Category Archives: Soup

Lighter Corn Chowder

Lighter Corn Chowder, Uncategorized March 28, 2012 Comments: 29

I really enjoyed my morning yesterday.  I was up around 6:30.  I don’t have to leave my house until about 8:10, so it was nice to just blog, read blogs, put my food together, shower and not feel like I was rushed.  My problem lately?  I’ve been staying up until 11:30 or later!  I am too old for that so for my exciting new plan starting Saturday for the month of April (to be announced on Saturday April 1!) my plan is to get to bed no later than 10:30.

So one thing I noticed is that I can toggle between the tracking points and the Simply Filling plan on WW.  At the end of last night I had 28 flex points remaining for the week and when I switched the eTools back to tracking points, my flex points stayed at 28 – I wasn’t sure how that would work out!

I ended up having two open face english muffin sandwiches with a grapefruit on the side – the fruit was from my PIL for my birthday – nothing like having Florida citrus!  Breakfast comes in at 7 points.

I couldn’t wait to get outside yesterday – perfect – sunny and 50 degrees, although it was pretty windy!  Not that I didn’t mind the temps in the 80′s but I much prefer those temps in July and August, not March.

I ended up walking mostly (because my blood sugar was 160) with some sprints in between.  I mapped it when I got back and was happy to see I went 4.25 miles in 55 minutes.  Nice!

I love that we are seeing stuff bloom so early – so pretty to see colors instead of shades of grey. :D

I ended up having leftover spicy tomato soup with balls, but added a cup of chopped baby spinach the last two minutes of heating it up – this is such a filling soup!   Lunch comes in at 8 points.

One of the birthday gifts Hannah gave me was America’s Test Kitchen COMPLETE COOKBOOK!  I didn’t even know this book existed, but it basically has every recipe from 2001 to 2012 – its 790 pages!

And because I read a cookbook like a book, the first recipe that caught my eye was on page 24.  Lighter Corn Chowder.  I made it even lighter by reducing the butter to 1 tablespoon instead of 3, and of course, left out the onions!  I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to find corn on the cob in March, but my store had it on sale – 8 ears for $1.98!

Lighter Corn Chowder

  • 2.8 points if you are following Simply Filling; 6 WW points, or 225 calories, 5.3 fat, 39 carbs, 5 fiber and 7 protein for a 1 1/4 cup serving.

Ingredients:

  • 8 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 slices bacon (original recipe called for 4 ounces
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 5 cups water
  • 12 ounces red potatoes (I used white baby potatoes)
  • 1 cup fat free half and half

Using a sharp knife (careful!) cut the kernels from the ears of corn; transfer to a bowl.  (I got exactly 5 cups of kernels).  Now holding the cob in another bowl, carefully scrape down the sides of the ear of corn, getting the corn milk from the cob.  The original recipe said to strain that mixture in cheese cloth, but I am lazy and just left it as it was.

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add bacon (okay add onion here if you want), salt and pepper (about 1/2 a teaspoon each – or to taste).  Cook for a few minutes, then add flour and cook for 2 minutes.  While stirring constantly, gradually whisk in the water and bring to a boil.  Add the corn kernals, and potatoes.  Reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are softened – about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a blender and puree until smooth – about 2 minutes.  Return the puree to the pot, stir in the half and half and the reserved corn juice (milk) whatever its called.  Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with chopped basil if desired.

After you cut off all the corn from the cob, there is still so much flavor left – who knew?

And after you scrape the cobs into a bowl, this is what it looks like – you can see why I didn’t want to strain it, and that it kinda looks like scrambled eggs!

I may have added some pickled jalapenos to my bowl I had over the weekend!

For dinner Tony and I had skinny grilled pork chops and a bowl of corn chowder.  Kind of an unconventional dinner, but I learned many, many years ago that soup does not make a meal.  Hence, the pork chop on the side. :D

It was still in the 70′s when I was grilling.

Guess who hung out with me on the deck while I grilled?  The man of mystery . . . TONY!  I put his picture in black and white to make him seem more mysterious. :D

So my skinny pork chop and soup came in at 11 points.

