I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….Fall is my favorite season. One of my favorite things to incorporate in my weekly meals is soup. My hubby doesn’t really care for soup, so I when I make it I have to be committed to enjoy it for several days in a row. When I set out in the kitchen to make soup…I kinda just wing it…you know, Food Network ‘Chopped’ style. I attempt to use as much produce that needs to be used in the fridge and create something I can eat for several days. Needless to say my soups don’t really taste the same way twice, but they are still yummy each time I promise! So on this episode of ‘Chopped’ I had the following items that I wanted to use up in the fridge and pantry. Diced tomatoes : I used two cans in this one, I really like canned tomatoes with the seasonings already in them. One of them today was fire roasted garlic and the other was basil, oregano, and garlic. Aldi’s has them and so does Walmart hence the two brands in the picture. Jarred garlic: I even say it’s better when fresh, but this is super easy to store and use over a long period of time and still meet my garlic needs. I’m a fan J. Peppers: I had a small green pepper from my in-laws garden and some tri colored ones from the store so I used the yellow one from that pack. Beef broth: This is just something I had in the pantry. I actually normally have chicken broth but I think the beef added nice flavor to the soup Onion: I only used ½ of the onion and saved the rest for another day Noodles: I’ve had these lasagna noodles in the pantry for a while and they stare at me every time I open up the doors so I decided to make use of them. You can also use any whole wheat pasta shape. Tomato Sauce: I made tortilla pizzas earlier this week. The can was bigger than I normally get (I think it was 20+ oz) so I had a lot of unused sauce from the can that needed to be used. It was actually the inspiration for the whole soup idea! Ingredients: 2 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes 1 20-24 oz can of tomato sauce or marinara sauce 1-2 cloves of chopped/jarred garlic 1 32oz box of beef broth 1/2 large white/yellow onion chopped 1-2 bell peppers, any combination of colors whole wheat lasagna noodles 1 pound of ground turkey Italian spices : red pepper flake, oregano, italian seasoning, parsley flakes, etc Mushrooms would also be good in this, didn't have any in the Chopped kitchen this time...so sadly no mushrooms. Directions: In a stockpot, brown ground turkey in a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Add onion, peppers, and garlic (any any other veggies) and saute until soft. Add the two cans of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth (I also added two cans worth of water here) Continue simmering in stockpot or transfer to crockpot as long as you need to. I simmered mine on the stove for 6ish hours. Around 30-40 minutes left in the cooking time, add the noodles. I broke mine into smaller pieces. When I reheated later, it ended up being more stew-y than soup. So when you think you don't have enough noodles (around 5 or so) just stop. Just. Stop. haha. They will absorb a lot of liquid and if you want soup, less is more. And that's it! Top it with some shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan and......muah! Perfection! I reheated this and little man even ate it over the course of about a week.
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I love to support small hometown businesses. Especially when it comes to indulging for my coffee habit and my bestie. I've watched her business grow from an idea and a few prototypes to an Instagram and solo website business. If you don't already, you need to follow @page261 on Instagram. (by the way I'm not being paid or anything to post this...I just really love her and her business and products) I collect a new mug (or two....ok sometimes three) every season. While I love my ceramic mugs, these travel mugs are my favorite. It keeps my coffee hot and less worrisome of spilling around the Little Man Toddler and of course while traveling/at work. And my new mug from page261 says it all for me. It's my custom of the 3 Things mug from her shop. (www.pagetwosixtyone.com). I obviously love coffee all year around (I know, hot coffee all year is strange...and I have a good story for why on that later). And I absolutely love the season ahead....FALL! It truly is my favorite time of year. The cool, crisp weather is perfect to me and all I want to do is go on Spoon River Drive and sit around a firepit in a hoodie and jeans... and watch football on all days that have it on. So three of my favorite things that I had to pick for my mug are simply me. Coffee. Football. and Hoodies. I'm in love with my new fall mug! I also had to tell you about another one of my older mugs since this weekend is Harry Potter weekend on ABCfamily (Freeform...whatever). I love Harry Potter for some reason. It just a great story all around and I just love the movies. I also love yoga pants. Who doesn't love Harry Potter and yoga pants? Go to Instagram @burlie.schmillen.journey and tag @page261 on what you would put on your 3 Things mug! Or just go get one in her shop!
Lately in late July and here in August I have been struggling to be motivated to eat what I prep. In the last three weeks I've prepped and thrown away strawberries, romaine lettuce, and little tomatoes and I have missed eating items in my cooler for work, forgot about them when I brought it home...and then it sat in my cooler all night and was not saveable in the morning.
Am I disappointed about it? Frustrated? Maybe even a little confused? Absolutely. All of those things. I'm losing momentum and fast. So I am committed to recommitting and being serious in the September challenge. No excuses. Which is good because I have a lot of things coming up, including a new job that involves a serious schedule change. I have to keep ME a priority because I don't want to lose any more momentum that I have already. But that's for another post...back to my original topic.... How to be Motivated to eat what you prep/intend. 1. Give yourself daily options. I especially use this method for dinner. I don't know that I'm going to feel like tacos on Tuesday and tortilla pizza on Wednesday. So I give myself about 3-4 options for the week to chose from, as well as staples that also fit into my plan. Options can include tortilla pizza, tacos, stir fry, chicken and steamed veggies, fish and steamed veggies, salad with chicken or cottage cheese. Staples include anything with frozen ground turkey, frozen veggies, and perhaps whole wheat pasta or brown rice. 2. When it gets boring, change it up! I don't mind eating the same foods/meal ideas eat week. But when I start to stray from my plan is when I need to jazz it up and change up my options. This is especially true when the seasons change. Fall is my absolute favorite season and the cooler weather and seasonal veggies are going to definitely change my menu in the very near future. I also frequently scour Pinterest for new or variations of recipes that I can incorporate into my menus. One of my tips on the 21 Day Fix meal plan is no need to get fancy and create all new items you've never ate, but it doesn't hurt to throw in a new recipe every now and then 3. When it comes down to it...just eat it. I try to focus on eating to fuel my body, not necessarily because it's the best thing I ever ate. I know that eating what I prep fuels my goals and my body, not my cravings sometimes. This is where your support system is key also. You post what you are struggling about or just know you have to report to them at some point about this situation....and that alone helps you prevail and skip the vending machine. What is your new recipe that you have incorporated into your routine? Comment below, I'd love to try it! xo |
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September 2017
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