have lived where I do it has snowed only one time in my life.

Luckily I decided on tennis shoes for my train ride today versus the flip flops I have been wearing all week.  So crazy, but, so cool too…well, not the getting drenched in snow/rain and having no umbrella part

I was planning on grilling These Maple Turkey Burgers outside on the grill, but, since lightning was striking everywhere, I thought that may not be a good idea.

I snacked on some Low-Fat Sharp Cheddar (2 points+)

I decided that since it was SNOWING IN CALIFORNIA where it’s not supposed to snow that soup was in order.  I have wanted to make TJ’s Italian Wedding Soup ever since she shared the recipe over at Friends for Weight Loss.

The only thing is I am bad about sticking to recipes so here is my spin on her recipe.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/2 pound Italian Turkey sausage(removed from casings)
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsps. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Soup

• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, quartered and diced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes, not in oil
• 4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix ground turkey through 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Roll into 1/2 inch meatballs.  I used my cookie scooper to make sure they were all the same size.  I made 60 meatballs.

3.  Place on cookie sheet & bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

4.  Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add onion through 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook 4-5 minutes, until softened.

5.  Add sun dried tomatoes, broth and all of the meatballs.  Cook for 10 minutes (it really flavors the broth).  Remove from heat and wilt in spinach.

Makes 6 servings with 10 meatballs, 7 Points+ each

Nutritional information per serving

STEP-BY-STEP

Mix together all the ingredients to make the meatballs in a large bowl.

Form into 1/2 inch meatballs….TJ, sorry, but, my balls must be bigger than yours….I made 60, not 99. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the “soup”.  Saute the veggies.

Add in the Italian seasoning….

Roughly chopped sun dried tomatoes (this was the rest of my bag leftover from the Chicken Rollatini)

Add in broth….

Then the cooked meatballs and cook for 10 minutes.  The meatballs really flavor the broth.

Remove from heat and wilt in spinach.

Scoop out 10 meatballs and all the broth/veggies you want.  I actually have never even had a REAL DEAL Italian Wedding Soup so I can’t say if I made it taste like that.  The meatballs are packed with flavor and make this soup fantastic.

We both LOVED this…The Husband had 3 servings ~ 30 meatballs LOL!

I really wanted something bread like with it but I wasn’t going to get poured on in the rain/snow again to go out to the garage freezer to get the garlic bread.  I settled for an Orowheat Double Fiber English Muffin topped with 1 Tbsp whipped butter (5 points+)

The END ~ DOVE LOVE (4 points+)

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Shannon shares her recipe for 2 Points+ Maple Cinnamon Mini Donuts!!!

Q’s

Given the Choice would you pick SOUP OR SALAD?

I am a total salad girl and will pick it over soup any day.  However, give me homemade soup on a rainy day and I will definitely skip the salad.

Night all!

Happy Spring everyone ~ although with all the crazy rain we are having in California it’s hard to believe it’s Spring!  It’s ok, I know our sunshine is just around the corner.

I started off my day by going to my Weight Watchers meeting.  I LOVED that we had a smaller group due to the rain and it was just like a bunch of gabbing about our successes/challenges this past week.

I actually weighed in backwards this week so I didn’t see my number.  I didn’t want to know good or bad how I did because honestly sometimes the scale dictates my mood.  I am in my own little zone working the program ~ I am motivated and slowly getting back into my groove!  I feel like I have had a successful week and I am proud of the fact that I worked out 5 days.  I don’t want anything to break that, but, I did  want my weight to be recorded LOL.  I will give you all the full 2 week update when I take a peak next week.

When I got home, I whipped up Eggwiches for The Husband and I.

* 2 slices of Trader Joe’s FF Multi-Grain Bread (3 points+)

* 1 “fried” egg (2 points+)

* 1 tsp Whipped Butter (1 point+)

After breakfast we decided to brave the crazy rain we have been having to head to Starbuck’s and stock up for the week.  I got a Grande Dirty Latte (4 points+)

When we got home all I really wanted was Cilantro Potsticker Soup.  But, The Husband talked me into to having our Homemade Chicken Potstickers and making soup for dinner.

