Very Hearty Corn Chowder

Adapted from a recipe in "The One Dish Vegetarian" by Maria Robbins, page 26-27. I changed it up a bit.

1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded and finely chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, ribbed, seeded and finely chopped (I left those out)
8 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
1 TBSP fresh oregano
2 tsp. fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
6 cups vegetable broth or water
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 corn tortillas, cut into fine julienne
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 4 oz. can mild green chilies, drained and finely chopped
1 to 2 cups soy milk or low fat milk
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
Pepper, to taste

Garnish
2 limes, quartered
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the onions begin to color. Add the carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme, paprika, and cayenne. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add the broth or water, potatoes, yams and tortillas. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, at a gentle simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked.

3. Add the corn kernels, green chilies, and some soy or regular milk if the soup looks too thick. It should be a consistency you like. Cook 5 minutes longer and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve in large soup bowls and pass the limes and cilantro for garnishing.

While I was making this I was a bit skeptical--until I put the tortillas in and watched it thicken right up. The tortillas are what thicken it! And me gusta mucho tortillas de maiz. (I LOVE CORN TORTILLAS!!) The soup turned out great, kind of sweet, kind of spicy--and I am still full. My kids? Well, they don't like much of anything, so don't take the fact that they called it "disgusting" and "the worst thing on the planet" to heart. I certainly didn't.

Old Man Winter

He really makes it hard to run when and where I want. Not to mention the fact that my kids are all out of school. All. Day. Long. Every. Single. Day. Until. January.

Anyway. I am fighting off another respiratory infection, so maybe it's best that I don't run outside for now. I wanted to try to get a run in this afternoon, but Ryan still isn't home from work and now it is dark outside. So I'll be hitting the treadmill again tonight!

Today's meals included oatmeal, a clementine and string cheese for a snack, leftover jacket potato (with cottage cheese this time) for lunch and a smoothie for an afternoon snack. I got in a lower body workout this afternoon while Lincoln didn't nap.

I am trying to only eat basic foods--foods with few ingredients and ones that I can pronounce. So for now I am doing smoothies without protein powder to see how it goes. Because really I don't know what any of this stuff is!!

So my family can blame my new emphasis on whole, natural foods on all my vegetable movies. :) I've been watching another fantastic one recently, "The Gerson Miracle." Wow.

Back to my smoothie...I used a banana, frozen strawberries, peaches and mangoes, baby spinach, cottage cheese (for protein), chia seeds, almond milk and flaxseed oil. It was nice and thick, so I had it in a bowl with some trail mix and cereal on top.

Now I've got a yummy vegetarian soup simmering on the stove...if Ryan ever gets home I will let you know how it tastes!!

Veggin' out!

My first (official) day on the wagon went well! I woke up early and decided to take advantage of the peace and quiet and do my upper body work out at 5 am. It was wonderful. We spent the day doing a variety of things for Lincoln's birthday--and I never once touched any of the cupcakes, candy, ice cream or cake. Yay, me! I ran two miles in the afternoon--I had to stick with the treadmill because it was freezing cold outside. I ate oatmeal for breakfast, raisins, craisins and almonds for a snack, cheese pizza for lunch and a yogurt bowl in the afternoon. For dinner, Lincoln had requested spaghetti and meatballs. So the family had that--still healthy with ground turkey, of course. I sauteed a bunch of different veggies (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and onions) and had them over the whole wheat pasta noodles with a sprinkle of reduced fat Parmesan cheese. Then I remembered that I was supposed to eat raw stuff, too, so I added chopped green peppers, baby spinach and chopped tomatoes to the mix. It was good!
Oh--and a breadstick on the side.

Overheard

Isaac: Dad likes action movies.

Lincoln: What kind of movies does Mommy like?

Isaac: Vegetable movies.

Jacket Potatoes

Kind of a weird name, but these are easy and really good. And...vegetarian!! I think my struggle is going to be getting enough protein to keep me full. But tonight's recipe (courtesy of my SIL) was a great way to start our adventure. Basically, these are actually just baked potatoes with a yummy topping. So I still don't really get the name...

I promise there is a potato hiding under there...

Avocado, Tomato and Corn Salsa

2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/2 purple onion, chopped
1 TBSP lime juice
1/2 tsp. sugar (I used Truvia)
2 avocados, diced

Put tomatoes, corn, onions, lime juice and sugar into a bowl and mix well. Add the avocado. Spoon mixture onto baked potatoes and add a dollop of fat-free sour cream.

(Here I was thinking I could have used plain Greek yogurt or fat-free cottage cheese instead of the sour cream to up the protein content. Next time I will know!)

A late night post...

Well, Ryan is upstairs snoring, which means I am down here not sleeping. So I thought I'd share all my deep thoughts on a late night post.

A few months ago my sister asked me why I hate running. I was thinking about that this morning as I ran. I woke up with a splitting headache and a sore throat, but the weather was supposed to be decent today and Ryan was home, so I had to take advantage of my moment to get out and get going. I bundled up and headed out to brave the 35 degree weather. I actually had a great run--my headache went away and I didn't stop at all, except when I was trying to avoid being hit by a car. The end of my route is uphill and I was running against the wind (barefoot and through three feet of snow and in blinding hail, too...). This is when I recognized why I haven't been a big fan of running, or of any cardio for that matter. I have asthma. My lung capacity isn't great. When I go to the doctor and they make me take the little breathing tests that they have it isn't pretty. So I think that is why I don't love it. I can't breathe when I do it. When I got home I was literally gasping. I think the cold air made it worse. But I just took a few puffs of my inhaler and rested for a bit and I was fine. I know I am certainly not the first asthmatic to train for a marathon--I think the more I train, the better things will get.

