Tomato Tortellini Soup

I am throwing this one out there after a VERY annoying day in the kitchen.  Nothing seemed to go right for me while making this soup.  I actually went through 2 whole batches before I decided the third and final one was palatable.  Though I might be willing to incorporate tomatoes into my previously tomato free life, I think tomato soup is still a few months off for me.  I did eat my whole bowl though so that says something!

First I should say that you will either need to make or buy some tomato basil soup for this recipe.  If you make the soup the calories are reduced by about 20 per serving if you use the homemade tomato basil soup recipe I listed below.  It is a lot more steps, and you end up with a LOT of soup, but if you wanted to make the Tomato Basil Soup recipe and freeze it in 2 cup quantities, you would have it for when you wanted to make this recipe.

So here are the two recipes:

Tomato Basil Soup

• 2 c Chicken Broth
• 28 oz Diced Tomatoes*
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 1 Celery Stalk, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 t Thyme
• 1/2 c Fresh Basil, chopped

1. Sauté onions, celery and garlic over medium heat until translucent.
2. Combine remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
3. Either use a hand blender or transfer the soup to a blender and process till smooth.
4. Makes about 6 cups of Tomato Basil soup at about 60 calories per cup.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

• 2 c Tomato Basil Soup
• 3 c Chicken Broth
• 1 c Water
• 14 oz Diced Tomatoes*
• 8 oz Tomato Sauce*
• 4 oz Low Fat Cream Cheese
• 2 c Cheese Tortellini

1.  Combine all ingredients save the cream cheese and tortellini in a heavy stock pot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer.  
2. Scoop out about 1 cup of the soup mixture.  Whisk together the 1 cup of soup mixture and the 4 oz of cream cheese until smooth.  Add the mixture back into the soup.
3. Simmer on low/medium heat until well combined.  
4. Add the tortellini and cook until tender - about 10 minutes.
5. ENJOY

*I used canned but feel free to use homemade or freshly diced.

The Tomato Tortellini soup makes about 13 cups.  I divided that into 8 servings of 1.5 cups (with a cup to spare).  The calorie count of this soup really depends on the tomato basil soup you decide to use.  If you use the homemade version then the calories come in at about 150 calories per serving.  If you decide to use canned soup you are looking at about 170 calorie per serving.  All in all not that bad.

I pared this soup tonight with some Peasant Bread, my new favorite bread recipe.  I actually ended up chunking the bread and throwing it right into the soup.  I know that this post hasn't been the most enthusiastic, but please try to remember that until 3 months ago I didn't even eat tomatoes so for me to actually finish my bowl of TOMATO SOUP is a huge deal.

Sorry for the horrible picture - as per usual I completely forgot about taking pictures until the plates were clean.

Black Bean Brownies

Yup you read that right, BLACK BEAN brownies.  A few years ago I probably would have scoffed at anyone that said those three words together - but now I will pretty much try anything.  They aren't all that bad.  I think the recipe would go MUCH better if I had an actual food processor and not just a magic bullet.  I am going to have to write to Santa for one.  There is that after taste of black beans, but seeing I like black beans it doesn't bother me too much.  These would probably be even better with some frozen yogurt or even a dollop of cool whip.

The Black Bean Brownies are only about 70 calories less than a regular brownie however so I guess it all depends on your preference.  If you are looking for a brownie recipe that doesn't contain flour then this is for you.

Black Bean Brownies

• 15 oz (1 can)  Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2/3 c Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 t Vanilla
• 5 T Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 c Butter or Margarine, melted
• 1/2 c Chocolate Morsels

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 8 pan.
2. Place all ingredients, save the chocolate morsels, in a food processor and process till smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.  Sprinkle the morsels over the batter.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm to touch.
5. Allow to cool and ENJOY

The brownies are fairly fudge-y in consistence.  I sprinkled a shake of confectioner's sugar on the top as well.  I cut the recipe into 16 pieces which yielded about 120 calories per serving.  As I said earlier, they aren't bad but I am not sure if the calorie savings is big enough for me to forgo my old standby Hershey Brownies.

If you give them a try let me know your opinion!

Day 101...