8 Chicken Potstickers for 5 Points+

Spicy Asian Peanut Slaw (2 Points+)

* 1 cup Trader Joe’s Organic Broccoli Slaw

* 1/2 cup Organic Carrots

* 2 Tbsp Trader Joe’s LF Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

* Sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

Dessert was as big bowl of cantaloupe ~ it totally hit that “sweet” spot when you want something sweet after a saltier meal.

Seeing all this food I got to eat for 7 Points+ made it worth having to wash all these dishes

Mid-afternoon I wanted to snack away as I worked and watched movies.  I really eyed the chips but in the end I opted for a Trader Joe’s Lite String Cheese (1 points+) and a banana.

Since I am determined to NOT get sick, dinner was chicken noodle soup.  I have wanted to make Giada’s Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti ever since I saw the episode air.

It is super easy to make, but, I think next time I’d use from scratch broth as I think it just makes soup taste better and I’d bulk up the veggies. 

I pretty much followed her recipe except I used only 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and I doubled the spaghetti noodles (6 points+)

I LOVE pesto and bread so I knew I had to make Giada’s Pea Pesto Crostini to go with the soup.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this spin on Pesto!  First off before you make it, know it tastes nothing like pesto.  It tastes like peas with hints of garlic and cheese.  I could eat it by the spoon, but, having it on the toasted bread with the tomatoes was AWESOME!

I only used 2 Tbsp Olive Oil and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to lighten up her recipe.

I had one serving with the bread (I used a mini sourdough baguette) for 5 points+

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* New Tip of the Week & Cheesy BBQ Pita Pizza Guest Recipe ~ check them out at the bottom of the page!

* This week’s Challenge ~ If you bite it, you write it ~ are you in???

* Only TWO days left to enter to win a $50 Trader Joe’s Shopping Spree

HERE IS WHAT IS ON THE MENU THIS WEEK

I think I personally do better when I have more protein in my diet so this week’s menu is all about protein. I will be posting these recipes as I make them ~ I can’t wait!

* TJ’s Turkey Tostadas

* Spicy Teriyaki Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Green Beans

* Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork, Parmesan Risotto, Parmesan Squash

* Broccoli Chicken with Black Bean Sauce over Brown Rice

* Slow Cooker Southwestern Steak Tacos

* CEiMB ~ Blueberry Streusel Cake

Q’s

What is on your menu this week?  Are you making anything new?

Majority of our menu is all NEW ~ I know The Husband cannot wait to try my “science projects”!  I am actually really excited about this week’s menu since I know I will need fast eats with my new work schedule.

I know I am behind on your emails and comments ~ I promise to get caught up this week!  It has been a super busy weekend.

Night all!

I have been on a quest to make the PERFECT Fresh Healthy Tomato Basil Soup that is not cream based ever since we had it one Christmas in Michigan at the 42nd parallel café.  I LOVE fresh, hearty vegetable soups, but, often find most of them are cream based and high in fat.  I always am disappointed when I hear that they add CREAM to my healthy soup since I am not a big fan of cream based soups. I am sure this soup is better in the summer,but, I couldn’t wait THAT long

I really feel like adding sun dried tomatoes is the secret to this fabulous soup and a great addition to any meal to help you get in more veggies.

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large red onion, diced

½ c chopped celery

½ c chopped carrot

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

4 cups whole roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 jar sun dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed

4 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth (you could use vegetable)

1 c picked basil leaves

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes plus more for topping

1 Tbsp shaved parmesan plus additional sprinkles for topping, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  In a large saucepan and a little olive oil, caramelize the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and brown sugar.

2.  Add the tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt & pepper.

3.  Add the stock, simmer on low heat until very soft, at least 20 minutes. Add the basil and puree.

4.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.  Check for seasoning and enjoy!

Makes 6 1 1/2 cup servings

Nutritional information per serving:

STEP-BY-STEPS:

1.  Caramelize your onions through brown sugar.

You know they are slightly caramelized when you see them brown slightly.