After dinner Hannah and I watched an old VHS tape that my Mom put on DVD.  My sister recently found it and it was a tape that took that had Hannah’s 4th birthday on it and my nephew Paul’s first video after he was born.  It was weird to hear my Dad’s voice and see his face - he died when Hannah was six. :(   I am so thankful I lived with my parents for five years because Hannah has the best memories of Poppy out of all the grandkids.  You can read about my Dad here.

I took this picture off the computer because not only is it cute because Hannah has Paul wrapped up in her favorite blanket (aka the “stinky” blanket because she never wanted me to wash it).  She also has her polk-a-dot pillow case that was the first bed linens she had once moving from a crib to a twin bed.  Um, for the record, sixteen years later, Hannah has the stinky blanket still on her bed (my Mom made it into a pillow) and she still uses that pillowcase.

It’s supposed to be another gorgeous day – I think I’ll be able to get my 10 mile bike ride in at lunch today. :D

Make it a great day!

Spicy Tomato Soup with Chicken Meatballs

Spicy Tomato Soup with Chicken Balls, Spicy Tomato Soup with Chicken Meatballs, Uncategorized March 27, 2012 Comments: 22

I was never able to open the pictures my sister took on Sunday, but our friends gave us some old pictures that had me laughing.  I know I’ve talked about having glasses as big as my face before, but what’s with the giant mumu flower printed dresses?

I think these were both taken in 1996 – this picture below was when my sister was 7 months pregnant with her son who just turned 16!  Because you really can’t tell which one if us is pregnant, I am on the right side.

I know why I wore those shapeless dresses.  I somehow had the illusion that no one would realize I was fat and it would “hide” the fat, but in retrospect, they only make me look bigger!   I was only 28 in those pictures – it seems like such a lifetime ago. :D

So I decided to do the Simply Filling plan yesterday.  I thought my breakfast would be perfect – I made another breakfast parfait, this time leaving out the granola to save on my flex points – this one was pommegranate Chobani, apple and banana.  It wasn’t until I entered my breakfast into eTools AFTER I ate it, that I realized only plain Greek yogurt is on the simply filling plan, so my breakfast was 4 points, leaving me with 30 for the rest of the week.  Sadly I left my camera at home – after I took my lunch pictures, my battery was low so I was charging my camera in my bosses office and walked off without it.  Um, pretty sure you’ve seen your fair share of my parfaits though! :D

I worked through lunch yesterday so no run/walk – it was actual normal 40ish degrees when I left the house this morning!

I did, however, come up with a super tasty spicy tomato soup.  All the ingredients were on the “super food” list, except for the bread crumbs.  Half a cup of bread crumbs is 5 points, so divided by 4 servings, this was 1.25 Simply Filling points, 8 WW points if you are counting points, and 348 calories, 11 fat, 17 carbs, 1.45 fiber and 36 protein if you count calories.  Whew!

Spicy Tomato Soup with Chicken Meatballs

  • makes four servings:  2 1/4 cups of broth and 10 meatballs.  I love balls.

Ingredients for Balls:

  • 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the soup:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I added 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper to each batch of meatballs I seared)
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, packed in water
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

I tend to be a throw everything in the pool kinda cook.   Throw all the ingredients for the balls in a food processor and pulse until it has the texture of ground beef.  Shape into 40 balls and cook in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and Pam over pretty high heat – you want to sear the outside, but not cook them all the way through.

Next, in a large stock pot – add all the soup ingredients, except the apple cider.  Using a stick blender, I blended the tomato mixture, then added the balls into the soup and simmered for about 15 minutes, or until the balls are cooked through.  Remove from heat and add the apple cider vinegar and adjust the salt if needed.  Serve with cilantro.

Luckily I had taken pictures over the weekend when I made this soup – this is such a flavorful soup – spicy, but flavorful spicy.  And super filling – get it, since I am doing the Super Filling plan on WW?!  I crack myself up sometimes. :D

I had beef stroganoff on the menu – but my version literally is ready in about 15 minutes.  The only thing that takes a while is boiling the water for the egg noodles.  Except egg noodles aren’t a super food, so I nuked a spaghetti squash for myself.

Skippy, I am sorry to keep showing you my cheap meat prices!  I bought two of these for our dinner.

