Stuffed Pepper Soup...

...a.k.a HEAVEN in a bowl!  This dish was SOOOOO good, lemme tell you!!! And super easy, too (even without the good ole crock pot!)
I forget now where I originally saw a recipe for stuffed pepper soup, but seeing that recipe was the inspiration to make a pot myself.   When I made mine, I changed a few things up from the one I read.


Ingredients:
1 lb extra lean (96/4) ground beef
one large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 bell peppers (I used yellow, orange, and red---I dislike green bell peppers---ewwwe), seeded and finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce (no salt added-if you can find it; I couldn't, so I used the regular stuff)
2 (14.5) oz cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
2 cups reduced sodium, fat free beef broth
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup water
S & P and garlic powder to taste


Start by browning the meat.  Season it with S & P and garlic powder...whatever amount tastes good to you.  I never measure that stuff...just season it!  Using 96/4 ground beef will yield VERY LITTLE, if ANY fat to drain... I did not have to drain it at all.  If yours needs drained... then drain it before the next step!

While your beef is cooking, get busy chopping your veggies: onions and peppers.  I used one good sized onion and it gave me two cups of chopped onion.  I used three normal sized bell peppers and also got two cups of chopped peppers. 

Once your veggies are chopped and meat is done, add the veggies to the meat and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the veggies start to become soft and translucent.

Then, add beef broth, tomatoes, and sauce...

Stir everything together well and let soup simmer for about 30 minutes....

Meanwhile, measure out one cup of uncooked instant brown rice and put it in a microwave safe dish along with one cup of water.  Cover and follow the instructions on the box and nuke the rice till done (just takes a few minutes).  Then, fluff it with a fork...(I also sprayed the rice with a few squirts of I cant believe its not butter spray to keep it from sticking...to itself!)

...and add to the soup...


Stir the rice in well...and wha-la!  Stuffed pepper soup! 

Let me tell you....this soup is DELICIOUS!!  I divided it into one cup servings and added up the stats.  For a one cup serving of my version, it yields:
129 calories
2 g fag
297 mg sodium
15 g carbs
3 g fiber
5 g sugar
13 g protein

Pretty sweet stats if you ask me!  The soup is savory, hearty, warm, and filling!  This is definitely going in my archive....and I will for sure be making it again!


It's so simple to make and is well worth the effort.  Give it a whirl!  I bet you will be glad you did!


Till next time...


Lots of Love,


Autumn

Crock pot Italian Herb Chicken

As you might see, I love my crock pot & I use it, often.  This recipe came from the makers at McCormick, so I have no ability to take any credit for it.  As it turned out, I personally did not care for this one...waaaaay to much oregano in that little seasoning packet for my taste.  But, I took it to work and it was cleaned out...everyone that tried it said they enjoyed it. 

Ingredients:
2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
2 cans stewed tomatoes (no sodium added)
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
8 oz fresh mushrooms (which ever kind you prefer)
1 seasoning packet of McCormick Italian herb chicken seasoning for slow cookers

Put the chicken in the crock pot---no need to cut it up; it'll fall apart. :-)

 Mushrooms on chicken:

Mix the tomato paste with one can of the stewed tomatoes before adding it; just makes it easier to incorporate the paste:

Add tomatoes and paste:

Add seasoning mix:

Stir well:

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is done and tender. 

Like I mentioned before, this was to pungent on the oregano for me....I generally do not like oregano at all.  But, I had hoped this would be something I'd like anyway.  Brrrrnnnttttt....I was wrong!  O'well.  Ya win some, ya lose some...  Anyway, if you like Italian food and you are a fan of oregano flavor...give this a shot.  It's SO simple.  Put it on in the morning before work and dinner is done when you get home!  Doesn't get much  better than that!  Enjoy!

Till next time...

Lots of Love,

Autumn


PS-- The difference in the sodium on the tomatoes was shocking!  For a can of regular stewed tomatoes the sodium was 220mg per serving.  For the no sodium added, just 20mg per serving!  That is nuts!  Just one more thing to watch out for when trying to eat a healthy protein packed diet.  We need to be careful of our sodium intake!

Chicken Broccoli Parm

This came from a recipe I have had sitting in my recipe folder for a few years now.  Simple and easy crock pot recipe, I just never took the time to throw it together until now.  Most of you probably have had something similar.  It was good, but turned out to be a ton of food... most of which ended up being pitched by me.  :-(  I gotta get better at that.