2.  While your vegetables are caramelizing, chop your tomatoes.

3.  Add your tomatoes plus a little salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer.

Stir in your broth and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.

4.  Stir in your basil.

5.  Use your Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender to puree your soup.

I LOVE THIS Hand Blender because it’s easy to use, powerful to puree, yet, not splash all over the place (like the cheaper versions) and you don’t need to pour your hot soup in a blender (spilling it along the way).  It’s my FAVORITE go to gadget any time I am trying to make a creamy, rich pureed soup.  You can find the one I use in My Open Sky Shop. (HINT ~ solve the Jigsaw puzzle on My Open Sky Tab and get 15% off your order)

30 seconds later ~ tadah!!! Creamy, rich, CREAMLESS Fresh Tomato Basil Soup.

Add a little fresh parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes for good measure.

This soup definitely gets better the longer it sits and it freezes well too.

Add this recipe to your recipe collection by clicking the Spring It Button ~ !

Enjoy!

Last night I decided it’s been too long since I’ve made up a big batch of Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats.  Steel Cut Oats are My FAVORITE type of oat because they are completely unrefined and they have such a chewy texture that almost “pops” in your mouth.  I am pretty sure once you try REAL Steel Cut Oats (NOT the Quick Cooking Kind), it will be hard for you to go back to regular oatmeal.  This recipe is so easy and you wake to a big pot of Steel Cut Oats.

CROCKPOT STEEL CUT OATS WITH PEACHES & BLUEBERRIES

INGREDIENTS:

3 C Steel Cut Oats (I used Trader Joe’s)

1/4 C Ground Flax Seeds

8 C water

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract (I used Bourbon Vanilla )

Pinch of Salt, optional

1 lb frozen peaches

1-2 c frozen blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Spray your crock pot with nonstick spray or use a crock pot liner.  DO NOT SKIP this step you will be scrubbing for days.

2.  Combine all the ingredients in your crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

3.  Remove cinnamon sticks.  Serve with your favorite toppings.  I LOVE making this into a dessert and using brown sugar, whipped butter and coconut.

Makes 10 cups, 4 points per cup.

Nutritional information per serving (I think this estimate is high ~ calculated at sparksrecipes.com):

Calories 216.8, Total Fat 4.6 g, Saturated Fat 0.1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 51.9 mg, Potassium 97.0 mg, Total Carbohydrate 39.4 g, Dietary Fiber 6.8 g, Sugars 9.7 g, Protein 6.9 g

I didn’t really do any step by steps for this recipe.  I fill my crock pot to the brim and all the fruit rises at it cooks over night.

Once you mix it all up, it looks like delicious oats with firm fruit.  It freezes AWESOME too, just be sure to portion into 1 cup containers.  A little water might be needed when heating.

I made a BIG 6 point bowl of comfort ~ topped with 1/2 Tbsp Whipped Butter, 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar and a sprinkle of unsweetened organic coconut.

MELTED brown sugar + whipped butter = CARAMEL ~ this tastes just like PEACH COBBLER in every bite if you don’t mix it up!

Mid morning I snacked on a LF Cabot Cheese and small Banana (2 pts)

Last night I was sort of on a roll with preparing foods for the week.  I whipped up a Batch of Harvest Grain Salad.  I had a 1/2 cup (4 pt) serving over mixed greens with mini peppers, an 1/8 of Avocado (1 pt) and Beniisimo Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar.

Flavored Balsamic Vinegars are my FAVORITE salad topper because they add pretty much zero calories and TONS of flavor.

Since I am debating if I have a cold or not, I added a cup of Muir Glen Organic Chicken Noodle Soup for good measure (2 pts).

And a perfectly hard boiled egg ~ 2 points of Protein

My AWESOME co-worker brought me my FAVORITE ChocoLOVE bar today so I knew that my afternoon snack was ALL ABOUT CHOCOLOVE!

