Info Diet Plan

Good morning! I made a wonderful meatball soup a few nights ago. I was inspired by Elise Bauers Albondigas Soup recipe posted on Simply Recipes . I bookmarked this soup about a year ago, but hadnt gotten around to trying it. When I found that Costco started carrying some gluten-free meatballs I knew I was ready to test it out. Elise makes her own, which you can too, but youll need to fully cook them before throwing into the crock. They will disintegrate otherwise. I really liked this soup, and what I liked EVEN more about it was that I made do with pantry and freezer stuff instead of going to the store, which makes it "free"! Im speaking with Elise in July at BlogHer on the FoodBlogging During a Recession Panel . The Crock-Pot is such a useful tool when creating low cost meals for you and your family. The Ingredients. 4 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup baby tomatoes, quartered 1 cup baby carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 1/2 cup frozen corn 1/4 cup prepared pasta sauce (I u...

Day 218. This is really good! Really, really, really good! My kids new-best-friend, Mallory , emailed me this recipe, and I was eager to test it out. One, because it sounded awesome, and two, because Ive always had a soft spot in my heart for the name Mallory. My youngest was almost named Mallory. After Justine Batemans character on Family Ties . The Ingredients. --1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce --3 empty jars full of water --1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped --1/2 red onion, chopped --1 cup sliced mushrooms --1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained) --2 already-cooked Italian sausage (I used chicken Italian sausage) --1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters (Hormel turkey pepperoni is labeled gluten free) --8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 T dried) --1 T dried oregano --1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup. if its big, do 1/2. I used 1/2 cup Trader Joes brown rice penne) --shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later...

Day 262. I found this lentil soup recipe earlier in the year, and bookmarked it to try. Yesterday I woke to a foggy sky, wet grass, and I contemplated turning on the heater. Soup season has officially begun. I got the funniest email back in July from Kathy, who wanted me to cook with lentils. She forwarded this great article from the Seattle Times about how healthy and packed-full of protein lentils are. Theyre cheap, too. Im embarrassed to admit that I have never cooked or even bought lentils before the other day. When I emailed Kathy about not even knowing where to find them in the grocery store, she wrote back: Stephanie…MUST I come THERE and accompany you to the grocery store?? :-) (How I would LOVE that! Any excuse to escape up-coming move.) You should be able to find “some” lentils on the same shelf as rice – look to the BOTTOM shelf, of course, as they are not particularly popular in this country. As the writer of the article I sent you clarifies, different types of le...

Day 184. I took the kids to a little zoo and amusement park last week with my friend Jennifer, and her baby, Max. Jennifer went on and on and on and then on some more about cream of asparagus soup. She had some as a starter in a restaurant and was really impressed, and asked if I could try to make it in the crockpot. So I did. There are two versions---one with cream and one without. The without cream is just as creamy, but doesnt leave a velvety film on your tongue the way the other one does. And the color is more forest-green than asparagusish. The Ingredients. --1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (although Id imagine frozen would work just fine) --4 cups vegetable broth --1/2 white onion, chopped --2 tiny red potatoes (or one med. brown) --1 t black pepper (please dont use this much. it was a mistake.) --1/2 t seasoned salt --1/2 cup half and half (optional; to add at the end of cooking time) The Directions. Wash and trim the woody ends off of the asparagus, and feed to the g...

Day 202. Swiss chard! In a soup! I dont really have anything other than that to say. This recipe came from my new friend, Astrid, who grows a lot of chard in her garden, and needed a way to use it up. So we crockpotted the chard. The Ingredients. --2 big bunches of swiss chard, chopped (I only chopped the green part and gave the stems to the guinea pigs) --1 cup baby carrots, chopped --1 onion, chopped --7 baby red potatoes, or equivalent, chopped --5 cloves of garlic, chopped --1/4 cup fresh basil (hey! guess what? chop this, too!) --5 cups broth (I used chicken, but if you want this to be vegetarian you should use veggie broth) --1/2 t black pepper --1 t kosher salt (you might want to add more salt and pepper after cooking, to taste) --garnish with Parmesan/Romano cheese, optional The Directions. Wash and chop all of your vegetables, and add them to the crockpot . This is a lot of stuff, so Id stick to a 5qt or larger crockpot . Add whatever kind of broth you are using. Cover and ...

