Dreary Weather =Tortilla Soup

Spring has not arrived in Spokane yet. We got a little tease on Sunday with gorgeous warm weather (the day I massively over heated on my 22 miler!) and then had a snow/rain mixture on Monday with rain on Tuesday & Wednesday. Last week we had snow twice- YUCK!

By the looks of the dreary weather and rain today, tonight will be the perfect night to make soup for dinner. This tortilla soup recipe is delish and it's quick to put together and tastes even better the next day!  After work I have 4 x 3 mile repeats so I might get a bit chilly. This soup will be perfect to have for dinner.

I found this recipe in old edition of  Runner's World magazine. I have made it once before with chicken, but I also think that shredded pork would be great in it....yummmmm.

Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 corn tortillas
2/3 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned, diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped fine
2/3 cup store-bought hot fresh salsa
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup cooked skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 ripe Hass avocado, sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet; bake until golden and crisp, about nine minutes.

Combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and corn in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for eight minutes.

Shred the chicken and stir into the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

Chill in the refrigerator if serving cold. Ladle the soup into four bowls. Top each with avocado slices, cilantro, and tortilla strips. Serves four.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 142
CARBS: 20 G
FIBER: 3 G
PROTEIN: 12 G
FAT: 3 G

--Tasha

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

I love so many things about Fall. One of my favorite parts of this wonderful season is PUMPKINS. I love all things pumpkin. Lattes, pancakes, pie, cheesecake, decorating- you name it! I recently came across a recipe for pumpkin soup in my latest edition of Women's Health magazine. I figured since it was pumpkin it had to be good. The picture in the magazine was mouth watering- I knew that I had to make this soup ASAP.

On my weekly trip to the grocery store I double checked that I would have everything to make my soup. I actually didn't need to buy very much to round out the ingredients. I omitted the roasted peanuts because I figured that the peanut butter would add enough flavor.

The soup was surprisingly easy to pull together. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

I thought that the most difficult part of the recipe was transferring the boiling hot soup from the stove into my blender to puree. I made a double batch so my pan was rather heavy and it was hot. It was hard to keep from spilling all over my kitchen counter, but I managed to succeed.

The soup turned out amazing. It was so delicious that I wanted to lick my bowl clean and I wanted to lick my pan and all utensils used to create this magnificent tasting soup. I ate 1/2 of my soup without the sour cream topping and 1/2 with the topping. The sour cream was good, but didn't make or break the soup. I also didn't add the scallions as a garnishment. I didn't think it would be necessary to add scallions when I am all about the pumpkin flavor. What made this soup so great (besides it being pumpkin) was the fact that it was healthy, warm, creamy and super filling. Even though I wanted to lick my bowl and utensils clean, I was full after my serving. It was the perfect way to end a flustered, cold & rainy Monday. Since I made a double batch, I am looking forward to having my pumpkin soup for dinner and/or lunch for the rest of this week. Yummmmm.

Without the sour cream topping (Doesn't this look amazing & delicious???!!!)

With the sour cream topping

Since I am far too lazy to type out the recipe and nutritional information here is the link for it online:

Click HERE for Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe!

They did have other pumpkin recipes that looked quite tasty also. I think I might make the Pumpkin And Shiitake Risotto with Crispy Sage next. Minus the Shiitake mushrooms (YUCK!).

--Tasha

Asian Veggies

This is amazing! This is also another Hungry Girl recipe shared by Cassie. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but the flavor was mouth watering. The Asian chili sauce adds a nice "pop" to the veggies. I wished, as you can see from my photos, that I had added more spinach to the veggies. Next time I will double-triple the amount of spinach and then it should be perfect.

Asian Veggies before baking- I love the color!

If you haven't checked out Hungry Girl yet, please do! She has awesome recipes and ideas to make your meals and snacks healthier.

Asian Veggies

Ingredients
**The ingredients listed below will make 4 servings- I only made 1 individual serving**

6 oz of kale leaves (I used a handful of regular spinach....next time I need to add a lot more spinach)
2 red bell peppers, chopped (I used a yellow bell pepper because I already had one)
1 8 oz can of sliced & drained water chestnuts
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
1 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 sliced carrots
1/4 sliced onions

Directions
Preheat over to 375 degrees

Spray a large piece of tin foil with nonstick spray (I used Pam)

Lay the kale (or spinach) leaves in the center of the tin foil, top with bell peppers & water chestnuts

In a small bowl combine and mix the chili sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and the salt & pepper to taste

Drizzle the sauce evenly over the veggies

Cover the veggies with another piece of tin foil and fold together all 4 sides, sealing the 2 pieces of tin foil together

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender

Nutrition content
1 serving= 1/4 Cup

Fat 0.5 grams
Protein 2.5 grams
Carbs 22.0 grams
Calories 97

--Tasha

Thai Coleslaw

Talk about every bite being full of flavor, this salad is mouth watering! Another perfect salad that is easy to complete and perfect for a summer BBQ. I played around with the dressing ingredients, but if you love soy sauce you could use the full amount. I am not a huge fan of it because I think it has a very salty and over powering flavor.