Several of you have ask if their chocolate is really THAT good or why I LOVE it.  To me, it’s awesome because they include FULL SIZED ALMONDS plus just hints of sea salt with a super creamy, smooth dark chocolate.  I had 6 squares for 3 points (160 calories) which is totally worth it!

By the time I got home, I was pretty much feeling like I have a cold.  I decided I NEEDED some spicy soup to scare my cold away.  Awhile back, I saw that Biz made THIS VEGETABLE PHO soup and I have been wanting to make it ~ PHO is one of my FAVORITE soups around!  I wanted her entire meal actually but I was too lazy to make it all so I put a spin on it!

I started off combining the broth, ginger, jalapeño, pepper corn and cinnamon chips.  I was hesitant to add the cinnamon but it honestly added an AMAZING new level of flavor.

While my broth boiled, I chopped up some veggies I had on hand ~ cabbage, carrots, green onion and cilantro.

I pulled out some of the TJ’s MINI Chicken Cilantro Won Tons that I used when I made my Chicken Cilantro Potsticker Veggie Soup.

I removed everything in the chicken broth and added the cabbage and carrots.  I cooked them for 5 minutes, then added 12 mini wontons plus the jalepeno slices, oyster sauce and sriracha.  I let it cook for 2 minutes.

Tadahhhh! 4 points of deliciousness!

But, you know I couldn’t leave it alone ~ I doused it with more Sriracha!  Super HOT ~ hopefully I “singed” my cold away!

I think I could eat a million of these mini won tons ~ so good!

See, I actually did buy the won ton/pot sticker wrappers to make her Thai Basil Won Ton Cups too, but my cold wouldn’t let me So, I ended up just baking 5 of them at 350 for 8 minutes.  They are pretty tasty and would be awesome topped with some parmesan and black pepper. (2 pts)

I washed it all down with some Sobe Forti-FIGHT!

Plus, broke out my Greenergy to take along with my vitamins.

FUN STUFF TODAY!!! 

* I WON!! Biz held a giveaway to celebrate her birthday last week and I was the LUCKY winner today ~ woohoo!  Check out what I won – SO EXCITED!  Thanks BIZ!

 * Tomorrow (03/23) Is FREE Pastry Day @Starbucks ~ Get a FREE pastry w/any drink order PRINT YOUR COUPON and tell me what you got!

* Not that this is related to anything in particular, but, this cool chart for Food Storage came in my Eat Clean Diet Newsletter ~ thought I’d share.

My book and BED are calling my NAME ~ I hope this COLD goes AWAY soon!

Night all!

Happy Friday, er, weekend all!  I am so excited for the LONG weekend because we have a bunch of fun birthday stuff planned (well, if the weather doesn’t rain buckets).  I started my weekend off early this afternoon by getting out of work early, relaxing, doing a little yoga and a little experimenting with new TJ’s products and in the kitchen.

Breakfast was one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES ~ A WAFFLEWICH!

2 Kashi Strawberry Flax Protein Waffles

1 Tbsp Crunchy Almond Butte

1 Tbsp Organic Apricot Preserves

1 small banana

It is worth ALL 7 pts and kept me going all morning.

I LOVE it when you are super busy (even on a Friday) because time flies by.  I had a working lunch so I could head out of the office early today.  I continued in my quest to clear out our freezer and pulled out this ALL NATURAL Asian Potsticker Healthy Choice Entree from the Freezer courtesy of Healthy Choice.  I LOVE Potstickers so I couldn’t wait to try this one out.

The stats are not too bad….The entire meal is 7 pts.

I LOVED the ingredient list and that companies are getting on board with REAL ingredients you can recognize….nothing funky.  WTG HC!

My first impression was that I LOVED seeing BIG vegetable pieces.  So many dinners claim to have vegetables, but, they don’t really have that many or they are super small.  I absolutely LOVED the potstickers ~ they were dense and chewy and their sauce is sweet plus spicy.  I honestly think I could eat an entire meal of just the potstickers plus veggies, trading in the rice

I added a crisp salad with TJ’s LF Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola dressing to round.

