Ten in 2010: Week Eight and Some Almost Famous Broccoli Soup

 

This week was another crazy one around here. What's new? One basketball season is finishing up and another is beginning. We have basketball tournaments and wrestling meets as well as Math Club and 4-H. You'd think I'd be used to it by now but somehow it never seems to work that way. 

This is week eight of Ten in 2010. I'd been hoping all these healthy new habits would be set by now. Seems like it's been two steps forward and one step back most weeks. But even then, I'm in a much better place than I was before. I may not be drinking as much water as I'd like, but it is more than before. I am exercising. I am eating more vegetables and though it hasn't seemed like it, we are eating out less than we used to.

Running went fairly well this week. I ran five miles on Sunday. Yippee! Slowly but surely I'm getting there and with all this glorious sunshine, anything seems possible! For me running on a treadmill is like torture so I'm happy to finally be back to running outdoors. We'll se how my 7 miler goes today!

I did make a few yummy things this week but there didn't seem to be enough time to get them posted. Hopefully that will get a bit better. Time is really going to be at a premium starting this week. In addition to all of the kid's activities, I'm beginning a big re-decorating project around here this week. Starting with the hallway on Monday, I'll be working my way through the entire house painting, removing old wallpaper and paneling, learning how to tile and maybe even how to install some new lighting in my kitchen! The challenge will come after we finish the hallway. I'll be heading into the kitchen. I'm planning to remove the hideous paneling and take out the outdated soffits. I'm installing some new lighting and putting in some new flooring. I'm not sure how long that's going to take but I can imagine that preparing meals will become more interesting. My goal is to limit eating out to maybe one pizza night during the project. We'll have to see how that works out. It should be interesting becaue this is our month to host the monthly dinner party! 

Broccoli Soup is one of my favorites. It's what I always pick when we eat at Panera Bread. A few months ago Food Network Magazine published a recipe for Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. It took me awhile to get around to making it, but it was definitely worth the wait! Even

Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

Ten in 2010: Week Seven and the Best Recipe Ever!

 

Time for another Ten in 2010 update: I just can't seem to juggle things these days and keep all the balls in the air. This week I ran five times, on target with my half marathon training plan. I even worked with the weights twice. I drank lots of water. I went to bed early (okay, early-ish). But cooking and blogging. Definitely dropped the ball. In my defense we were super busy this week. The kids had three basketball games and two out-of-town wrestling meets in addition to the regular practices, Media Club and 4-H meetings. Time was definitely a factor. We ended up eating out a lot more than I'd have liked. Pizza Hut twice and Burger King once. The seasons are thankfully winding down and we won't be so slammed next week. My goal? No eating out. Actually cooking and blogging about it. We'll see how that goes! ;-) Stop by Recipe Girl's blog to see how everyone else is doing!

This week I did find the best recipe I think I've made in recent memory. Drip Beef. It's so good that I think I could make it every week (or more often!) and no one would complain. In fact, they've already been requesting it. 

The Pioneer Woman is my hero. I love her blog. I love her photographs ... and now I also love her cookbook! I made her drip beef the other day thinking that that dinner would be ready when we got home from the game. Dinner was ready. And it was delicious! Hubby is still raving about it and he had to eat it like three days in a row. The nephew gave it a thumbs up too. Definitely a recipe that we'll be making over and over. Simple ingredients. Quick prep. Amazing taste. And my contribution the the Saturday Blog Showcase hosted by Thibault's Table and All That Splatters. To see what everyone else made, head over to All That Splatters. And while you're there be sure to check out Lori's beautiful Blueberry Squares. They look amazing. (Check back soon and I'll let you know how they taste. I'm getting ready to make them right now!)

Basic Drip Beef
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 whole 2.5 To 4 Pound Chuck Roast
¼ cups Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
½ cups Soy Sauce
1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry Is Fine)
½ teaspoons Salt
4 cups Water
Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
OPTIONAL: Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.

Ten in 2010: Week Six

Time for a Ten in 2010 update: Things are better this week. I did a three mile run yesterday and while it was pretty slow, it was also not entirely miserable.LOL! Amazing, mainly because I spent the last several days in bed with a horrible cold/flu thing. Strangely I'm actually looking forward to my next run. Things are definitely looking up on the exercise front.

Cooking and blogging were a bit lacking this week since I was sick but that should get back on track now that I'm better.


Here's a great dish from Rachael Ray that we really enjoyed. It was easy to put together and quite tasty. I served it with some Veggie Fried Rice and some eggrolls.