Any hoo...here's the ingredients:

1lb chicken breast strips, cut into small pieces
2 heads fresh broccoli
1/2 lb small baby red potatoes, washed and quartered (skins on)
2 cans 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
2 cans milk (use the soup cans)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
S & P and garlic powder to taste

So....you might notice there is only one can of soup in the picture...yeah...about that.  I had to make a quick run to the store while the meal was cooking and add the second can...one can just wasn't enough liquid.  But if you reduce the amount of chicken, broccoli, and potatoes, one can of soup and one can of milk would be plenty...which would have been the better route for me to take...!  Geesh, Autumn.

Put chicken, potatoes, and broccoli in the crock pot. Mix soup with milk.  Put over chicken, potatoes, and broccoli.  Season with S & P and garlic powder and add Parmesan cheese.  Stir well.  Cook on low for about 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender.  Enjoy! 

This is a good meal for a cold winter night, for sure! 


Till next time...

Lots of Love,
Autumn

Chicken Stew

This one I made a few weeks back, on 11/20. I wanted something warm and hearty and I had some chicken that needed to be used along with some other random odds and ends....thus, my chicken stew was born.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
one large onion, chopped
4-6 small to medium potatoes, chopped
1/2 bag baby carrots
1 can tomato sauce
1 can red beans
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 can (hunts) garlic and herb spagetti sauce
1/2 jar mild salsa
1 can corn, drained
S & P to taste

Combine all ingredients into your crockpot.  Stir together well.  Cook on slow for about 8 hours, or until the taters are tender.  :-)

This dish, as random and thrown together as it was, was very delish!  It gave me exactly what I wanted....something hearty and warm.  I ate on it for over a week and still had some left that ended up getting pitched.  I hate to be wasteful, but that happens a lot since I am single and can only eat the same thing over and over for so long till I am sick of it!

This recipe is proof that you can just experiement and play with your food and still get something delicious from it!  I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination, but if I stay open minded, think logically, and just keep it simple...I often do pretty good in the kitchen! 

Till next time....

Lots of Love,
Autumn

Long time, no blog...

But, I am still alive and kicking.  Life has been a roller coaster the past few months and something had to be cut from my schedule/list of things to do.  Unfortunately, my blog took the hit.  BUT, I havent forgotten all about it or any of my readers, either! Even though I havent been posting, I have been keeping track of some things I want to share!  Yesterday, I had knee surgery and I am home for 10 days or so.!  That means while I am resting and rehabing,  I've got some time to catch up on blogging!  So, keep an eye out...they are coming.  I've got some new recipes for you to try, some new websites I've  discovered and come to love, and lots of emotional stuff to share....because the weight loss journey is SO much more than just food and exercise. 

Till next time....
Lots of love,

Autumn

PS:  Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone!!! 

French's Tangy Ranch Chicken & roasted veggies!

Last post of the night!  Whew!  I gotta give credit where credit is due. This one comes from the recipe makers at French's. :-)

I noticed this recipe on the back of the bottle of mustard I bought last week.

It's called Tangy Ranch Chicken and it caught my attention  (haha, that rhymed, lol)!  A couple of minor tweaks from French's original ingredients and it's a lovely WLS friendly dish! For four servings, French's suggests using:
2/3 cup ranch dressing
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup French's yellow mustard
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

I am single and I do not have any children, so I just wanted one serving of this.  Now, I am not a math whiz by any stretch of the imagination {I am a social worker...we don't do math..., nah, eh-uh, nope; no math! ;-)} and frankly, I don't aim to get things perfect!  Most often when I cook, I just throw things together and use whatever amounts (measured out) seem fitting.  So, for one serving of the Tangy Ranch Chicken, I just guesstimated how much of the sauce I would need for one chicken breast. 

I used:
one boneless skinless chicken breast

INSERT RANDOM, BUT TOTALLY AWESOME FACT:
(I scored a packet of five individually wrapped chicken breasts for $3 tonight at Kroger!!)...

Continue ingredients list after inserting random, but totally awesome fact!...   :-)

1/8 cup FAT FREE ranch dressing
1/8 cup mustard
1/2 tsp splenda brown sugar

There was some sauce left over, but hey...it happens!

In a small bowl, mix together the mustard and the ranch until well combined.  Add in the splenda brown sugar and mix well...

Hahhaha!  Pay no mind to the jar of pickles in the background...pre-dinner

 nibbles (probably part of the reason I couldn't finish my dinner~! 

Ah, how I heart pickles...  :-)

Then, put the chicken breast into the sauce mixture.  Stir the sauce onto the chicken breast until it is fully covered...