I was super snacky this afternoon so I decided to bust out a snack that I could totally eat a bunch of for very little points.  I am not a BIG fan of plain popcorn, so I decided to spice it up a bit.

SALTY CARAMELY CINNAMON POPCORN!!!

You can make it one of two ways.

1.  OPTION ONE

5 c air popped popcorn

1 tsp agave nectar

1/2 tsp water

dash of sea salt

sprinkles of cinnamon

Mix agave and water – drizzle over popcorn.  Add a dash of salt and sprinkles of cinnamon.

2.  OPTION TWO

Follow the above, but, use microwave Smart Butter pop and omit the sea salt.

Salty, sweet, and crunchy.  I LOVED this total random creation.  I like using agave because you use less than sugar so you don’t add any points.  If you have a mister, it could be even better.

I rounded out my snack with a LF Colby cheese while having a CSI marathon ~ awesome!

It was so nice to get off early and just relax.  I did a little YogaDownload.com Gentle Hatha Yoga, then, headed out to Trader Joe’s to pick up some dinner supplies.  I couldn’t resist picking up a few of their new items.

I LOVE their Dark Chocolate POM seeds, so I knew I had to try these, pretty much as soon as I walked in the door.  I am all about POWER BERRIES!

When I bought then I actually thought that the fruits were all separate.  I had to re-read the package to realize they were all combined.  I had 4 pieces (4 fruits LOL) ~ the flavor is hard to describe but they are pretty tasty.  Very chocolately loaded with a tart/slightly sweet fruit filling. 

I had been pondering all sorts of ideas for what to make for dinner tonight, but, nothing sounded really good.  So, I hopped on Cookinglight.com to see if anything stood out to me as a must try. 

Since I have been craving soups, I went straight to their 20/20 Soups ~ 20 Super Fast Soups in 20 minutes.

Sausage & Spinach Soup

I pretty much followed THE RECIPE, but, I added a splash of wine, doubled the spinach and added some freshly ground pepper with a pinch of crush red pepper flakes for spice.  I LOVED it and bet it will be even better the next day.

1 serving is HUGE too ~ 1 1/2 cups for 5 points.

I served it up with a TJ’s Ciabatta roll topped with light butter, garlic salt and black pepper. (3 pts)

All together it was completely warm, comforting and filling.

I am off to relax with The Husband and watch some show he is addicted to (The Jersey Shore) or something like that.

I am SOOO EXCITED for tomorrow night.  We are meeting up with my family at my ALL TIME FAVORITE sushi place to celebrate my birthday party.  I LOVE it because my sis and niece LOVE sushi too so we can get a TON of rolls to share while The Husband and everyone else will get something like teriyaki beef   Can’t wait, can’t wait.  I am glad to have my long run of 5 miles (hopefully) so I can make sure I have a BIG calorie deficit to enjoy with

See you all late Saturday night or Sunday morning for a recap.

Nite all!

I LOVE thick, hearty and rich vegetable based soups in the winter.  This soup has so much flavor that there really is NO cream required. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make and by the flavor.  The onion, garlic and ginger give it a nice spice, while the brown sugar and squash sweeten it slightly.  I actually learned how to make this simple Butternut Squash soup during my Bikini Bootcamp Challenge.  I LOVE how the challenge always had you start each dinner with a broth based soup so that you would eat less during dinner.  If you want more low calorie soup recipes like this, be sure to check out the Bikini Bootcamp Challenge or look up my Soups tag.

The BEST part is the fun toppings and add-ins you can use to make it a meal,  just have it as is for a snack or before dinner.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

3 c low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Optional topping: Toasted pumpkin seeds or almond slivers for garnish

Optional add in: Serve over steamed vegetables ~ My NEW FAVORITE way to make this filling soup even heartier.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft, but, not browned.  Stir in the brown sugar and set aside.

2.  Cook the squash in a large pot with the broth until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

3.  Remove the squash from the heat, but do not drain.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic-ginger mixture.

