Tag Archives: soup

Indecisive Weather

Mid-80s.

Windy.

Freezing.

Drizzly.

Back to near 70*.

The January weather can’t seem to make up it’s mind. I love winter beach days, but truth be told, we need rain and I want a few more fires in the fireplace before Spring!

Yesterday we had the perfect family day. We attended Saturday evening mass so we were able to sleep in!

Elliott made Holden breakfast in bed, we dropped bags and bags off for Saint Vincent De Paul, browsed Old Navy, had lunch at a new fave, Sharky’s {Jay & I split the shrimp tempura burrito!}, took Holden for a haircut, I got our breakfasts for the week prepared {muffin tin fritattas ~ will share the recipe once I get it tweaked a bit}, Holden finished about 50% of this week’s homework, made Pioneer Woman’s Hamburger Soup for dinner and after I got the kiddos tucked into bed, I watched Sean & Catherine’s wedding! Did anyone else catch it? My favorite was the ceremony seating with the mix of benches, vintage wing back chairs and couches….love, love, love.

Back to the soup…

It was amazing and so healthy and full of flavor. Warning: there is a lot of chopping, but totally worth it.

soup1

The only change I made was to add a whole head of garlic and doubled the cayenne. 😉

It was perfect and I can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow night.

soup2

A big hunk of crusty bread would put this over the top.

But it’s fantastic bread-less, too.

Again, original recipe found here.

*****

What’s the weather been like in your neck of the woods?

Crock Pot Rx

Last week I was fighting some sneezing, sore throat and stuffy nose business. It lingered for over a week so when I heard about this soup, I nearly ran to the store for the ingredients!

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

{recipe adapted slightly from Jen over at Craft-O-Maniac}

1/2 bag {or so} baby carrots cut in thirds
4 celery stalks rinsed and cut into smallish chunks
1/2 onion, chopped
1 32 oz. carton chicken stock
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk {I used 1/2 cup 1% and 1/2 cup whole}
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dry thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or 4-5  boneless skinless chicken breasts {can be frozen}
Place the chicken stock, 2 cans of soup, water, milk and seasonings in the crock pot and whisk together. Place the frozen chicken breasts/tenders and chopped veggies in the crock pot. Cook low 4-6 hrs. Pull out the chicken breasts within the last hour and shred with two forks and put back in crock pot.
Boil and cook one bag of egg noodles {per package directions}, rinse, drain, and add to the soup during the last 20 minutes or so.
Ladle up, add some Sriracha if you wish and slurp away!
It totally helped my cold.
Happy Monday.

Soup’s On

I am constantly looking for recipes that are Weight Watcher friendly/healthy AND delicious.

{P}interestingly enough, I spotted this soup and it fit the bill.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I am not a huge fan of bell peppers, but this soup looked amazing and once they’re cooked, their flavor becomes a little more pleasant, in my opinion.

{Next time I will use a mix of green, red and maybe yellow peppers}

This gorgeous weather we’ve had during these early January days has seemed to cool off plenty at night to warrant a nice bowl of soup, so that’s what was for dinner last night.

It is SUPER filling ~ a serving size is 1 1/3 cup soup with 1/2 cup rice ~ I went ahead and just used 1/3 cup brown jasmine rice and it was plenty!

This soup is so flavorful and guilt-free that I want to eat it for days….but I won’t because I don’t want to tire of it.

It will for sure be on the rotation from now on ~ maybe not in the summer, but most definitely in the cooler months.

This recipe also calls for a spice that I had never used before ~ marjoram. {It is likened to oregano} I always enjoy adding a new spice to my spice drawer.

TIP: Some spics can be expensive. Before you commit to a larger jar, check the international food aisles….sometimes they have small packets for under a dollar. Sprouts also has spices by the ounce so you can get just what you need and save some money until you know if you’ll utilize it.

*****

If you’re looking for a dinner that comes together quickly, is full of flavor and not calories, I highly suggest this satisfying soup.

Happy Tuesday!

Prelude To The Turkey

Last Friday while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I remembered it was a {short week} and that took the pressure off a little as far as meal planning and packing lunches go. I gave in and purchased two Lunchables for Elliott for Monday and Tuesday, but made up for it with our dinners!

We tried several new recipes this week that I wanted to pass along…are you ready?

French Onion Soup {a favorite of Jay’s}

This was my first ever attempt at this soup. I looked at several recipes before settling on the one from Epicurious…very pleased with the way it turned out, though. I found the little ramekins at Ross for $1.99 each. They were the perfect size for two ladles of soup and two baguette croutons. Gruyere is about $20 a pound, but so worth it {I got 8 ounces at Sprouts for a little over $10}!

BLT Pasta Salad {via Pinterest}

Spotted this and realized I had every single ingredient ~ the perfect way to use up several tomatoes on the vine, some center cut bacon, a head of romaine, some green onions {in place of the chives} and the last of some light sour cream! I even had a box of whole wheat penne in the pantry. This could totally pass for a main course salad.

Bombay Sloppy Joes {courtesy of cute Aarti from Food Network}

Sloppy Joe goes exotic! When I first spotted these, I filed them away in my mental food rolodex. I love Indian flavors and knew that these would be right up  my alley. The slight sweetness comes from just a bit of honey and raisins and the kick comes from serrano peppers! The house smelled divine as this was cooking up. I will never buy Manwich again. We’ve been making Rachael Ray’s homemade sloppy joes for years, but these are a nice twist.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes {again, via Pinterest}

Not a great pic, but they were soooo yummy. We had our neighbors over in their pajamas this morning, brewed a huge pot of coffee and enjoyed these. This was one of the new traditions on this year’s holiday list {click on the link if you want to see how the pancakes are really supposed to look ~ ha!}. You could certainly use pancake mix, but I made this from scratch as the recipe suggests and it was a cinch. I made mini silver dollar size by using a tablespoon to measure out the batter. The cream cheese drizzle puts them over the top!