Continuing my habit of posting on odd days I give you day number 101.  I know I just posted three days ago, but it's my blog and I am feeling chatty :-D.

**I would like to start this post with a GREAT BIG GIANT SHOUT OUT OF CONGRATULATIONS to Brian for hitting and EXCEEDING 50 pounds lost!!! (In the very short period of three months I might add.)  Not only am I excited but I am very proud of him.  He has really taken to the new routine of things and it shows.  Brian you are an amazing inspiration - as well as a great support.  I thank you so much!  CONGRATS!!**

Three days ago I informed you of my wonderful accomplishment (or two if you count the jeans).  I have tried every day since to recreate the wonderful mile I jogged with limited success.  I can do 3/4's of a mile no problem but that last quarter seems to get me.  Have no fear I won't give up.  I will keep trying until I can jog one mile a day for 7 days straight (look for that super excited post to come in 6 months :-/ - it's a long term goal).

The actual reason for my post today, besides it being day 101 which is just a perfect day for a post, is to officially say that I have achieved my December 1st goal of losing 40 pounds.  (With two ounces of wiggle room to spare as well! - hey every little bit counts!)    

Now that December is just around the corner I was thinking back on when I started this whole thing.  I remember saying I would be thrilled if I could lose 30 pounds by the end of the year.  Seeing I started at the end of August that would have given me a little over four months to achieve that goal.  The first month came and went and I had already hit the half way mark.  I reassessed and decided on 30 pounds by Thanksgiving.  When I hit the 30 pound mark I decided on 40 by December 1.  I am not so sure it is a good thing that I would "change" my goals but it certainly kept me going.

I would love to be able to say my new goal is 50 pounds by the end of the year, but I want to be realistic.  Between now and the end of the year lays Christmas and all the parties and gathering associated with that wonderful holiday.  I am certainly going to work towards 50 pounds by the end of the year but I am setting my goal at 45.  Let's face it, I am going to enjoy one or two pieces of my mother's wonderful peanut butter fudge - it wouldn't be Christmas without it!  I should also point out that I have set the goal to 45 cause I am certainly slowing down.  The very first month of my journey I was losing an average of .523 pounds PER DAY.  The second month slowed me down to .488 pounds per day.  I am now losing about .397 pounds per day.  I am not complaining, that is still a loss.  I have to be realistic though, to expect the kinds of results I experienced in the first month would set myself up for disappointment.

The numbers for my 101st day:  40.1 pounds lost.  Averaged to:  11.94 pounds lost per month.  2.86 pounds lost per week.  And finally .397 pounds lost per day.  I am going to say I am still pretty happy with that!

This is a journey, synonymous with expedition or voyage not a quick jaunt, and I intend to see it through!

Cheeseburger Pie

Tonight for dinner I wanted something simple, yummy, and that would produce leftovers for lunches.  Having a sick Stink's meant that I needed to make dinner with what I had on hand - and I hadn't been for groceries in a while so that meant essentials only.  I decided on throwing together a cheeseburger pie cause it was quick which meant I could spend lots of time cuddling with Stinks on the couch and less time by the oven!  

Cheeseburger Pie

• 3/4 lb Ground Beef
• 2 T Ketchup
• 1 t Mustard
• Minced Onion, to taste
• Garlic, to taste
• 2 T Milk
• 2 T flour
• 1/3 c Dill Hamburger Pickles, chopped
• 2 T Pickle Juice
• 1 c Shredded Cheese of your choice
• 1 can (8 rolls) Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls *

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Spread 6 of the crescent rolls out on the bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate. Set the remaining two rolls aside along with the pie plate.
3. In a large fry pan brown the beef with the garlic and onion.  Stir in the ketchup, mustard, milk, pickles, pickle juice and flour.  Cook until slightly thickened.
4. Removed from heat and add 3/4 c of cheese to the meat.  Mix to combine.  
5. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pie dish.  Top with the remaining cheese.  Top all of that with the remaining two rolls.
6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the edges of the rolls are browned.
7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving - this will set the meat.
8. ENJOY

As you can imagine this was a hit with the Hubby.  I have to say it was fairly good as well.  I divided the recipe into six servings.  The calorie count of each serving (using reduced fat cheddar cheese) was about 305 calories.  One slice and some broccoli/cauliflower mix was more than enough to fill me up, Brian on the other hand decided on having two slices.  