My other secret weapon – a packet of brown gravy.  Literally ready in about 3 minutes.  I sauteed mushrooms for Tony to add to his.

My store sells these 2/$1 and sometimes they go on sale 4/$1 and I stock up.  1/4 cup of gravy is only 20 calories!

My plate – sorry this is a bad picture, but this was tasty.  Spaghetti squash, beef, brown gravy and chopped baby spinach.  All on the Simply Filling plan. :D

Don’t forget to enter your BSI – Pasta recipe.  Either leave your link in the comments section of this post, or email me your recipe at mybizzykitchen@gmail.com and I’ll post it for you on recap day.

Come back tomorrow for a Lighter Corn Chowder Soup – I am switching back to counting points today – love that you can switch back and forth!

Make it a great day!

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Roasted Vegetable Soup, Uncategorized March 9, 2012 Comments: 18

On Tuesday and Wednesday we had temps in the 60′s in Chicagoland.  We have had one of the mildest winters on record this year.  But on Tuesday I never worked out – my blood sugar never got over 125, even with taking half the amount of insulin.  Then Hannah’s birthday was on Wednesday, while I thought about it, I didn’t suggest going to the gym in the afternoon. :D   And because I had my sweet potato post on Tuesday and Hannah’s birthday on Wednesday, since I didn’t photograph all my food, I never did actually count up my points.  And for the record, I never figured out the points for her birthday cake either. :D

I keep saying this, but I need to get my butt out of bed (which I do get up, but I just blog and drink coffee!) and get to the gym before life gets in the way.  For me, even taking a couple days off from working out makes it that much harder to get back at it.

Breakfast was an Arnold Thin with 1/4 cup egg beaters, 3/4 ounce of swiss cheese, 2 slices of buffalo deli turkey with strawberries on the side - 7 WW points.

Again, my blood sugar was too low to walk when I wanted to – it was 125.  Then I got pulled into a meeting, so I decided to eat my lunch with no insulin and then see where I was at.  I also switched cars and realized when I got to work that my workout clothes were not there.  So I could have used either of those excuses to nix the workout, but I didn’t. :D   I had my gym shoes at my desk, it was 45 degrees and sunny, so off I went for a 45 minute brisk walk.

With our weather in the 60′s, I am happy to say that the snow has all melted, except for the big mounds of snow in the grocery store parking lot.  You can even see some green grass!

When I was at the grocery store last week and saw that they had peppers for .88 cents a pound a bought a lot of them.  I don’t know why I felt the need to buy 3 pounds of peppers, so I decided to use some of them up by making a roasted vegetable soup.

Roasted Vegetable Soup – makes 4, two cups servings at 3.75 points – okay, I’ll round it up to 4

  • 2 large red peppers
  • 1 large yellow pepper
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 6 roma tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup fat free half and half
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 4 cups broth
  • cilantro garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 325.  I sadly forgot to add my tomatoes to the roasting process, but feel free to add them with the rest of the veggies.  Chop and toss the veggies in the olive oil and salt and pepper.  I roasted mine an hour.   Put the roasted veggies and remaining ingredients, except half and half, and using a stick blender puree until smooth.   Cool slightly and stir in fat free half and half, and garnish with cilantro.

Since the soup was only 4 points, I added 3/4 cup cooked spaghetti to mine for lunch – so lunch comes in at 7 points.  My blood sugar after I ate was 210 so it was perfect to walk.  45 minutes later my blood sugar was back down to a normal 121. :D

My lunch tasted like a spicy Chef Boyardee!

I knew I had ground beef that I needed to use up, so I asked Tony: “do you want stuffed peppers, tacos, or burgers?”  Burgers won.  I ended up making zucchini fries on the side for me.  I cut up one big zucchini, then tossed it in a ziploc bag with 1 tablespoon flour (1) 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs (1) and then deep fried them (I am counting 1 point for the oil).

