A few good recipes- part 2

I ventured out and decided to try something new. It is FULL of wonderful veggies, and very low in calories, incase that matters to anyone. :)

Vitamix Tortilla Soup

3 C. chicken broth
1 roma tomato- halved
1 carrot- chunked
1 stalk of celery- halved
1 thin slice of onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 yellow squash
1 thin slice red pepper
1 thin slice cabbage
1 mushroom
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. cumin

*for this soup, as is listed above, there are only 36 calories per 1 cup serving!)

Now, here are the extras. And while they add more calories, the make it wonderful!

1/2 C. cooked chicken
1/4 C. cooked black beans
1/4 C. frozen corn
1/4 C. black olives
6 corn tortillas- cut into strips or triangles, and baked at 350 until crispy.

Place all soup ingredients into vitamix and blend on high for 5-6 minutes until hot, then add in chicken, beans, corn, olives and baked chips and blend for 10-20 seconds again. Top with sour cream and avocados.

I give this recipe 5 out of 5 stars, and EVERYONE in the family ate it, including the kids! That is a huge success in my book! Lots of good veggies, and everyone ate it? YAHOO!! And, it took UNDER 10 minutes to make. And for any of you who might want to know, I LOVE MY VITAMIX- it was a WONDERFUL investment!

A few good recipes- part 1

So friends, I have spent lots of time coming up with recipes that fit my criteria, and here are a few of the recipes that I would recommend. One is new, and one is an oldie but a goodie.

Here is the tried and true salad that I have made many times, and LOVE!

GREEK PANZANELLA

Croutons:

Good Olive Oil
1 small loaf French Bread-cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher Salt

Salad:

1 Cucumber- chunked
1 Red Pepper- chunked
1 Yellow Pepper- chunked
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes- halved
1/2 Red Onion- diced
1/2 lb. Feta Cheese
1/2 C. Calamata Olives (I use regular black olives)

Vinaigrette:

2 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 C. Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 C. Olive Oil

Heat 3 T. Olive Oil in large saute pan (I use my electric skillet). Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt. Cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently for 5-10 minutes, until nicely brown and crisp. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in large bowl.

Mix together dressing in blender and pour over vegetables. Add feta, olives and bread cubes. Toss and serve.

This salad is divine! It is fairly simple, chop the veggies, mix the dressing, and then make the croutons. I like to serve it with greek slow-roasted beef sandwiches. (Roast, greek banana peppers, beef broth, oregano and basil, garlic and onion - in the crock pot)

Back to Basics

Well, as we all seem to do, every year about this time, I am feeling the need to rid my house of all the sugar, and all the junk food, and all the holiday goodies.

This year I have decided that I am not going to go crazy and throw out everything in my cupboards that isn't organic or gluten-free, or dairy free. I have done diets like that and they never seem to stick because I feel SOOOO deprived the entire time. So, here is my idea...just eat more whole foods. Healthy meats, lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Healthier sugars (like honey or agave), less dairy, no refined junk and more WATER, lots more water!

Here is my problem though. I have been searching online for recipes that fit my criteria, and I am not finding much. There are lots of recipes, but most of them seem potentially gross to me...I hate to waste my money on recipes that are most likely yucky. So, I am asking each of you for recipes that your family likes that are healthy, simple and incorporate lots of fresh stuff and lots of whole stuff. Please share what you like, and if you want, I will share what I find. I am looking for lots of comments here, so don't be shy...please!

Baby Pictures

Here are a few pics of Nathan with the kids, for those of you who haven't seen him yet. He's pretty darn cute we think. This first picture is my personal favorite.







Is there any doubt whether this baby is loved? I think adoration is a good choice of words to describe how his siblings feel about him.

Welcome Nathan

Well friends, we had a baby this morning!

Started labor at 2:00 last night, came to the hospital at 5:00, and Nathan was born just a few minutes before 8:00. He was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long. He has lots of brown hair (though his eyebrows are white, so I imagine it won't stay brown for long) He is darling and we couldn't be happier with him.

9 MORE DAYS!!!!

Well, it is official, as of Friday December 16th, my pregnancy woes will be over, and our long awaited baby Nathan will be here! They scheduled my induction date today, and if he doesn't come before then, the 16th will be the big day! YAHOO!!!

9 more days and counting down!