The only thing I can say about this recipe is that I would bake it for longer.  I prefer my crescent rolls to be flakey instead of gooey.  Brian prefers gooey to flakey.  I settled for something in the middle, but if I was going to call it perfect I would have gone for a flakier crust - which probably would have required me to bake the crust prior to filling.  I also think I would add freshly chopped onions instead of minced, but I am an onion fan.

*I do have a recipe for homemade crescent rolls however I have not perfected it so this was made with Pillsbury.  

Sorry about the photos, I was trying to use our little Nikon but it didn't like me so all the pictures are washed out.  I will have to crack out the good camera soon!

Let me know your thoughts!  

Excited

So I was going to wait for the 100th day of my journey to post but I am just too excited!  Let me preface this by saying I understand that to some these are not big accomplishments but to me they are - and this blog is about me so you have to read about them :-D.

The first accomplishment is exercise related.  If you know me you know that I was also fairly fit throughout high school.  I played multiple sports a year with conditioning/summer ball on all off seasons.  That being said I have NEVER been a great runner/jogger.  For some reason when I ran I would lose my breath very quickly.  Now I am asthmatic, but I am also very very stubborn.  I would push myself till my vision would blur, then black and I would wake up on the ground with a worried coach standing over me.  It was always a point of extreme disappointment to me that I couldn't even JOG a whole mile without blacking out.

I am VERY happy to say that is NO LONGER THE CASE! A little while ago I told you all about how I was thrilled that I jogged a quarter mile.  Well about a week ago I moved up to a half mile and that went well.  Today I was shooting for 3/4's of a mile and I just kept going.  I was feeling good and my stubborn nature kicked in making me want to, for the first time in my life, finish out a mile at a jog.  Please read that as JOG - I am not running, baby steps people.  I would also like to point out that there is no way in hell anyone can deflate me for this accomplishment.  In the world of Amy this is HUGE.


The second accomplishment is actually a little embarrassing.  I started the journey portion of my blog to not only keep myself honest but to also help other people in my situation.  I have hoped that by my writing out everything - good and bad - someone else would look at it and say "I don't have to be afraid or ashamed".  I am sure there are people questioning why I would use the word ashamed, let me just say that no matter how strong you think you are there are always feeling of shame.  I want to put all of my journey out there to help other people - I know what it feels like and if they can use my journey as a source of comfort or strength then all the better.

So here it goes:  for the first time in 12+ years I fit in jeans from the "Regular" side of the store.  I was actually able to walk out of the "Plus" section and try on and BUY not only one but TWO pairs of jeans from the "regular" section.  Again I state this with some embarrassment, but I need to be strong and true to myself - and I am proud of myself.  The size really means nothing to me.  I am sure if I searched and searched I could have found some store that would have fit me before.  I am proud that I am healthy.  I am proud that I had the courage to even try - cause it does take courage.  I am just proud, and I think I have every right to be.

Thanks for reading and not judging.  As you can tell I am SUPER EXCITED!

Oh yeah - I am really making a push to hit 40 pounds lost by December 1st.  So if you are in my day to day life and you see me making some bad choices remind me of my goal!  I have a little over a pound to lose and I would LOVE to lose it by the first or my birthday the latest!!

Turkey Day Favorites

I have at least three recipes that I want to share with you from Thanksgiving, but seeing they are all related I decided to do a "Thanksgiving Episode"!  We were fortunate enough to host this year for the Hubby's side of the family - there is no way my side would all fit in the house let alone have a sit down meal!  I was super excited!! Not only did I get to cook the turkey and ham, but I got to create some delicious side dishes and stage what I hope was a wonderful meal.  It seemed to go wonderfully so I am hoping to make our hosting into an every other year tradition!

Now for the recipes.

This year I decided to brine the turkey.  Now I have brined meats in the past with good success, but I have never brines a turkey.  Especially not for a main course holiday!  Of course I contemplated spending the $15/can on some Williams Sonoma brine but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I decided I could make my own based on my tastes and hope everyone else would enjoy it.