The dressing is so great that I am going to attempt at making it into a thicker "sauce" for marinating chicken in or for dipping. I hope you like this coleslaw recipe as much as me!

Thai Coleslaw

Ingredients
Dressing:
6 TBSP rice vinegar
6 TBSP veggie oil
5 TBSP soy sauce (I only used 2 TBSP and thought that was more than sufficient)
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP fresh peeled ginger (I omitted this)
1/2 TBSP minced garlic (I used a full TBSP- I LOVE garlic!)
2 TBSP no sugar added peanut butter (I just used reduced fat peanut butter- I couldn't find "no sugar" added at FM)

Slaw:
1 package brocoli slaw
1 Cup julienned carrots
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup chopped red bell pepper (You could use a yellow bell pepper also- I used both)
1/2 Cup chopped green onion (I omitted this)


Directions
Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well into the slaw mixture

Nutrition content
1 cup = 1 serving

Fat 6.9 grams
Protein 1.8 grams
Carbs 8.1 grams
Calories 96

--Tasha

Balsamic Vinegar Salad

This is another tasty and quick salad to put together. Perfect for summer BBQs, lunch or dinner.

Balsamic Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients
4 cups broccoli slaw
1 yellow bell pepper (I also added a red bell pepper to my salad)
2 carrots, julienned
1 cup cherry tomatoes (I omitted this because I dislike tomatoes, but added celery instead)
1/2 cup lite balsamic vinegar dressing (I purchased Newman's Own)

**The next time I make this salad I think I will add some almonds to it & fresh mozzarella**

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together and you have the perfect summer salad.

Nutrition Content
1 cup= 1 serving, 6 servings per salad

Fat  3.5 grams
Protein 2.1 grams
Carbs 8.1 grams
Calories 72.3

--Tasha

Tasha's Ah-Mazing Chicken Salad

This salad is quick, healthy, and ah-mazing! There are two awesome things about this recipe. #1 you can use your leftover chicken breast to make the salad & #2 it tastes even better on the 2nd day. You cannot go wrong with that!

 I put each serving into individual tupper ware containers. It is the perfect way to prep several lunches and/or dinners at the same time.

Ah-Mazing Chicken Salad (makes 1 serving of salad)

4 oz chicken breast
1/2 Cup Grapes (I dice these up into pieces)
1 TBSP Light Mayo
1/4 Cup Walnuts (I chop up the walnuts)
Pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat your oven to 375. Spray your cooking pan with some Pam. Cook the chicken breast on your stove top until lightly brown on each side. I usually sprinkle a light amount of pepper on each side of the chicken breast. Place your chicken breast into your oven to finish cooking; usually takes about 8 minutes. Once the chicken is done, let it cool.

In a bowl combine your grapes, mayo and walnuts. Once the chicken is cool, dice it up and mix in with your grape/walnut mizture.

**If I don't have leftover chicken breast I will cook my chicken either the night before or in the morning so that it is cold when I make the salad.

Nutritional Content
Fat 25.13 grams
Carbohydrates 19.48 grams
Protein 31.58 grams
Calories 410

--Tasha

Fage Greek Yogurt w/ Strawberries & Honey

I am starting to get excited now that fruit is coming into season. I love fresh fruit! Cam brought some strawberries home the other night and they were amazing. I had to go to Costco and buy more.

It is great to combine some fresh fruit, Fage Greek yogurt, & a touch of honey for a meal, snack, or dessert. It is simple to put together and tastes delicious. I have only used strawberries, but I am sure that any fruit would work.

Strawberries, Honey, & Greek yogurt

1 cup Fage Greek yogurt (I bought this at Costco)
1 cup strawberries (slice & dice however you wish)
1 TBSP honey

Mix the honey and Greek yogurt together and then add the strawberries.

Nutritional Content
Carbs 31.22 grams
Protein 6.08 grams
Calories 233

--Tasha

Greek Yogurt

You may find yourself asking the question, "What is Greek yogurt?" I was thinking the same question myself a little over a month ago. I finally decided to try it and found out that I absolutely love it! I will more than likely never purchase regular yogurt again. I like how Greek yogurt is rich and creamy, but has zero fat. It also has twice the amount of protein than regular yogurt and is fairly low in carbs.

Greek yogurt is not only great for breakfast or for a snack, but it is extremely versatile in the kitchen. I have used the plain flavor to make vanilla cupcakes, salad dressings, and for a sour cream substituition. I have been collecting more recipes using Greek yogurt so I will be sharing them at some point.

Check out this website about the benefits of Greek yogurt:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/86488-benefits-greek-yogurt/

I have tried several brands and flavors of Greek yogurt and found some that I like and some not so much. I wouldn't recommend buying the Fred Meyer brand. It has a very grainy texture and I didn't care for the taste. The brands that I have tried and like are Chobani, Yoplait, and Dannon.

