Extreme weather...calls for more soup!

Ok..so our extreme weather isn't in the same category as Alaska where it is -50 something in Fairbanks (and it can get over 90+ there in the summer), but with the weekly 30-40+ temperature differences we've been having a person has to have access to summer and winter wardrobes. I find it rather annoying. Yesterday it was 72. Right now it is 36....and I just want to stay cozy in bed and read and surf the internet and eat soup.

I'm going to fix something I've never had before...ratatouille. What is it? It is an eggplant-based vegetable soup which roughly translates from the French as a stirable chunky stew.

Slow-cooker Ratatouille

makes 6 servings

120 calories per serving

1 T. olive oil

1 lg. onion, chopped

6 lg. garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 medium-sized eggplant, cubed

2 c. mushrooms, thickly sliced

4 tomatoes, cubed

1 c. low-sodium tomato puree

1/4 c. dry red wine, or wine vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

2 t. dried thyme

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. ground cumin

1/2 - 1 t. salt

1/4 - 1/2 t. black pepper

4. T. minced fresh basil (or 1 rounded T. dried basil)

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Turn slow cooker on high for 2 minutes.

Pour oil into slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except parsley and fresh basil. [Note: If using dried basil, add it now.]

Cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, and then on low 4-5 hours.

Stir in fresh basil (unless you used the dry). Sprinkle with parsley.

Delicious served over wheat pasta or brown rice. Can also use it as a pizza topping.

[Notes: I think I'll roast the peppers first--I like a smoky flavor. If I don't have the wine vinegar, I'll just substitute chicken or vegetable stock. I have some leftover grilled chicken breasts--I'll bet this would be delicious served together!]

Sounds delicious, yes?

Fix it and forget it----lightly....

Mother gave me a new cookbook for Christmas titled "Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly: Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker" by Phyllis Pellman Good. You've seen them in Target and Wal-mart. While this is advertised as a slow cooker cookbook, you can certainly make any of these without a slow cooker. I usually prepare my stuff the night before by putting most of it in the crock and then in the fridge so that I can quickly get it going the next morning before I leave.

I manage a healthier consumption of food so much better if I have previously prepared food, so I requested this cookbook hoping that it will help me through the rest of the school year. While I certainly don't come home as exhausted (mainly from DRIVING so far!!) as I have the past 2 years, I often come home hungrier because I've eaten very little throughout the day. In fact, it got to the point about 2 months ago that I had to lock the library doors and turn out the lights just so I could eat lunch!

I've marked several recipes to try during the next few weeks and bought ingredients today. I'm looking for recipes that are under 200-210 calories per serving.

Hamburger Soup

makes 6 servings

160 calories per serving

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. seasoned salt (I didn't have any--so just used sea salt)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

3 c. hot water

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

1 c. carrots, sliced

1 c. celery, sliced

[I also added 1/2 of a zucchini, sliced and quartered)

1 c. macaroni, cooked (I don't have any, so am going to use some pesto-filled mezzaluna)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (I decided to leave this out and throw in a slice of American cheese)

Combine all ingredients except macaroni and cheese in slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Turn to high. Add macaroni and cheese.

Cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Postscript: This soup turned out delicious! Great flavor and very filling without feeling heavy. I think this is a soup that would appeal to kids because of the flavor---and a good way to sneak in more veggies.

God gave us a clue...

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.



A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.




A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.


Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.




Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).


Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.




Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.








Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries




Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.



Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.




Natalie fwded this to me---I found it fascinating, yet at the same time, just plain 'ole common sense---just had to share it with everyone. Even Daniel's training in Babylon illustrates the importance of a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables (Daniel 1:1-21).

Lately, I'm wild about roasted veggies...

Kim’s Grilled Chicken Basil-Garlic Linguine With Roasted Veggies

4 chicken breasts, grilled to your liking (you can do this while the veggies cook)
Basil-garlic linguine, cooked (time the cooking so it is done at the same time as the veggies)

1 fennel bulb, chopped in bite-size pieces
1 bunch asparagus (woody ends cut off)
1-2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (adjust to how tomatoey you want it)
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
About 8-12 kalamata pitted olives, drained and quartered
Sliced fresh mushrooms (you decide what kind and how much)
Fresh oregano and basil, chopped, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Put all veggies in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, add seasonings to taste. Cook for 35 min. at 450 degrees.