Turkey Brine

• 1/2 Gallon Water*
• 2 1/2 Tubs Veggie Stock* (*or enough bouillon/broth to make 1/2 gallon) 
• 1/2 c Salt
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1 T Rosemary
• 1 T Sage
• 1 T Thyme
• 1/2 t Garlic 
• 1/2 Gallon Cold Water

1. Combine all ingredients save the 1/2 gallon of cold water in a stock pot.  Bring to a rolling boil and cook until sugar and salt are dissolved.  
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. While the brine is cooling prepare your turkey by removing the innards and giving it a good washing.  Pat the turkey dry and place it in a brining bag or large pail - I use a brining bag cause space is limited in my fridge.
4. Combine the cooled mixture with the 1/2 gallon of cold water, mix together and pour over the turkey.  
5. Seal up the bag or pail and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour per pound of bird.  
6. Once the brining is complete be sure to RINSE YOUR BIRD THOROUGHLY or you will have a very salty tasting dinner.  
7. Stuff and/or cook your turkey as you normally would - keeping in mind that brined birds tend to cook a little faster than non-brined.
8. ENJOY

See, easy!  If you have a super large bird that the brine does not cover completely then you will have to flip it half way through the brining process (or simply double the recipe and use enough brine to cover the bird).  It produced a wonderfully tender and juice turkey with just the right hint of seasonings.  I was very pleased!  Forget spending $15 for a one time use can of brine mix - this will now be my go to for brining large birds!


The next recipe I am going to share is my stuffing recipe.  Now I grew up in a Portuguese family, which means that stuffing contained chourico or linguica.  Now Portuguese sausage is wonderful, especially with peppers, onions and some cheese on a roll, but it can be an acquired taste and I was cooking for non-Portuguese people.  (I should point out that I am not a huge stuffing fan to begin with, if I want to eat bread I am going to eat bread.  It doesn't have to be mashed and flavored :-D)  To that end I wanted to create a stuffing that still had the same principle of the stuffing I grew up with, but without the extra kick linguica would give it.  I give you:

Chicken Sausage and Herb Stuffing

• 14 oz Wheat Bread (about 3/4 of a large loaf)
• 2 T Butter or Margarine
• 1 1/2 c Onion, diced
• 1 3/4 c Celery, diced
• 4-5 links Chicken Sausage (I used Italian flavored)
• 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 c Chicken Broth
• Sage, to taste
• Thyme, to taste
• Garlic, to taste
• Salt and Pepper, to taste 

1. Toast and shred the bread into a large bowl.  I have found this is the easiest way to dry out the bread, but you can also cube it and bake in the oven or leave out on the counter over night - though this method has been met with varying success.  Set the bowl aside.
2. Remove the casings from the sausage links and chop into small pieces to facilitate crumbling.
3. In a large fry pan combine the celery, onion, butter and sausage.  Cook on medium high heat until sausage is warmed through and celery is translucent.
4. Add the sausage mixture to the bread bowl and mix well.  
5. Mix in the spices to taste and slowly add the broth until the desired consistency is achieved.
6. Transfer the stuffing to a lightly greased casserole dish.  Now you can either bake this dish now, or refrigerate the stuffing until Just before your turkey is done cooking.
1. To cook the stuffing immediately you should preheat your oven to 375 F.  Cook the stuffing to 30 minutes, removed from the oven and mix gently.  Return to the oven and cook for another 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
2. To prep the stuffing for future cooking just place in the fridge.  Remove the stuffing about 10 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to acclimate.  Seeing the stuffing takes about 1 hour to cook I find it is best to throw it in the oven during the last 20 minutes of the turkey cooking.  That way the stuffing will cook while your turkey is "resting".
7. ENJOY

Again, easy!  Now stuffing is mostly bread so if you are thinking that it is a lower calorie food I am sorry to burst that bubble.  That being said this stuffing actually comes in not as high and one would have expected.  I divided the recipe into 9 equal servings - which for this limited stuffing eater was a BIG portion - and came up with about 175-180 calories per stuffing.  Not bad for chickeny bready goodness!