Pork with Tangy Garlic Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 head boston lettuce, leaves separated
2 carrots, finely shredded

 In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil with the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic, the crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine the pork, cilantro, ginger, remaining 3 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon garlic. Form 8 oval patties about 1/2-inch thick and broil, turning once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Spoon into lettuce cups and top with the carrots. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Ten in 2010: Week Five

What to say ... I'm definitely slipping on the exercise portion of this challenge. For some reason I'm having a really hard time getting back into the groove when it comes to training for this half marathon. Aside from the fact that I'm a little lazy, the biggest problem is that the kid's activities are all taking place on the same days that out training group does it's group runs. That leave hubby and I to run (a.k.a. slogging) through the ice and snow and frigid winds all by our lonesome ... and that isn't happening as often as it should. The threat of getting left behind during a Saturday long run used to spur us into action (a.k.a. actually following our training schedule.) Without the fear it's way to easy to talk yourself out of going out there when the temperatures are low and the snow is piled high. 

Luckily, one basketball team's season is over. Unfortunately it's not the one causing the problem! LOL! Still it does provide a little more time in the schedule for hubby and I to buck up and get out there and just do it.

Blogging is going a bit better. Our internet finally works! (And that is a major plus to blogging. LOL!) Our new line-of-sight sattelite internet is ever so much better than our old Wild Blue.

I'm eating quite a few more servings of veggies every day and while I can't say the same about the rest of the family, I figure slow and steady will win the race. I'm drinking more water and *loving* the fish oil supplement I started taking. Warning: TMI moment ahead! No more hot flashes! Like within the first day. All gone. A whole night's sleep. Woohoo! When I forgot one once, they were back within a day. Needless to say, I'll be taking these *regularly* from now on.

Cooking has been going well. I can't remember the last time we got take-out and I managed to find an excellent crockpot recipe this week: Slowcooker Chicken Parmesan. Perfect for those hectic evenings, this dish actually looked great (something you can't always say about crockpot meals), tasted great and was super easy to throw together. Unfortunately, it tasted so great that we'd eaten it up before I realized I'd forgotten to take a picture! If you want to see what it looks like, head on over to Creatively Domestic and check out her pics.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of Creatively Domestic

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg, beaten

sliced mozzarella cheese

Jar of marinara sauce

Spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the seasonings and Parmesan cheese in another separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with entire jar of marinara sauce.

Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer. Mine was 3 thawed chicken breasts and took about 5 hours on low.

Ten in 2010: Week Five

So far this year I've done well on my organizing goals. Cleaning and re-organizing the kitchen and the utility room so far. Huge loads of stuff have left the house, bound for either the landfill or Goodwill. I bought new shelving units for the utility room this week and now it's almost a joy to have to go in there. Everything is at your fingertips. Nothing is stacked on top of anything. If you need something, it's easy to locate and more importantly, easy to replace. My goal today is to finish up the utility room and begin on the pantry. We'll see how that goes. ::wink, wink::

I've even done fairly well on the cooking front despite the fact that the kitchen table has been covered in utility room stuff for most of the week. We may have had to eat in the living room but at least we were eating food I made and not take out.

Blogging ran into some trouble this week with unexpected computer troubles. Fortunately I'll be getting a new computer this week and ... the big news ... our new line-of-sight satellite internet was installed yesterday. No more getting FAPped. (See ya Wild Blue!) Way faster service so now I can check out twice as many blogs is the same amount of time! Woohoo!

Exercise ... well, not so much. I am still thinking about it though. And I did run a time or two this week. I just wish I could get back into the groove. I remember a couple of years ago, in the midst of my running addiction when I got my run in every day no matter what. Invited out to dinner? I'd rather run. Gotta go out of town? I'd get up and run at 5 am. ::sigh:: Just not to that point yet, I guess. Hopefully I will get there (and soon!)

If you want to see how everyone else is doing halfway through the Ten in 2010 Challenge head over to RecipeGirl and check it out. It's not too late if you want to join in!

Ten in 2010: The Fourth Week

Week four. Hmmm. Lots of excuses. Not much action.


I did do a lot of cooking last week and was able to blog plenty so that went well. Fiber intake was up and while I didn't drink as much water as I wanted, it was more than I had been drinking so that was good too. I keep telling myself that once the weather gets better, that it will be easier to motivate myself outside to run. (Not sure that'll be the case but for now, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) I did run three times in the past week and hopefully I will be able to do more this week.


Here's a great, healthy dinner recipe I found this week. Chicken and Black Bean Burritos. The perfect dinner after a great long run. OK. It will be a great meal after a long run once I can do a long run. LOL! Right now it's perfect after a short run or on any busy week night.

