Easy and Delicious Zucchini and Potato Soup

I know it's been awhile, and I do apologize for the long absence. My job has been eating all my time and energy, but I have some time today, so I wanted to share a recipe. I originally found this recipe in the July/August 2012 issue of Health magazine, but I have changed it a little since then. 

Since it is now officially fall and there is a chill in the air, it is the perfect time of year to make delicious homemade soups. I love this recipe because it is not only easy and tasty, but also incredibly healthy and only 152 calories per 1 1/2 cup serving. This recipe makes 4 servings. 

Zucchini and Potato Soup

The steam made it hard to take a picture!

Ingredients: 

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (more if you like it spicy)
3 average-sized golden potatoes, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parmesan or cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large saucepan or soup pot.
2. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
3. Add garlic and curry; cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add remaining ingredients, and heat to boiling, stir.
5. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. 

So much steam! :)

6. Serve into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar cheese slices! The cheese makes it even more delicious but it does add extra calories! :)


Enjoy! 


What is your favorite soup for the cold-weather months? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments!

Until next time,
J

Other posts you might enjoy:

Pizza Dough from Scratch
Homemade Tortillas and Chicken Fajitas
Simple Pasta Salad

When Life Gets in the Way

Well, my plan for this weekend was to write a review on some face wash I had tried. That didn't get done, but I will do it at some point soon.

The last couple of weeks have been tough. First my illness kept me down a lot, work has been crazy overwhelming, and this morning we woke up to a huge flood in our apartment. One of the little pipes in the toilet tank broke, and it leaked all night and we woke up to maintenance pounding on our door because it had flooded the downstairs apartment, too. 

We slept through the flood because it happened in our spare bathroom and den, so we didn't have a clue! I seriously had to answer the door in pjs. Plus the dishes were everywhere and nothing was clean because I've been sick for two weeks. So incredibly embarrassing....

Now we have these loud, smelly blowers in our apartment to dry the carpet, and the carpet guys are coming back on Tuesday to take them away and put in new pads, plus shampoo the carpet.

If all this wasn't crappy enough, I've also fallen off the wagon as far as my weight loss was concerned, and I can't blame my illness entirely. Ever since going back to work, I've been so dang tired in the evening that I've been making poor food choices constantly. Since getting sick, I haven't been able to keep my work out schedule, and so I have no idea what I weigh at the moment...

But I digress. So I'm not perfect. Not even close. Life has gotten in the way the last month, but I promise I'll get better. One day at a time, right?

Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips Review

This has been a very long and stressful week back at my day job, and I am so glad that it's now a three-day weekend! All I want to do is sit around, eat some good food, and read or watch TV! And what is TV time without a good snack to go with it?

When I got the opportunity to try and review Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips, I jumped on it. I had never  tried these before, but I can honestly say they are now one of my favorite snacks. My husband loves them, too. As soon as we got the bag, we both tried them and couldn't stop eating them! How could these possibly be good for us?

My bag of Apple Chips!

But they are! Right out of Washington state, Bare Fruit Apple Chips are 100% Organic and gluten-free with only two ingredients: Apples and Cinnamon. Plus, a 20 gram serving only has 58 calories! 

These apples are specially bake-dried so that they have the consistency of potato chips, and they are just as satisfying without being bad for you! They are delicious as a snack or as a dessert because they are so naturally sweet and delicious. The Cinnamon Apple Chips have the perfect blend of sweet and tart crispness.

Bowl of snacks!

Close up!

You can buy Bare Fruit Apple Chips online at Bare Fruit's Website, or on Amazon.com or Alice.com. Locally, they can be found at Costco, Walmart, TJMaxx, Marshall's, and Whole Foods. 

At around $7.50 for a 14oz bag, they seem pricey, but when you consider that there are 30 apples in every bag, it's not bad at all! Apples in my city are currently around $1.49 or more a pound, and 30 apples would cost me approximately $20.00 or more!

You can also "Like" Bare Fruit's Facebook Page for coupons and giveaways! :)

I highly recommend you try these chips if you have a chance! I will definitely be buying some more!

What are your favorite TV time snacks? Would you try these Bare Fruit chips? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!! :)

Thanks for reading!
J

***Disclaimer: Product was provided in exchange for my honest review. 

Five Awesome Fruits and Vegetables and How to Use Them in Your Meals

I've always been interested in eating healthier and including more fruits and vegetables in my diet. One wall I have run into in the past is that many articles and magazines talk about foods that I don't like or don't know what to do with. I decided to make a list of my top five fruits and vegetables including their health benefits and easy ways to use them in meals or desserts. 

1. Cucumber

Health Benefits:  

• 96% water, helps to hydrate you, helps to flush out toxins
• vitamins A, B, C, and potassium
• can reduce cancer risk
• good source of fiber which aids digestion
• silica aids in joint health and strong nails

Uses:

• sliced in a sandwich instead of lettuce
• chunks or slices in a pasta salad
• sliced with salt and pepper, or balsalmic vinegar as a snack
• if you slice them up ahead of time and keep them in a container in your fridge, you will be surprised how often you reach for this healthy and almost zero-calorie snack!

Healthy Grocery Shopping Trip!

I love Sunflower Market!

The husband and I did a little shopping trip tonight, and I am proud of us for picking out all healthy items! For less than $30.00, we bought the following items, with uses in parentheses:

Deli Honey Ham (sandwiches)

Wheat Bread (sandwiches)

Rice (stir-fry)

Bananas (snack, breakfast)

Red Bell Peppers (stir-fry, fajitas)

Red Seedless Grapes (snack)

Broccoli (stir-fry)

Zucchini (stir-fry)

Roma Tomatoes (pico de gallo for fajitas)

Cucumbers (salad, snacks)

Yellow Onions (stir-fry, fajitas)

Romaine Lettuce (salad, sandwiches)

Carrots (stir-fry, salad)

Vegetarian Refried Beans (fajitas/burritos)

Avocado (fajitas)

Peach and Raspberry Yogurts (snack, breakfast)

Sour Cream (fajitas)

Two Top Round Steaks (1 for stir-fry, 1 for fajitas)

Cheddar Cheese (sandwiches, fajitas/burritos)

Soy Sesame Sauce (stir-fry)

Bottled Water

So basically, that will make at least two large dinners with leftovers, sandwiches for a couple of lunches/dinner, and some snacks and salads! I don't think we did half bad. The meats were the most expensive items.... makes me think about going vegetarian but the husband would never let that happen ha! It makes me feel so good having the house full of all this healthy food!

I bought all this from Sunflower Market, which will soon become Sprouts.


Until next time, thanks for reading!
-J

McDonald's is the Devil... and Other Weight Loss Fails :(

I'm a bit discouraged today. This week has not been a good one, as far as my weight loss goals. My work out buddy and I were unable to line up our schedules this week, so I didn't go to the gym. I kept trying to psych myself up to doing a work out video, but I couldn't bring myself to turn on the tv. I'm starting to realize that the idea of workout videos sounds good in theory, but actually getting up to do one by myself is a much, much more difficult task. So... besides the one measly workout while watching The Bachelorette, I haven't done much exercise this week. 


I've also cheated big time with food. I did not make good choices this week... at all. I know it's alright to have one cheat day per week, but 3 or 4? Not so much...