So all together with my 4 ounce burger and 2 point light bun, dinner comes in at 11 points.  I ended up using only 1/2 tablespoon of the ranch dressing for dipping my zucchini fries, so I am not counting that as anything. :D

So I ended up with 27 points and 45 minutes of exercise – not bad!  I am not expected a good WI tomorrow, but I’ll still go and face the music, dust myself off and move on.  AND I WILL WORK OUT THIS WEEKEND!  That’s going to be my mantra. :D

In exciting news, my blog friend Nicole of Prevention RD is nominated for Best Heatlhy Eating Blog at Fitness Magazine!!   Nicole and I went to the same high school although I, ahem, graduated many many years before her.  My goal in 2012 is to meet her in person when she comes home to visit her parents some time this year. :D   If you have the time, I’d love if you could vote for her - and if you haven’t checked out her blog, its amazing.  Down to earth delicious recipes, nutritional stats, cute puppy named Lily and stunning photography. :D   Thanks!

Happy Friday!

Refried Bean Soup for One and Steak Diane

Refried Bean Soup, Steak Diane, Uncategorized February 29, 2012 Comments: 26

Thanks for all your comments yesterday about Tony making me dinner.  And yes, that does mean he’s feeling better.  He’ll feel even better when he’s not plugged into a wall anymore though!  The home health care nurse came by Monday to change his sponge, and his wound looks “pink” which is a good sign.

Even after I told Tony that each slice of his delicious jalapeno corn bread came in at six points, he said “will you eat any more of it?”  Hells yes!  I just need to make it work in my meal plan.

So yesterday I made a 1/2 cup egg white (2) omlet with spinach (0) with a slice of corn bread (6) and a cup of fresh fruit (0).  A lovely 8 WW point breakfast.  Tony said the recipe suggested reheating it in the microwave for a few seconds and it tasted as if it had just come out of the oven.  So fricken good!

While Tony is more than willing to make dinners so I can get to the gym, I plan on saving those days when I know the weather is not going to cooperate.  Yesterday, while cold (23), it wasn’t windy.  So I had a nice 45 minute walk at a pretty fast pace – I kept skipping the slow songs on Pandora to keep the momentum going.  I’ve found that I feel better when I run every other day – it gives my legs a chance to rest in between.

The only thing I hate about the end of February?  Dirty snow – when I am really done with winter and want it to be spring and 50 degrees so I can put up my gazebo again and watch baseball. :D   Most of the snow is already melted and I think we have rain in the forecast, so it shouldn’t be around too much longer.

I have a bad habit.  I open cans of stuff, only use a little bit, then put them with the lids still in tact.  I just hate to waste food.  But then invariably I’ll be looking trying to find something and realize I have:

  • 1/3 of a container of chicken broth
  • 1/2 a can of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1/4 can of canned black beans
  • 1/2 can fat free refried beans

The light bulb went off as I stared at these half used cans of food.

Refried Bean Soup – Makes One Generous 2 1/2 cup serving for 7 points

  • 1 cup chicken broth (0)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (0)
  • 1/2 cup fat free refried beans (2)
  • 1/3 cup canned black beans (2)
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers
  • 2 ounces of shredded chicken leftover (2)
  • 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese on top (1)

I just mixed everything but the chicken and black beans with my stick blender.  Dumped that into my container, then added the black beans and chicken and then heated it up at work and topped with the cheddar cheese.  Spicy, slightly thick from the refried beans and delicious.  Anytime I can get 2 1/2 cups of soup for 7 points I am in. :D

I had steak on the menu, and wanted to do something a bit different – a quick Tastespotting search brought me to Kevin’s site – should have known he’d have a great recipe for Steak Diane.  I did make a few adjustments – because even though I halved the amount of Dijon mustard, it was a bit too much for Tony, so I added more beef broth.

Steak Diane Sauce (makes 3, 1/3 cup servings for 3 points each)

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup fat free half and half
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershie sauce

I melted the butter over medium high heat and added my 4 ounce steaks.  I seared for exactly 2 minutes per side – Tony and I like our meat on the rarer side.  Kevin left his steak in, I removed it to rest.  In the same pan I added the garlic and sauted for about 20 seconds.  I added in the mushrooms and 1/4 cup of the broth and sauteed the mushrooms for about 2 minutes.  I added the brandy, and sadly since I have an electric stove, couldn’t ignite it as Kevin’s directions stated.  Next I added the mustard, fat free half and half, the rest of the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and the juices that collected on the plate from the removed steaks.  I added the steaks back in and reheated the steaks for about 30 seconds while stirring the sauce.