And I am loving it more. I find myself wanting to run. I want to be a runner. Today was just three miles, but three miles outside is different than three on the treadmill. More interesting. More variety. Hills, trees, grass, dogs. It's better. Plus, my foot didn't hurt at all, which makes me wonder. Maybe the treadmill has something to do with it?

(BTW--I hope you all know I was kidding about the running barefoot in the snow comment. I only run barefoot in the house.)

And--I really am gung-ho about this whole vegetarian thing. I just didn't think about how big of a change it was until I started trying to do it without having planned ahead. I found myself wondering, "What do vegetarians even eat?" So today I went to the library and stocked up on some cookbooks. I revised my week of meals for this coming week and I am excited to try all these new recipes! I'll tell you all upfront, though--I HATE tofu. I have tried many, many times to like it. I have cooked it many different ways. They say it takes on the flavor of what you are cooking it with. Ryan and I both think that is crap. It tastes horrible. So don't expect to be seeing many recipes calling for a block of firm tofu. Not happening here!!

This is the book I am using this week! I will keep you updated. I know you are all waiting on the edge of your seats...

Um, maybe not.

So I'm thinking deciding to become a semi-vegetarian the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the most brilliant plan.

Give me a week or two.

Got leftovers??

NOT FOR LONG!!!

This recipe makes the BEST turkey sandwiches EVER!! It is one of our favorite parts of Thanksgiving. When I was making it this year, I asked Ryan if I should double it and his response was, "You can never have too much cranberry salsa." So here it is, folks,

Cranberry Salsa

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1/2 medium-sized purple onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (I leave these out)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup honey
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
1 TBSP orange zest

Process all ingredients in a food processor, pulsing 6 to 8 times or until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides. Cover and chill 8 hours.

For a sandwich--serve with sourdough bread, turkey, green leaf lettuce and salsa. YUM!!

Recommendation

I really love to learn. I love to read. I love to watch documentaries. And I am easily swayed by them. Hey, at least I am aware of it. I watched "Food Matters" this past week (thanks for the idea, Priscilla!) and found it to be fascinating. (I use that word a lot.) I highly recommend it--it is available streaming on Netflix. I think it's going to change the way I eat. I am wanting to head more towards the vegetarian persuasion. Not totally--I don't think that would be practical. But I am definitely going to be cutting back on meat drastically. (Technically I think I will be called a pescetarian, or semi-vegetarian with a leaning towards the Mediterranean diet.) And also I am really interested in doing more with vitamins. Well, I just think you should all watch this movie and see what you think.

(Ryan thinks I will only last a month on my new plan. But I have done really good with giving up Diet Coke, cutting back on sugar and eating oatmeal every day. I am ready to take on the challenge of less meat and more raw fruits, veggies, beans and nuts! Recipes, anyone?)

Going Native

Well, yesterday I took to the treadmill. I only did a mile, which seems absolutely PATHETIC to me, but I am really trying to take it slow. I don't want to injure myself again. And--my foot was fine!!! Yippee!! I decided to try something new--reading this "Born to Run" book about the ancient tribe of running Indians in Mexico has really got me thinking and I did my running...


Barefoot! (I almost wrote "in the nude" just to really freak you out. But that would freak me out, too, so don't worry.) So my barefoot running experience was a bit cold, but other than that, it was great. Obviously I won't be doing it outside anytime soon, but I'm going to keep it up on the treadmill. And now I've been thinking about getting some of these crazy shoes...
And, the moment you have all been waiting for, introducing my new running partner...
Kirby will be coming home with us on Dec. 11th!!

Changes

The x-rays came back negative for a stress fracture. Which means...basically nothing, because stress fractures don't always show up on x-rays.

I am beyond fed up with my doctor. I need a new one. Any suggestions?

I have been taking it easy for plenty of time now, so I have decided to just start easing my way back into running. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical this morning and I'm hoping to do some easy running this afternoon.

We have had all sorts of things going on here:
-I passed my licensing test that I have been studying for like crazy for the past three weeks. I guess in a way it is good I haven't been able to work out as much--it freed up a lot of time to study.
-I quit my job at Baby Gap. I loved it, but my life had just gotten way too busy.
-We are getting a dog!! We are going to go pick him out from the breeder tonight and we will be able to bring him home in about 3 weeks! I'll post pictures soon!!
-Today is my kids' last day of school until after the new year. So this blog might be getting even more sporadic. You've been forewarned.

I am reading a FABULOUS book right now--I'm in the middle of it and I have found it absolutely fascinating.
I highly recommend it.

And is everyone ready for this week?! Not just the crazy eating, I'm talking about Black Friday!!
Have you all seen this? I love it!! I wish I had a red tracksuit like that.

Planning ahead

I have spent a lot of my time with these two reading materials lately. Vegetable Gardening for Dummies and the Heirloom seed catalog. Yes, I'm a bit early--but I love to plan! So I have been plotting out my garden for next year. I'm determined to have a lot more success this next year. We have been adding things to our soil now so that it will all be lush and ready for planting in the spring. So many plans--three varieties of potatoes, onions, leeks, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, chard, watermelon, sunflowers, carrots and maybe we'll try peanuts. And that's not all! Now I just need to learn how to can and I'll really be self-sufficient. I still wish our HOA would let us have free-range chickens.

And I went to the doctor finally yesterday. I am dying to go running...they should call me back today with the results of the x-rays. Hopefully it is just a strained ligament and it will heal quickly.