Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

I have a real love for Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup. In fact, I get it 99.9% of the time that I go there. It can be 100 degrees out and I will order my soup with a smoked turkey sandwich (or a sierra turkey if I really want to be bad). The calories aren't really that high for the 1/2 portion, but when I moved to Nashville I moved away from Panera. I have one by work, but I really don't have time to get there and it isn't conveniently on my way home (especially now that I have a baby in tow).

Anyway, I can safely say that I was having some serious withdrawls. Especially when the fall weather hit, I needed some soup and stat. Enter in Pinterest. Adam helped me whip up this soup and it was seriously so easy and so delicious. We both really enjoyed this and next time I will double the recipe and freeze half.

I love that there is no heavy cream involved. And I used skim milk. It was still creamy and perfect with a baguette, a la panera :) the only thing that I had to change was the rue (the water and flour mix) - the soup wasn't thickening up enough so at the end we added in another portion of rue, only less water and more flour - and it thickened up perfectly. So you may have to play around with that, but leave it until the end to see. Sorry for the crap pic, we ate it at night and had no leftover to photograph the next day.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder (from LuLu the Baker)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth 1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. 

Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook 25-30 minutes.  

Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  

Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

Feel Good Food: Crockpot Beef Stew

Being that I lived in the Florida heat for the last 12 years or so, I could never crock in early september, so now that Im in Nashville, when the temperature drops I want to take full advantage. I decided to make beef stew and freeze it in individual portions after I ate my own bowl. The beef was tender and it all blended together perfectly while I was at work. The smell that lingered in the house was perfect for the weather - cloudy, rainy and about 60 degrees. I hope to crock more and make freezer meals for lazy cold days. For now, I suggest trying this! I ate this with some fresh bread from publix - slightly spread with butter and topped with a little sat, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and a sprinkle of mozzarella.


Beef Stew (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 lbs Stew Meat
1 Onion, chopped
1/4c All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 packet McCormicks Beef Stew Seasoning
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Bay Leaves
1.5 c Beef Broth
1/4c Water
2 baking potatoes, diced
4 Carrots, sliced
1 stalk Celery, chopped

Place meat, flour, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag and shake until meat is completely covered. (for an extra step, brown the meat in olive oil on medium high in a skillet.)

Add everything to the crockpot. Give it a stir and cook on low for 10-12 hours, or high for 4-6.

How to get out of a plateau?

So, Im on my 4th straight week of healthy eating and working out like never before. I cook all but 2 of my meals for the week, I eat the right amount of calories, I use lean protein and no butter, I cut back on my carbs and I eat breakfast. I have incorporated weights into my gym routine and average 40 minutes a day of cardio, and I haven't dropped a pound. What gives?? It's not just that I havent seen numbers change on the scale (i havent gotten on one since the last time when I had gained a ridiculous amount of weight) it's that my clothes aren't even fitting differently. I know that muscle isnt taking the place of all of my fat. So today I'm going to try to find away my plateau.

I started this morning with oatmeal and added 2 tbs of flax seed. Its full of fiber and supposed to be very good for you. This afternoon I plan on mixing up my workout. Some high intervals on the treadmill and then maybe the stairmaster. I havent been doing high hintervals but they say it scorches fat, so Im willing to start it up. I'm also going to look into investing in a protein powder. There are just so many kinds that Im at a loss of what is best of me and what I want. But maybe Im just not getting all the protein I need in my diet. Could that be hindering the weightloss? I'm not sure but I am determined to get to the bottom of this!

It is nice and cool out this morning here in Orlando and the air felt so clean and relaxing as I walked into work. I brewed myself a stemy cup of coffee and added my pumpkin creamer, so it feels like a real fall day. If only it would stay well below the forcasted 89 degrees.

Autumn Sugar Cookies

I had found a new recipe for sugar cookies and wanted to try it out early. I was feeling crafty and creative so I whipped up a big batch and they turned out really great. They arent too sweet, so the royal icing balances it out well, without it tasting like youre just eating pure sugar. It was Adams first time working with piping icing, instead of slapping it on with a knife, and he got really good at it! We still have about 30 more to ice, but this was our first go around. the cookie dough is really easy to make and you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen. flour, sugar, confectioners sugar, lemon, almond and vanilla extract, baking powder and butter. the royal icing is Wiltons recipe with just meringue powder, water and confectioners sugar.

here are our christmas cookies from last year, i cant wait to make them again!

It's Officially Fall

Yesterday was the first day of fall! I think that the temperature fell all of one degree, but I can't really complain because it didnt rise. I made tuna casserole for dinner and it was the perfect warm dish for the day, it very much reminded me of all the times my mom made it. Now that the season has really changed, I am able to try out this high protein/high fiber pumpkin pancakes recipe from Cara's Cravings, a blog that I follow. It will be my first pumpkin food of the season, so I cannot wait to indulge in a healthy option.

Fall also means that flu season is upon us. With the whole H1N1 scare that everyone is buying into, I figured I would get that shot as well....even though you need to also have the regular flu shot in order to get that one. Then I find out that now the new thing is getting the vaccine through your nose?! Its a nasal spray! I have not even been able to get myself to take regular nasal spray, so Im afraid if they don't offer actual shots I will be prone to the flu's this year. I mean really, after this many years youre going to go and change the way you give vaccines? I'm not a fan.

The Holidays are coming!

Even though its still averaging 88 degrees during the days down here, I can feel fall and the holidays creeping up. I envision leaves swirling up into a funnel shape and kids stuffing them into those orange pumpkin face bags. The breeze blowing my hair off my face and tangling it all up. It's time for pumpkins, soup, family, music at the malls, snuggling on the couch, constant christmas movies that bring to mind old memories and lots of cheer. I guess I still have a couple months until I can feel that cold air and put on my comfy fall wardrobe, but it's nice to imagine it for now. It's amazing how fast time flies, because I know that December 26 will be here quicker than I could imagine and I will be disappointed, waiting on this time next year to roll around again.