Chobani is my favorite, but also the most expensive. Go figure! I really like the peach and strawberry, but the vanilla flavor tasted kind of bland to me.
Website: Chobani Greek Yogurt

I have only tried the yoplait plain for cooking or the honey/vanilla flavor. I haven't tried their fruit flavors yet. The honey/vanilla flavor is good, but you really have to mix it up to taste the vanilla in it.
Website: Yoplait Greek Yogurt

In my opinion Dannon is just as good as Chobani, but a lot more affordable. Their vanilla is really good and packed with tons of flavor.
Website: Dannon Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing

1/2 container of plain Greek yogurt
2-3 TBSP of salsa (I used mango & peach, but you could use any kind that you want)

In a small bowl mix together 1/2 container of plain Greek yogurt and the salsa. Mix in with your salad and enjoy!

Nutritional Content (This is with the Mango & Peach salsa)
Carbs 12.0 grams
Protein 16.0 grams
Calories 130

--Tasha

Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? I am not afraid to admit that I love pizza and I love cheese. Our friends, Paul & Brenda, own several Papa Murphy's in the Spokane area so needless to say we eat a lot of PM pizza! The other day Cam and I wanted to eat out, but it is hard to eat out and count calories at the same time. Kind of puts a damper on the whole eating out thing. Going through my Fatsecret account I realized the PM was one of the restaurants listed with nutrition content. I found out that I can still eat my favorite pizza just by changing it from original crust to their deLITE crust. What a great alternative! I listed several options below. Fatsecret is such a wonderful tool to have and it is great to be able to use my Fatsecret phone application when I am not home. It helps me to make better food decisions.

BBQ Chicken Pizza (1 slice)
Original
Fat 11.0 grams
Carbs 35.0 grams
Protein 17.0 grams
Calories 310

deLITE
Fat 8.0 grams
Carbs 17.0 grams
Protein 12.0 grams
Calories 181

Cheese Pizza (1 slice)
Original
Fat 10.0 grams
Carbs 27.0 grams
Protein 12.0 grams
Calories 250

deLITE
Fat 6.5 grams
Carbs 13.0 grams
Protein 7.5 grams
Calories 140

Hawaiian (1 slice)
Original
Fat 11.0 grams
Carbs 33.0 grams
Protein 15.0 grams
Calories 290

deLITE
Fat 7.0 grams
Carbs 15.0 grams
Protein 9.0 grams
Calories 160

--Tasha

Amazing Turkey Burgers

I love to cook a nice dinner on Sunday, it is almost relaxing and a great way to end the weekend. I make turkey burgers quite frequently, but love to experiment with different ways to add flavor to them. Turkey can be a little bland sometimes so you need to spice it up. My result this Sunday was the most amazing turkey burger I have ever made before, even Cam loved it.

Amazing Turkey Burgers (Makes 1 Burger)

4 oz of ground turkey (I used Foster Farms)
1 piece of bacon (I used Kirkland low-sodium)
1 whole wheat sandwich thin
1 laughing cow creamy swiss wedge
1 slice of cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook)

Form the turkey into a small patty and cook until meat is done. At the same time you can cook your slice of bacon. Place your sandwich thin in the oven on broil to heat up. When you take your sandwich thin out of the oven spread your laughing cow creamy sauce on one side of your sandwich thin. Once the turkey burger is done, cut your bacon into half and place on top of your burger. Put your cheddar on top of the bacon and melt. Place your turkey bacon cheese burger on your sandwich thin, and enjoy!

**If you are watching your carbs, you can cut out the sandwich thin. You can also use turkey bacon if you like**

Nutritional Content
Fat 23.0 grams
Carbs 23.0 grams
Protein 38.5 grams
Calories 430

--Tasha

Pineapple Pizza

This recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner. It was super fast to prep and yummy!

Pineapple Pizza

1 Whole Wheat Tortilla (I bought LaTortilla Factory Smart & Delicous Wraps)
2 TBSP BBQ Sauce
1/2 Cup Pineapple
1/4 Cup Mozzarella (I added 2 servings to mine, I love cheese!)
1 TBSP Parmesan (Optional)

Heat oven to 375. Spread BBQ sauce evenly over tortilla. Top with mozzarella and pineapple. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and then pop into the oven. Bake for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

**You could always spice up the recipe and add your own ingredients. I am sure that it would be delicious with chicken, onions, or bell peppers**

Nutritional Content
Fat 9.0 grams
Carbs 36.0 grams
Protein 15.0 grams
Calories 220

--Tasha

Jello Snacks

Have you ever noticed how expensive Jello snacks are at the grocery store? They are around $3! I would always buy them when they were on sale, but I would find myself eventually buying them when they weren't on sale.

I finally came up with a smart solution, make my own Jello snacks. It's super cheap, doesn't take long to make, and one batch will last a week. They are great for lunches or dessert. The sugar free flavors only have 10 calories per serving and have 0 carbs. You could mix them up and add fruit to them if desired or a touch of fat free cool whip on top for dessert.

--Tasha