Serve veggies over hot pasta and top with grilled chicken.

Other options:
You can serve over rice instead of pasta or you can use some other type pasta.

Other things you might like to add: pineapple tidbits, yellow squash, zucchini.

Use dried herbs instead of fresh. The original recipe called only for oregano, but since Kari and Warren had fresh basil in their little herb garden, we added it too.

Use grilled flatiron steak, shrimp, or scallops instead of chicken.

Getting soooo hungry.....

I'm a month overdue for a fill. I'm not happy. Wondering if I can switch doctors. Defeats the whole purpose of the surgery if you can't seem to fill up, your stomach growls, and you feel hungry!

Am going to have to do some cooking this weekend using some low fat/carb things and stir in the whey protein powder. Hoping to find something to fill me up and satisfy me for more than an hour or two. Am feeling like I did when I was about 2 wks. out from surgery---the "I need some food!!" phase. Dips are helpful when feeling snacky--can use the soy chips or rice chips and get filled up pretty quickly.

Guess I should be thankful I'm not suffering any major cravings for anything bad and can't say that I've even cheated. Although it would be great to lay into a big bowl of queso from Los Amigos with warm tortilla chips! ;)

Have gone to Curves twice this week instead of every day, but will get up and go in the morning. Will get some more exercise tomorrow afternoon helping Ashley & Keith clean up my yard in prep for the winter.

Have felt so tired still from all the traveling, hard shopping, and conferencing that we did last week (not to mention those darn long plane rides!) I admit it--at this age in my life, I'd rather pay extra for a direct flight--problem was there were none! At least not on Southwest. Kari & Warren managed to get a direct flight back, but not out. And hotels are another thing...am really spoiled to staying in nice ones! The older I get the more I understand that old phrase, "you only live once." So why not fly direct and stay in a great hotel?


Healthy Artichoke and Spinach Dip (25 cal.)

15-to16-ounce can no-salt-added cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
4 medium green onions (green and white parts), chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, or 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt or fat-free or light sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a food processor or blender, process the beans, green onions, and garlic until smooth, scraping the side several times. Add the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.Transfer the dip to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for 2 hours to 4 days before serving.

Anytime Frittata (130 cal. 11 gr. protein)

Note: You can use whatever veggies and cheeses that you like. To up the protein a bit more, you can add chopped ham, turkey, or bacon.

1 T. salted butter
1 small zucchini, finely diced
8 mushrooms, finely diced
6 lg. eggs or the equiv. with egg beaters
1/2 c. 1% milk
1 c. 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 c. shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, about 1/4 lb.
3 green onions, sliced
1 ripe Roma tomato, diced
1 T. chopped fresh dill
vegetable oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat butter in md. nonstick skillet and lightly saute the veggies until the released juices have reduced and the veggies are lightly browned. In a lg. bowl, beat the eggs with the milk until well blended, then stir in the cheeses, onions, tomato, dill, and sauteed veggies. Pour into a 9 x 9-inch baking dish that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Chicken & Wild Rice Veggie Soup (a recipe of my own creation!)

1 lg. box chicken broth or 3 cans
1 box of Rice A Roni Nature's Way Long Gain & Wild Rice
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms
1 10-12 oz. can chicken, drained and shredded
1 heaping T. tomato paste
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can petite chopped tomatoes
1 sweet onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 ribs celery, sliced
1-2 small yellow squash or zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 T. olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

In lg. skillet, saute onion and garlic with olive oil until soft and almost caramelized. Put celery and squash in ziploc steam bag and steam for about 6-7 minutes.

Put all ingredients in large soup pan (including onion/garlic mix and squash/celery mix) except for box of rice and bring to a boil . Add more water to soup if you think it is not soupy enough. Add rice and seasoning packet. Stir well and let simmer for about 25 minutes.