I served my steak (4 points) over 3/4 cup mashed potatoes (3) and 1/3 of the mushroom sauce (3), with 1 cup of green beans (0).  A delicious 10 point dinner.

I love these little cups I got at Sam’s Club – I got 10 for $5 in the restaurant supply aisle – each cup holds 1/4 cup – it was nice to have everything ready when I needed it.

Alright I have to get going and get in the shower – make it a great day!

Indian Spiced Meatball Tomato Soup

Indian Spiced Tomato Soup with Meatballs, Uncategorized January 31, 2012 Comments: 36

I had planned on going to the gym yesterday before work, but Tony was awake when I woke up so I chose snuggling over getting sweaty.  I knew the weather was going to cooperate later in the day, so I promptly fell asleep on Tony’s shoulder for 20 more minutes. :D

I realized I never made my wonton cups for my egg white spinach breakfast, so quicky subbed in an english muffin egg/spinach sammie and 3 clementines on the side – they were tiny!  I forgot my good camera at home, so please bear with the pictures today. :D   Breakfast comes in at 7 points.

The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous 45 degrees when I went on my walk/run.  I probably walked a total of 5 minutes, and ended up doing my 3 mile run in 36 minutes.  My goal this coming weekend for Lori’s Heart Heathy Weekend is to try to run/walk 5 miles in 55 minutes. :D

So I had Kerstin’s Indian Spiced Mini Meatball Soup (Printable Recipe) on my menu, but I did have to make a couple substitutions based on what I had on hand.

You all know I hate ground meat – so if I need ground chicken I just grind it myself in my food processor.

I also omitted the onion, oil and tumeric (which is why mine is so red and not orange like her version), and Pam fried the meatballs instead of baking them.  I just cooked them enough to brown on the outside, and then after the soup cooked for 30 minutes and I pureed the soup base, just added the balls back in and let them simmer for 5 minutes to cook through.

THIS IS A GIANT SERVING!  2 1/4 cups broth with 10 meatballs – 348 calories, 11.7 fat, 17.25 carbs, 1.45 fiber and 36 protein, or 8 WW points.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey ground chicken breast
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons fennel powder (ground fennel seeds) (love this!!)
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

I also added 1/2 cup cilantro to the meat mixture.

Soup:
1 tablespoon canola oil – left out
1 yellow onion, chopped – no thanks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric – left out because I didn’t have any
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (I apparently can’t read and used a 28 ounce can!)
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers (I put a whole 5 oz. jar in)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place ground turkey, egg, panko, garlic, ginger, cumin, fennel powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 50 mini meatballs and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 12-14 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

I put all the meatball ingredients in my food processor and pulsed until it got to my desired consistency.  Since this made 4 servings I made 40 meatballs.  In batches, I browned the meatballs just until all the sides were browned, then added them back to the soup at the end to finish cooking.

To make the soup, heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic and sauté 30 seconds; stir in coriander, cumin, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and tumeric and sauté an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and roasted peppers, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth or place batches in a blender and process until smooth. Stir in apple cider vinegar and salt. Mix in cooked meatballs. Makes 4 servings.

I had actually never used fennel seeds before – I am not a huge fan of fennel itself, but LOVE fennel seeds.  I bought this 16 ounce container for $3.50, and this will last me a long time – I just ground up the seeds in my coffee grinder that I cleaned out.

This one is a keeper!  Perfect amount of spice without it being too spicy.  I brought a bowl for one of the attorneys I work with and he declared:

This is the best soup you’ve ever given me!

Nice. :D

The only thing I love about it being the end of January?  It’s light out when I leave the office!

Update – just wanted to post my dinner pics.  Ever since Tony had his colon cancer surgery, he is not a fan of thick pork chops – I got a package of 5 of these for only $3.68!

So I had to butterfly them and pound them thin.

Crap – WordPress just ate the rest of my post!  And I gotta get going.  Here’s a snapshot of dinner – 12 points.

Supposed to be 58 degrees today – so crazy!   Make it a great day!

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