Chicken and Bean Burritos
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

1/2 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic; 1 smashed, 1 minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) frozen diced butternut squash, thawed
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, plus 2 tablespoons pickling liquid
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced
Plain low-fat yogurt or sour cream, for serving (optional)

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the rice and smashed garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the squash and reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer, undisturbed, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken over the rice mixture, cover and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, make the bean salsa: Drain and rinse the beans, quarter the tomatoes and chop the cilantro and jalapenos. Toss with the pickling liquid and minced garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the chicken-rice mixture and spoon it down the center of each tortilla, then top with half of the bean salsa and sprinkle with the cheese. Fold in the sides and roll up. Slice in half and serve with avocado, the remaining bean salsa and yogurt, if desired.

Ten in 2010: Week Three

What to say about week three? Hmmm.... The scale is not so much going down anymore. But that's ok. Losing weight is not my main goal. Getting fit is what I'm shooting for and hubby and I ran five (yes, 5!) times last week. Huge improvement, obviously. As long as I take my inhaler along, we'll be fine. I forgot it today and hubby had to sprint home to get the car and come back for me. He did get a good workout that way but I'd rather not do that again. ;-)

I did well on the blogging front. I posted 6 times last week. I'm shooting for 5 times a week so I'm happy with that. I made four out of the six items I had on my menu plan. I had an ear infection that included a bout with vertigo for a couple of days so hubby took care of dinner for me. The things I did make were fairly healthy choices (and we liked most of them) so that's one for the win column too.

Adding more veggies to our diet was also one of my goals. I can't recall ever eating a Brussels Sprout. My mom doesn't care for them so we never ate them while I was growing up. Hubby has a strong dislike for them so they were just never something I bought. After reading so many of my favorite bloggers rave about Brussels sprouts I decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did. These were delish! I ate half of them myself before they even made it to the table!

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Recipe courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

24 small Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the Brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the Brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Serves 4.

Ten in 2010: The Second Week

I got dh to eat broccoli and actually agree it tasted pretty good.

Went to our first group training meeting for the Mini Marathon.

I blogged every day.

Um .... uhh ...I'm drawing a blank. The second week didn't go nearly as well as the first. Had a migraine that lasted a couple of days and even for a few days after that, I really didn't want to move my head more than I had to. So no exercise this week.

As far as eating ... well, we ended up eating out (actually ordering in ) more than we have in months. (Again with the migraine excuse.::sigh::)

I did find a really great recipe for Italian Sausage Soup over at Menu Planning 101 though. It was quick and easy to make, used things I had in the fridge and in the pantry and I bet if you used turkey sausage, it would be even better for you! ;-) Did I mention it was delicious?

Italian Sausage Soup
Recipe courtesy of Meal Planning 101

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup carrot, shredded
1 14 1/2 oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 small zucchini, shredded
2 cups baby spinach, packed and rinsed
Salt and pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat add your Italian sausage. Brown the sausage with the garlic for about 6-8 minutes breaking it up while it's cooking. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, carrots, white kidney beans and zucchini. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and see if it needs any salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. The residual heat of the soup will wilt the spinach. Serve.

Ten in 2010: The First Week

So far ... not as good as I'd hoped, unfortunately.

Let's see:

• Drink more water every day. I have been drinking 2-4 more cups of water per day than before so that's good.
• Get 25 mg fiber each day. Not so much. Really need to work on this one.
  
• Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week. Well, I did run once which is more than before. Why didn't someone tell me how sore I'd be? LOL!)
• Add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. A good start, I'd say. We tried Brussels Sprouts for the first time this week. (Roasted with a little olive oil. Yum!) I also made a Chicken Gumbo with lots of fresh veggies in it. A few salads here, some frozen veggies there.
  
• Lose 10 pounds. Well ... it's still early. ;-) I did jump back into Sparkpeople.com. I've been logging my food and exercise and re-acquainting myself with some old Spark Friends. I've also spent a lot of time going through the Spark Recipes, looking for tasty, yet healthy additions to our dinner rotation.
  

I did make some progress on other fronts. I re-organized my kitchen. Purging lots of extraneous clutter and simplifying things so that it's easier to grab a healthy snack. I've also jumped back on the blogging bandwagon so I'm quite happy with that.

All in all, not a bad start at all. :-)


Edited to Add: I forgot the best part! I've lost 1.5 pounds so far this week! I guess this week wasn't so bad after all!