Day 178. mmmm . Philly Cheesesteaks . I made them earlier in the year, and they were delicious. But perhaps maybe you dont have bread in the house, or you dont want a bunch of carbs , or you dont want to chew a lot... guess what? I have a solution! Make Cheesesteak soup! In the crockpot ! This was a nice weekday dinner for us. I got the soup prepped and plugged in by 9am, and we spent the day out and about and came home to a hot, flavorful, and hearty soup that we all enjoyed. We served it with two salads: spinach and potato. This would be a fun (and memorable) dish to take to a pot-luck or recipe exchange. The Ingredients. --1 pound thinly cut beef strips (I used beef chuck steaks that I cut with kitchen shears) --4 cups beef broth --2 cups skim or 2% milk --1 T butter --1 yellow onion, cut in chunks --2 bell peppers (I used one green, one red) --2 t gluten free Worcestershire sauce --3 cloves chopped garlic --1/2 t black pepper --1 t kosher salt --8oz provolone cheese (t...

Day 343. Chicken and dumplings! Finally! I dont know why it took me so long to make this----it was terribly easy, and very tasty. Thank you so much for all of the recipes that were sent in. This is a compilation of recipes from Tamara, Kimberley, Danette, and Renee. Thank you! The Ingredients. --3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I used frozen thighs) --1 yellow onion, chopped --1 cup mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabellas ) --16 ounces frozen vegetables --2 cans cream-of-something soup, or combine in a saucepan: 4 T butter 6 T flour (I used Pamelas baking mix) 1 cup milk (I used soy) 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp poultry seasoning --1 can refrigerated biscuits , or one batch drop biscuits (I used Pamelas Baking Mix, and used the drop- biscuit recipe listed on the back of the bag) The Directions. I used a 6.5 quart crockpot . Anything 4 quarts and up will work. Put the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the...

Day 149. I was looking through All Recipes the other day and stumbled on African Peanut Soup . The ingredients were simple, and we happened to have everything on hand. I was excited to give it a go, as there were 111 positive reviews. The result was delicious--a thick, hearty soup with a bit of spice and a beautiful peanut flavor. The Ingredients. --1 yellow onion, diced --2 green onions, chopped --2 red bell peppers, chopped --4 cloves minced garlic --1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid --8 cups vegetable broth --1/4 t black pepper --1/4 - 1/2 t chili powder --1/2 cup uncooked brown rice --1 cup peanut butter (to add later) --dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional) The Directions. --wash and chop all of the vegetables, and put into the crock. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the uncooked rice, and the spices. --pour in the vegetable broth. --cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and a...

I made Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup in my new Ninja Cooker, but you can use any slow cooker. Pasta e Fagioli means simply "pasta and beans" and there are many variations of this traditional Italian soup.  If you have an Italian grandmother, this is the soup she probably made for you, or perhaps you've had a version of it at an Italian restaurant.  Either way, this soup is Italian comfort food at its best.  In Utah we're right smack in the middle of those spring weather fluctuations where the temperature can drop 20 degrees overnight, and this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup tasted great when I tried it out with my brother Rand on one of those chilly days. Click to continue reading

African-Inspired Vegetarian Crockpot Soup with Peanut Butter, Chiles, Brown Rice, and Lentils would be delicious for Meatless Monday. In Utah the spring weather can change in a minute, and I always like to have soup in the freezer for those days when the weather suddenly gets cold.  Before I moved I made this soup with Jake to re-shoot the photos and I had several containers in my freezer on moving day.  Sadly, that soup (and a whole cooler full of food) was ruined in one of those moving tragedies where something gets put in the wrong spot and isn't discovered for days.  On Saturday I had a few friends over for dinner, so I made more of this tasty soup, and now I'm happy to  have some in my freezer again! Click to continue reading

Did you know that buckwheat noodles are gluten free? Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . Buckwheat is Not Wheat! Although "wheat" is in the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat.  Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum is not part of the cereal grain family but is from a broad leaf plant in the Polygonaceae family. Soba noodles, made from 100% buckwheat, are suitable for those on a gluten-free diet as long as they havent been cross contaminated during processing. I love the chewy texture of these noodles. I prefer them over Udon noodles and always have a package of them in the pantry. Soba noodles are low in fat and high in protein and contain all the essential amino acids. They also contain thiamin, folate niacin, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. a 2 oz serving of buckwheat soba provides: 200 calories 1 g total fat zero saturated fat and cholesterol 6 g protein 3 g dietary fiber 43 g carbohydrates Time for Soup Its getting cold and although one third of my diet sti...