My husband has been out of town for work recently, and while I missed him horribly, I usually take advantage of his absense by eating some of the foods I love and he doesn't. Recently, this meant sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, goat cheese, and vegetable soup. When he left on a Sunday afternoon, I quickly cut up some cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrot. I threw it in a big pot, covered in about 10 cups of water with a few bouillon cubes thrown in, and added a bayleaf. I brought it to boil, lowered to a simmer, and about an hour later, I had a huge stash of veggie soup.
This soup proved helpful throughout the week in making dinner and lunch simple- add some protein (yogurt, cheese, beans, chicken) and a little bread (remembering the potatoes as another starch), a piece of fruit for dessert, and I was in business. The benefits of broth-based vegetable soups are lauded far and wide. They provide water in your diet, those much-needed vegetables, and they fill you up before you tuck into anything you might later regret. I think I dropped a pound or two without much trying. They're easy to make, can help you clean out your vegetable drawer or help you take advantage of good sale, and are tasty. Add a drizzle of olive oil or maybe some Parmesan for even more satisfaction.
After being so virtuous all week, Kendall's homecoming allowed for some splurging. He earned his PMP certification, so we were ready to celebrate! He came home to some guacamole, chips, cheese and crackers, as well as some red wine and champagne. Saturday morning, we stopped for donuts, then had lunch at Eastside Cafe. I don't feel totally guilty for it as the food was excellent quality and really delicious. We both ordered the poblano chicken sandwich (grilled chicken, melted cheese, sauteed poblano peppers on a wheat bun) and we subbed the fries for a cup of their chicken, artichoke and mushroom soup, which was creamy and divine. We went for a stroll around their garden and noted the happy chickens in their yard.
Later we stopped for bubble tea and I ordered this delicious blueberry smoothie. We had Kendall's sister and brother-in-law over for dinner. We started with guacamole and chips, then had chicken satay kebabs with peanut dipping sauce, coconut rice, an Asian-inpsired slaw, and strawberries. They brought more champagne, and we also served low-calorie beer.
Sunday we started off with homemade crepes and I tried out a new recipe for cranberry scones. Both were successful. Kendall always makes great crepes, and this Sunday he ended up with a little less batter somehow. It was no big deal, as we had plenty of food! For lunch, we had a trio of salads: leftover Asian slaw, field greens with avocado, green onions and mango in a balsamic vinagrette, and chipotle ranch pasta salad with chicken and veggies. For dinner, we attempted tempura again. It was a big soggy this time around. We snacked on some pomegranate seeds and later split a Bosc pear and had some other little nibbles.
On a related note, I've started my nutrition course, which I'm very excited about!
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