Let it marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While that's working, prep your veggies for roasting!  I had a bit of broccoli and cauliflower left over from last week that needed to be used.  If  you have never tried roasting your veggies, you SHOULD!  It gives them such a sweet taste because all of the natural sugars brown up and the veggies get nice and crisp and brown on the edges....SO GOOD!  :-)

To roast the broccoli and cauliflower I used:

About 1 1/2 cups of the veggies
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of Molly McButter seasoning
olive oil cooking spray

Pre-heat your oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray with Olive Oil spray.  Put the veggies on the baking sheet and spray with more olive oil spray.  Sprinkle them with S & P and the butter seasoning.  Using your hands, mix it all together well, making sure the veggies are well coated with the seasonings and spray. 

Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes and wha-la!... Super delish, crisp, sweet & savory roasted veggies....

During the last 8 minutes or so of the veggies roasting, get the chicken out of the fridge.  Pre-heat your Foreman style grill (mine is Hamilton Beach and works just as well) for five minutes.  Then, spray with cooking spray and add the chicken.  I poured some of the extra sauce on top of mine...

Grill for about 7-10 minutes and ENJOY!  The sugar helped to create a super yummy and sweet golden layer of goodness to the chicken.  The mustard gave it a nice TANG and the ranch made it savory!  All in All, it was GOOD!  I for sure see myself making this again! 


Now, the chicken and veggies combined provided me a super yummy dinner plate....One that I was mentally ready to devour.  Packed with lots of protein and fiber goodness....

Little did I know the BOSS (a.k.a. my pouch) had a different plan again this evening....I couldn't even finish half of it...

O'well~!  The boss is in charge over here...  Leftovers will be great for lunch tomorrow! 

Well, finally, sweet readers I have come to the end of blogging tonight!  My apologies for putting them all up at once, but as mentioned in a previous post, this semester of Grad school (I am working on my Master's degree in Social Work) is not taking it easy on me!  Combined with working full time, doing a 20 hour per week work based practicum, and teaching Zumba four days a week, and dealing with all of the other responsibilities of life, I manage to stay quite busy!

I am so thankful for you taking the time to read my blog posts.  More than anything, I hope the postings help you with creative ideas for eating or inspire you or encourage or motivate you in some way.  Managing this blog is definitely helpful for me as a great outlet for my cooking experiments, emotional ups and downs, hi points in this journey and low points, and everything in between, but it is also my way of paying it forward to all of my readers!  Even if only one thing I say or one recipe I share makes a difference for even just one single person, then it is worth every word typed and the time taken to type it! 

I am so happy to report that I am still going strong on my new goals.  The motivation and drive I was lacking for so many months is back in FULL FORCE and I LOVE it!  I can not wait to lose all of this 20 + lbs I gained (it was actually 24lbs total).  Which, by the way I am happy to report I have lost 10 of those disgusting pounds already!!  So, here to keepin on keepin on~!

Everyday as you go through your journey, whatever your journey may be; remember you DESERVE to be happy and healthy and you are 100% capable of achieving EVERY single one of your goals!  Work hard, stay committed, eat right, be active, drink lots of water, and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!  Do those things, and I promise you, you will watch your goals be met right before your very eyes!

Till next time sweet readers....

Lots of Love,

Autumn

Oh so Yummy WLS friendly FRENCH TOAST!!!

This one makes me excited!  I love love love french toast, but traditional versions can be, eh, uh, well... not so WLS'er friendly. 

I have made this before, but never captured the process for my blog.  Last, night around dinner time I got a taste for it so I had breakfast for dinner!  Then, I had breakfast for breakfast again this morning!  I'm telling ya, its good stuff!

Ingredients:

2 slices Healthy Life high fiber bread (white or wheat, I used white this time) [NOTE: this bread is only 35 calories per slice!]
1 large egg (or the equivalent of an egg substitute)
1/4 cup 1% milk (or whatever kind you use)
Pumpkin pie spice
2 packets of no calorie sweetener
"butter" cooking spray
1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup

Preheat a skillet and spray it with the no calorie butter cooking spray.  In a small bow, wisk the egg and milk together.  Add one packet of sweetener.

One piece at a time, dip the bread into the egg/milk mixture and place it in the skillet...Sprinkle on some of the pumpkin pie seasoning to your liking!

Cook until golden brown on each side.  You can use the second packet of sweetener to sprinkle on the toast as it cooks, if you wish.  I am a sweets fanatic so I did, but this is optional~!

When it's done top it with one serving on sugar free maple syrup (1/8 cup per piece, 1/4 cup total) and ENJOY!

Seriously, this is HEAVEN on a plate! 

O-M- JEEEEBUUSSSS!  It is good, good, good.  I am dang near tempted to go make another batch!  But, once again the pouch is the boss and I couldn't even finish my dinner (that post is up next)!

Till next time...hope you try it, hope you like it!

Lots of Love,
Autumn