4.  Work in batches, transfer the soup to a food process or blender and process until smooth.

5.  Return the soup to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes longer.  Season with salt and pepper.

6.  Top each serving with a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds or almond slices.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 heaping 1 cup servings

Nutritional information per serving (excluding toppings or add-ins):

Calories 136.6,  Total Fat 3.6 g, Saturated Fat 0.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g,  Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg,  Sodium 62.5 mg, Potassium 522.2 mg, Total Carbohydrate 25.1 g, Dietary Fiber 5.3 g, Sugars 0.0 g, Protein 3.4 g

This soup FREEZES well.  I like making up a big pot and freeze half for the nights when you just don’t want to cook. I added this to my SpringIt so you all can add it to your collection.

Have a great night all!  I will be back tomorrow with my daily recap and my first LONG run recap.  Fun!

Nite all!

Is it Friday yet?? Ok…well, at least it’s ALMOST here Since I have been waking up starving, I decided to go with a more filling breakfast that balanced our protein, carbs, fiber and fat.  I whipped up a 6 point Egg Sandwich on Trader Joe’s FAa Free Multi-Grain Bread with a “fried” in nonstick spray egg and whipped butter. 

FUN FACT ~ Did you all know that whipped butter is 1 Weight Watcher Point less than the non whipped version (2 pts versus 3 ~ bonus plan!)

My breakfast theory didn’t work this time….After about 2 hours I was STARVING.  I waited 3 hours and had a substantial 4 point snack.

I brought my TJ’s Dark Chocolate Pomegranate seeds today to share (I am such a nice co-worker, huh?!)  So, I had 2 Tbsp for 2 points savoring each one.  It definitely did the trick and finally satisfying me

As you all probably know by now, I LOVE Mammarella’s for their GIGANTIC Beet Chicken salad.  However, I have forever been wanting to try the Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi and today figured I was going all out to try it.  I tried on Monday when I went with The Husband and they were all out.  So, when, my co-worker and I headed there today, I was FOR SURE they’d have it.  No such luck ~ me + Gnocchi is not meant to be. 

I completely didn’t know what to order when they told me they didn’t have it AGAIN! I went with what the server recommended.

I started off with a cup of FANTASTIC tomato basil soup ~ I’d definitely get this again.  I did ask if it was cream based before ordering and the cook said he used 1 1/2 cups to 2 gallons of vegetable broth.  I counted that as not being cream based (I guesstimated it at 2 points)

Plus a cute couple pieces of bread.

Then, the odd part of my lunch came out ~ A Chicken Quesadilla (from this ITALIAN place).

It looks really good, but, it was eh, ok.  It’s not something special so I probably wouldn’t order it again.  I always think when you go out, the food should be better than you can make at home (6 point guesstimate based on ww online)

I started thinking I should’ve TOTALLY just had the GIA for my ENTIRE meal. It’s a Nutella banana Calzone topped with powdered sugar and cocoa powder. TOTAL HEAVEN!!!  I guesstimated my serving as 6 points and worth EVERYONE even though it left me with very little points left.

I figured since I went a little crazy at lunch and was FINALLY full that dinner needed to be something on the lighter side.  I whipped out another pack of frozen veggies (told you all I bought a TON of these Green Giant Packs – LOVE them!)  The immunity blend is ok, but, it does seem like a frozen veggie to me.

1 point a serving!

With a good ingredient list.

I took 1 cup of veggies and then added the STAR INGREDIENT….

I pulled a batch of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup that I made during the Bikini Bootcamp Challenge from the freezer! 

Then topped it with sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a few roasted almond slices.

OMG ~ I NOW know why I FREEZE everything ~ this totally hit the spot and I am completely stuffed.  All together my soup was 4 points and I’d definitely say I met my fruit/veggie requirement .

I have been super tired and SORE all day so I am giving my legs a REST today.  I am definitely getting to bed early tonight to get up for an early morning 3 mile run tomorrow.

You have one more day to WIN THIS SOUPER PRIZE!

Off to read my new book and relax ~ Nite all!

P.S. ~ Leave a comment below if you would like me to type up the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe and I will