*****

Looking forward to Mr. Turkey and all his side dish friends tomorrow.

I am learning that a lot of people don’t care for the green bean casserole with the dried onions….I love it! It kind of wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.

What is the one thing that is a must on your Turkey Day table?

Rabbit Food & Rabbit Ears

We’re on like night four of salad, protein and no carb for dinner.

I’m certain Jay is dreaming of pasta, rice, tortillas and bread.

Last night I made my favorite burgers {turkey with horseradish & cheddar cheese} and we ate them sans buns.

With salad.

{mixed greens, carrots, red pepper, sugar snap peas, cucumber, red onion, raisins, blue cheese, garbanzo beans and light ranch}.

Tonight we’re having the SAME thing.

Although, I’m adding some curried carrot soup…again, one of my faves and super easy.

Looks like I’m going to have to do some serious meal planning action.

Fortunately there is a Cooking Light subscription with my name on it making it’s way to the mailbox soon.

I need some new ideas.

Stay tuned…..more new recipes to come!

And speaking of staying tuned….we’re NOT going to be….we’ve {Jay} has decided that for the first quarter of 2011 we’re turning off Direct TV.

No Bravo.

I’m dying inside.

And then he informs me that the new TVs these days do not have antennas so you can’t even get a fuzzy showing of local channels!

A pair of old skool rabbit ears is looking pretty attractive right now.

BUT…

I think it will be good. I can’t imagine how much more I’ll/we’ll get done without our dear friend, Mr. Samsung. Last night as I was in the workout room watching RHofBH, I thought at least I may get more elliptical and treadmill time in if I HAVE to go to the gym at night to watch TV!

It’ll be interesting to see how it goes ~ it could go either way.

Who wants to invite us over to watch the Superbowl?

*****

On another note, here is a hint {a big one} of the theme of Holden’s birthday next month:

{via}

The planning is {ablaze}…..

*****

Happy Friday Floppers!

Fall Inspired Friday Night Fare

Turkey Burgers with Horseradish & Cheddar Cheese

…and…

Curried Carrot Soup

Cranberry sauce makes these burgers.

I made slider-size tonight.

Less guilt.

Please, please try these burgers.

And the soup.

You can leave out the cayenne if you don’t like a kick.

But the soup looks and tastes like there is cream involved.

No cream.

Just curried yumminess.

It felt like Fall tonight at the table with the cranberry & curry flavors.

Only 40 more days!

Tootsie Pop, Turtle Pool & Taco Soup

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

*****

It was a gorgeous 86* today…Emilie’s turtle pool made an appearance:

And then the 3-5 year old Extreme Sliding Games began:

Ahhhhh, to be young again….

*****

Taco Soup was on the menu this evening.

Almost like chili, but not quite.

Here’s the line-up:

(I like to add a diced onion)

Then doctor it up with just a bit of shredded cheese, a dollop of light sour cream, a few chunks of avocado & last but certainly not least, a sprinkling of cilantro confetti.

I served it with Jalapeño Spiked Cornbread Muffins.

This was my first attempt at these and they turned out perfect. I like to use Marie Callender’s mix ~ all you need is 1.5 cups water and about 20 jalapeños, chopped. Whisk water and mix first and then stir in the spicy goodness. I used cupcake liners for easy clean up. Bake @ 375* for 20 minutes.

{Makes 1 dozen}

A little sweet. A little spicy.

Perfect with the soup.

A little cinnamon honey butter is super yummy, too or you can just crumble your muffin into your bowl!

Note: This soup is a WW recipe if you use ground turkey. I splurged and used about 1.25 pounds 80/20 ground beef tonight. I also added a small (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce and about half a can (4 oz.) of water to thin it out a bit. I don’t like it too thick….it was perfect.

*****

Improve Your Eyesight

Don’t you remember growing up you always heard, “Eat your carrots…they’re good for your eyes!”

I heart carrots. I know they’re not the best veggie out there, but hey, they’re veggies.

I also love curry. So naturally, when I came across this soup, I tried it.

Curried Carrot Soup

It’s another one of those recipes that use very few ingredients.

carrot

Everyone thinks that there is cream in this soup. Nope. No dairy. Guilt free. With just the right amount of kick from the cayenne pepper. Today I served the soup with egg salad tea sandwiches…not a bad combination. Even my good friend who isn’t a soup lover gave it her stamp of approval! Thanks, K!

soupafter

Soupy Tuesday

This is the easiest soup on the planet. Another recipe by way of my sister!

Black Bean & Salsa Soup

4 ingredients + 2 toppings = Quick & easy meal

I use chicken broth in place of the veggie broth. Instead of the green onions, I substitute just a bit of shredded cheese and/or a lowfat sour cream.

Sometimes I serve with pepper jack grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadilla triangles.

Enjoy!

soup

Healthy, Hearty Soup

OK, so after the post about holiday traditions, I felt guilty about all those calorie laden comfort food recipes I included!

I wanted to make sure you knew that I do try to eat healthy, too! My sister turned me onto this soup and I have made it lots over the past couple months. I must say that the beans make this soup a “meal” – for me anyway. Jay appreciates a grilled ham & cheese alongside his.

I make a big pot of this and eat it for days. It gets better the longer it sits.

Here are the ingredients:

ingredients

And here is the final product. Something you can feel GOOD about eating during the holidays!

soup

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Enjoy! ‘Tis the season for SOUP!