The final recipe I will leave you with is one I am sure you have all made at some point in your lives - I just have a different twist.  PUMPKIN PIE!  Now I am NOT a pie fan.  I am pretty sure it stems from my hatred of pie crust.  I have always loved pumpkin pie but I would only eat the filling growing up and leave a big empty pie crust shell on my plate.  A few years ago I discovered how to remedy the empty shell issue - GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST!  I love graham cracker crusts.  They are the perfect answer to my pie crust dilemma.

Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 c Pumpkin , mashed or puréed
• 3/4 c Sugar
• 1 t Cinnamon
• 1/2 t Ginger
• 1/4 t Cloves
• 2 Eggs
• 1 can Fat Free Evaporated Milk
• 1 1/4 c Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1/3 c Butter or Margarine, melted
• 4 T Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 4T of sugar in a bowl.  Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie plate and bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 425F for 10 - 15 minutes or while you prepare the pumpkin filling.
4. Mix together all remaining ingredients save the evaporated milk.  Slowly pour the evaporated milk into the mixture and combine well.
5. Pour the pumpkin mixture onto the prepared graham cracker crust.  Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake the pie for 40-50 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve warm (or cool) with cool whip and ENJOY!

The best pumpkin pie ever all due to a graham cracker crust!  The calorie count of this pie reflects the lack of "classic" pie crust as well.  For 1/8th of the pie you are looking at 200 calories, where as with a regular pie crust you would be facing 285 calories per piece!

Honorable mention goes to my water pitcher.  I have never gone through so much water before.  Very simply I added some cranberries and sliced lemons to my water picture and filled it up - such a hit!


And there you have them folks.  My picks for Thanksgiving favorites.  I could have added in the zucchini bake, sweet potato casserole, molasses cookies, or even glazed ham; but this post is long enough as it is.  I leave you with this wonderful picture of us just starting to gather about the table for our feast! :-)

3 Month Mark

As I am sitting here eating my "Cool Cuts Perry the Platypus Pizzeria Salad" I realized that today is the three month mark of my journey.  Though I am not seeing the same magnitude of results I saw during the first month, I am going to say that I am still happy with my progress.

I knew the weight loss would slow down - there was no way I would be able to keep up losing 3-5 pounds per week, but it hasn't STOPPED so that is good.

Due to a weekend trip out to eat, I have noticed that my eating habits have DEFINITELY changed.  I am not saying that I CAN'T eat anything and everything, but I can tell you that my body will let me know when I do.  After a particularly greasy meal I found myself CRAVING an apple.  As a matter of fact I think I ate an entire pound of lettuce that night as well.  I have also noticed that it is getting easier to walk away from certain foods - though let me tell you having a cake in the house was NOT a good move and it ended up in the trash so I wouldn't eat it.  I am still asking for a to-go box at the beginning of my meals when we are out and that is also still going really well.

My energy levels seem to be on the rise again.  I noticed that after having Stinks I would be in bed - not necessarily asleep, but in bed - very soon after I put him to bed.  Now this could have been due to being sick, but over the past year I think it was just due to being a lazy slob.  In the past three months I have gone back to my normal 11 or later bed time and I am getting up at 6 without feeling like a wretch.  I also am no longer huffing and puffing after running around with Stinks - always a good thing.

Finally I  noticed that I have increased my walking speed at least 1.5 mph.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but in my opinion it is huge.  Think about it - say when I started this journey my average walking speed was 2 mph (it wasn't I am just using that as an example).  Now, three months in I would be walking at 3.5 mph.  I think that is great!

And now for the numbers.  They aren't as great as I would like them to be so please excuse the lack of enthusiasm.  36.7 pounds lost in 3 months.  That is 12.23 pounds per month.  I have slowed down so much I feel like the 40 pound mark is very far away, but I am not giving up.  I will DEFINITELY reach that mark by the end of the year - I am hoping to reach the 45 pound mark by the end of the year.

I would say all in all I am in a positive place right now.  Don't worry, I am sure the scale will hate me in the next few days and I will be posting about how I am stuck!