Mayness Yum that sounds nice!

Indiblue Spelt pasta is yummy! Defo try it :-)

Julia Mmmm there is an Ethiopian restaurant next to my bf's office, maybe I'll have to try it :-)

skinnyfast I do love soup but I find it's too hot for that now.

Libby's pumpkin pie (only 240 cals a slice!) It's funny...I don't have any "special" way to cooking...but one thing about my diet that IS noteworthy is that I do cook 99% of what I eat. This is probably been the #1 reason why I have succeeded in my journey!

That said...there is no "special" way I cook, I use real butter, real meat, etc. I try to reduce fat (when unnecessary for flavor), but will not compromise taste. I would say I eat regular foods, but practice portion control. This makes life very simple for me as I can incorporate this lifestyle very easily with the unexpected and live life without obsessing over food.

I love soup. These are my "go-to" soup recipes.

Carrot Soup

-1 large yellow onion
-2lbs carrots peeled and rough cut to pieces
-3-4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 t cayenne powder
- 1/4 cup chunky natural peanut butter
- 1 Quart vegetable stock
-Salt and pepper

Chop onion and carrots and saute with olive oil. After lightly browned, add garlic and cayenne and continue to cook. Add in peanut butter, stirring to coat vegetables, then add vegetable stock.
Simmer until carrots are tender (15 mins or so) and puree.

Note(s): I don't know if the cayenne measurement is right off the top of my head, so do as you wish. Sometimes you have to add water/more broth depending on how thick the soup ends up.


Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup Recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue Cheese (see Note)

1. To make the spicy tomato soup recipe, heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and a three-fingered pinch of salt and sweat the onions for 2 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and continue to sweat for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the cream, sriracha sauce, and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Pour the tomato soup into a blender, add the blue cheese, and blend until smooth, working in batches if needed. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and reheat to serve.

Note: I never strain the soup and I always switch the cream out with evaporated skim milk, and I use dried oregano. I've also made it with vegetable broth and it's comparable. I never use Roth Kase and switch out for gorgonzola because of price.


Creamy Tomato Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 oz Neufchatel cheese
optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

1. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.
2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. (If you’re adding red pepper flakes, add them now)

3. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth. You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine.

5. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.


Roasted Broccoli Soup
about 4 small or 2 large servings

2 large heads broccoli (about 2 pounds)
2 large cloves garlic
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
a few cracks lemon pepper, or fresh grated lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the broccoli florets from the stems (you don’t have to cut them small), and place them on baking sheet. Slice the stems thinly and place them on a separate baking sheet. Peel and slice the garlic, and sprinkle it in with the florets. Drizzle the olive oil over both trays (use more than 2-3 Tbsp if you need to), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the florets and stems in the oil and put them in the oven to roast until they’re browned. (The stems take about 15 – 20 minutes, and the florets take at least ten minutes more. Turn both halfway through the cooking time, and take them out once they’re good and browned.)

Put the florets and stems in a pot with 4 cups of veggie broth and the thyme, and heat until the broth comes to a boil. If the broth doesn’t almost cover the broccoli, you might want to add the extra cup at this point, or you can wait to add it after blending if you want a thinner soup.

Once the broth has come to a boil, transfer the whole thing to a blender and puree. (You might have to do this in batches. And remember to be careful when blending hot liquids!) Return the soup to the pot.

You can add more broth at this point if you want it thinner, or simmer for a bit if you’d like it a bit thicker. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if you need to. I had some lemon pepper which was a nice addition. You could also add a bit of lemon zest to taste to brighten up the flavor

Note: The lemon zest is what makes the soup. I also add a bit of Romano to my bowl before eating.


Split Pea Soup with Ham

16 oz bag of dried split peas
1 medium chopped onion
1 garlic clove or more if you like more garlic, use 2-3 cloves of garlic
8 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 tsp of olive oil
2 large carrots - chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Ham Hock
Wash peas and drain them. In a pot, saute onions and garlic in about 2 tsp of oil.

Add peas, carrots, ham hock and your chicken stock, then cover the pot and let it come to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once it boils you can reduce heat and cook for about two hours (beans should be very soft by then). Make sure to check the water and consistency. You may need to add hot water if it becomes too thick.
Remove ham hock and serve.

Note: I always make this with smoked turkey neck instead of ham hock


Lentil And Chicken Soup

1 lb dried lentils
3 small chicken breast halves on the bone, skin and fat removed
2 chicken bullion (I like Maggi)
1 packet Sazon (in Latin section)
1 small onion
4 scallions
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
8 cups water

In a large pot combine lentils, chicken, water and chicken bullion. Boil, covered over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the bone and shred, return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a mini chopper, finely chop onions, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and tomato. Add to the lentils with sazon and cook 15 more minutes, or until lentils are soft. (Add more water if needed)

Breakfast: Fiber One with skim milk and blueberries

Lunch: Goodmans instant onion soup mix with a panini (one oz of low-fat shredded mozzarella on a Thomas' bagel thin with bruchetta and tons of delicious veggies)

Dinner: One medium potato, boiled with garlic and salt then mashed with a little skim milk, asparagus and mushroom caps sprayed with Pam olive oil spray, salt, pepper and garlic powder then baked at 400 degrees for 20 mins, and 4 oz salmon sprinkled with lemon pepper, salt, chili powder and lemon juice and grilled

Snack: A fat free yogurt cup and air popped popcorn with a little mrs. dash and a quick spray of Pam so the mrs. dash sticks

Munchy: Thankyou so much for all the soup recipes. I have very little confidence in my own cooking skills so generally end just eating pasta with vegetable (which is super calorific) or houmous with crudites and bread...which I guess is better, but the soups look lovely, especially the brocolli one.

I love soups as you can put them in a mug and drink them in bed with a good book...blissul, will definietly try it.x

Tonight for dinner I'm making my two sons and I: grilled turkey breast cutlets, sweet potatoes and garlic spinach. When they were younger, I was stuck almost making two meals b/c they didn't eat food like that - it was mac n cheese for them and something separate for me. So I'm thrilled that they've gotten bigger and eat a variety of foods now. Makes me feel less like a short-order cook, lol.


Other meals: Portobello pizza - kind of like your cauliflower pizza. Lowfat cheese and roasted red peppers with fresh parsley. Really filling and delicious.

- Whole wheat pasta with cannellini beans and some olive oil and fresh parsley on the top.

- Any meaty fish like salmon or tuna tastes great broiled and paired with some brown rice and steamed veggie of your choice.

Hope this helps.

I like straightforward fish and salad. Lovely. Although I do dress the salad...I sort of figure olive oil is a good fat so it's okat to have a bit of it, don't know how other people feelabout this.