It’s never a good sign when the news starts reminiscing about the Blizzard of 1967 when referring to our weather starting this afternoon into tomorrow. Projections now say that our county will get up to 24 inches of snow, with 40 mph winds. It’s February people! I am so over winter. I just want to be able to put our gazebo up, watch White Sox games and grill out. 🙁
Okay, here is a breakfast you never would have thought I’d eat. I saw it in our pantry and just had a taste for it:
![1.31.11 012](http://biz319.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/1-31-11-012.jpg)
I ended up doing 45 minutes on the treadmill, 3.8 mph walking with a 6 pound medicine ball tossing back and forth as I walked. It is a surprisingly good work out!
Over the weekend I made another version of Italian Wedding Soup. I had some ground beef and pancetta to use up, so I decided to make meatballs, which then turned into this soup. While it seems like a lot of ingredients, it’s really pretty easy to make.
Italian Wedding Soup (printer friendly version here)
Course: main meals
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Servings: 10 (1.25 cups)
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup(s) Panko crispy bread crumbs – plain
- 12 oz 85% lean/15% fat raw ground beef
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp fat-free skim milk
- 1 item(s) egg
- 1 oz crisp cooked bacon
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup(s) Carrots
- 1 cup(s) celery
- 8 cup(s) canned chicken broth
- 2 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
- 12 oz fresh spinach
- 5 oz uncooked pasta
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Place ground beef, panko bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, milk, egg, and pancetta into food processor.
Mix until well combined, then roll into 40 marble sized meat balls.
Heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Spray with Pam and brown the meatballs, just until browned and half way cooked. Set aside.
In a stock pot, add olive oil and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes just until the garlic starts to brown.
Add chicken stock, tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 7 minutes.
Reduce heat to simmer, add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and meatballs. Cook for 5 minutes to cook the meatballs.
Remove from heat, add baby spinach and serve immediately.
Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.
![1.30.11 004](http://biz319.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/1-30-11-004.jpg)
I like smaller meatballs in this soup – about the size of a marble – it made 40 meatballs.
I used to buy baby carrots because they were already peeled, but now realize the carrots with the tops on them are not only way cheaper, they taste so much better.
Tubetti is the pasta I used, but any small pasta would work.
![1.31.11 008](http://biz319.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/1-31-11-008.jpg)
And you can’t have soup without a grilled cheese 😀 My lunch comes in at 12 points.
My store had really good meat prices over the weekend. I got chicken drummets for .49 cents a pound. This is actually a WW recipe, but I need to tweak this recipe before I post it – they were good but needed a bit more flavor – Hoisin marinated sesame wings. Dinner was 10 points.
- 30 points
- 45 minute treadmill workout
- average blood sugar 123
Good news – I was able to reschedule Tony’s CT scan for today instead of tomorrow. Hopefully after this test we’ll get back with his surgeon by the end of the week with a game plan. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for my Tony! 😀
Wow…your lunch looks INCREDIBLE!!!! So happy to hear Tony’s CAT scan has been bumped up. I’m sending all good thoughts down to you both for a postive result!!! Stay warm and take care.
Yay for being able to get an earlier CT scan! Hope that all goes well!
I came to the same realization with baby carrots and full sized carrots. Then when I read that those so called “baby” carrots were just whittled down big carrot ends and pieces, I felt so gypped!
Ya, we are in the crap for weather today and tomorrow. Kids already got a snow day today…and tomorrow is supposed to be worse! Ugh. At least there is little chance of the groundhog seeing his shadow tomorrow! haha
That soup looks sooooo good. I never buy those “baby” carrots ( they aren’t really baby anyway…they are rejects shaved to resemble babies) occasionally, I buy the ones with the full tops…they are a real treat. Very sweet and flavorful. Otherwise, I buy the bagged whole ones….
Yums I could definitely go for some soup right now…it is snowing and icy out here…stay warm!
and yums I love frosted mini wheats lol…it is like crack to me hahaha
Your grilled cheese actually made me drool a little damn you!
Plus, your blizzard is heading straight towards us. It’s like you’ve got it in for me, ha!
Good luck today <3
I love soup on cold days! And, guess what? I actually got a snow day today! 🙂
Ugh-I’m so over winter too! Fingers crossed that the blizzard isn’t as bad as the news folks are predicting. I love Italian wedding soup….it reminds me of my grandmom!
Cold front hit Austin over night. It was 72 degrees around 8 o’clock last night. About eight hours later it was 29. I checked a detailed temperature graph and it dropped 25 degrees in less than an hour.
And it’s WINDY. It’s already blown part of our fence down in back and a few other sections look like they’re close to falling over right now. This is one of those rare times where they actually say “wind chill” down here. Sarah asked what that meant. She hasn’t heard that term since she was seven.
To think it was 81 on Sunday. Apparently I didn’t move far enough south!
Wow – my brother commented! 😀 I had no idea it could get that cold in Austin Charlie!
We get ice and snow. Not often. But it definitely happens. After all, we’re still well within the northern hemisphere. 🙂
So glad you got the CT rescheduled…hope everything else is clear.
I saw that 1967 footage on this morning’s news and thought of you – what insane weather. You will get to stay home tomorrow, right?
I hope we have a snow day! 😀
Tony and I are CT scan twins! I had one this morning. Does he cry when he has to drink barium too? I hate it so much that I tried convincing the lady who scheduled the appointment that I was allergic to it. She didn’t believe me. Asshole.
I like how they describe it as “liquid chalk!” Ew!
I’m totally rocking the barium farts. Yuck!
Biz, your soup looks freakin’ fantastic!!!
Praying for Tony’s CT scan today.
I think the storm is going to bypass our part of Delaware luckily, I hope the storm isn’t as bad for you guys as it’s being predicted!
I have been dreaming of Italian wedding soup lately. Thanks for sharing your recipe! 🙂
I’m kind of nervous about the storm too. On the today show this morning, they had Al Roker here to get ready for “the 3rd biggest storm in Chicago history!” Yikes!
I’ve got lots of food, so hopefully the power will stay on.
Your wedding soup looks awesome!
I’ll take your blizzard if you take our ice storm.
We just got like 6 in. yesterday of the junk but I think it’s over now, now another deep freeze. So annoying. The snow started SO early this year that I am totally over it too!
I ate cereal for breakfast too which was really odd, I almost never do. Must be something in the air today!
Good luck to you guys in this misery!!! I am sure I’m looking out the window to the same scene as u guys :/ All i want to do in this weather is EAT!! 😀
We’re supposed to get 1-3 inches today & 10-15 inches tomorrow in Northern New England…yay, but I wish it was on a day I actually had class 🙂
I love Italian Wedding soup – yum!
Ack! Stay safe and warm Biz!
I can’t believe you had the patience to make marble sized meatballs. Wow. I’m sure it paid off but wow.
Hopefully the blizzard turns out to be a dud for you. It’s been a pretty good winter weather wise here. Below normal snowfall and not bad on the temps overall. As usual all your food looks delicious!