so...how much weight DID you lose? and other questions about hcg

here's the skinny (ha!  see what i did there?) on my hcg diet results

honestly, i wanted to wait a bit, because technically i'm still losing weight.  at a much, much slower rate.  but it means that the diet -- cleanse and metabolism reset -- did exactly what i wanted it to do :-)

total pounds lost: 25 (ish)
total inches lost: 32.5
jean/dress sizes down: 3 or 4 depending on the clothing item

i'm now comfortably wearing about 1/3 of my professional wardrobe.  which is great -- i don't have to go shopping for new cute clothes because i already own them!  i AM planning to go get a few new items to wear on the honeymoon.  because, i need an excuse to go to anthropologie and spend a few bucks.  :-)

i've chosen to keep some of the habits of the diet -- low sugar, low carb.  now...i do enjoy my pasta.  but not every day.  i eat bun-less burgers or sandwiches, choose a wrap over bread, and space out the meals that are higher carb/starch so that i'm not eating pasta and potatoes back to back for example.

i'm happier with lean proteins, and i actually enjoy chicken.  for the first time ever!

and i don't deprive myself.  after all, pumpkin delights are back!

but the number is still going down, slowly and surely.

i recognize the girl in the mirror again.

and i feel good about where i am.

is my body perfect? nah.
am i in a size 4 again? not yet
but am i feeling better than i've felt in years?
you bet.


at first i thought my perspective on food had completely changed
but then i realized that i never had a skewed perception of *food*

my perception of ME
my treatment of myself
that's what was skewed
(and screwed up, truly)

and now that i'm healing
now that i'm recognizing myself again
the healthy food choices
that i've known and wanted all along
are falling into place

hcg gave me the kick-start
the push
the feeling of success through hard work
that i needed to get motivated

i'm not where i absolutely want to be
but i'm on the way
and i feel great
and i'm HAPPY

:-)

what i'm loving wednesday (9.21)

i'm loving that i got to spend last friday night with some of my best girlfriends.  my maid of honor and bridesmaids threw my bachelorette/lingerie shower and it.was.a.blast!  truly, i was just happy to spend time with some of my favorite people...the rest was a nice bonus!
i'm loving that my future husband makes a mean lasagna, and that we have leftovers to last us quite awhile!  can we say comfort food?
i'm loving that baby g's favorite thing right now is to grab the nearest soft blanket or stuffed animal and call for "snuggles?"
i'm loving the flex hours with my office job.  i get to take babysitting jobs, which means more income, and work from home, and pretty much waltz into the office when i feel like it.  i try to the majority of my hours in AT the office, but it does mean that most of the time i can go into work at 10 am and miss the craaaazy traffic.  and feeling professional 3 out of 5 workdays a week is A-MAZING.
i'm loving that pumpkin delights are back.  ahhh, and that the stores near me carry them! (last year i only found them in one store!)
i'm loving fitting comfortably into (most of) my size 6 wardrobe.  there are some outfits that just won't work yet, but i'm so happy to say hello again to some of my professional clothes...
i'm loving thrift store finds.  i have bought a gazillion glass pieces for the reception for less than $50.  bonus is that i don't have any sentimental "hold" if something gets damaged or lost!

thursday's ten: choose your own adventure...

um.  it's been WEEKS since i've posted.  so today's thursday's ten is going to be a choose your own adventure.  each number is something i need to tell you about/update you on.  so...comment with a number or two and that will determine which order i go in!





1.  our housing situation...the amazing God-story
2.  anthony's job
3.  my new job(s)
4.  the recipes i've been trying lately
5.  how much weight i ACTUALLY lost on the diet :D
6.  wedding updates
7.  our indiana shower
8.  pinterest ideas that i've actually used
9.  women of faith in atlanta
10.  our friend's visit this weekend

SO.  all will be talked about (geez, i'd better get to typing), you just choose which ones first :D

and...yeah.  i promise i will get to my google reader now and start commenting on all your lovely blogs that i have truly missed SO MUCH.  in my defense i've been moving for the last 2 weeks and just got internet TODAY at the new place.  :-)

hcg week four wrap-up

i'm making a wild guess here that you could care less what i ate every day this week

although, for anyone doing hcg, i'll tell you that sparkling water, vanilla creme stevia, and sliced strawberries make a nice change up for a snack ;)

or that mixing your 1 allotted tablespoon of milk with horseradish mustard, tony's seasoning (spicier) and a few other random spices you find lying about makes a GREAT dressing.

or that atlanta's cnn center has a GREAT food court with several hcg friendly choices.  i had steak fajita meat over lettuce at a mexican restaurant and cucumbers with spicy chicken at salad sensations (all their stuff is made without butter or oil, it's organic...i.was.a.fan.)

and, for this week's numbers: i lost 5 pounds and 5 inches (first time ever those two have matched...)

total pounds lost: 18.3
total inches lost: 24.5

hcg week one wrap-up

just so i can keep track...sorry to bore you all with the details!

also, i apologize for putting word verification back on my comments BUT when you have over 300 spam comments in the space of a week, it's time to pull a little more security.

day 1 (sunday)
- lunch: chicken with chipotle chili pepper seasoning, 1 cucumber seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
- snack: orange and grissini
- dinner: steak with amino acid, raw cabbage leaves, melba toast
- snack/fun drink: "mojito" made with strawberries, mint leaves, stevia and sparkling water (yummy!)

day 2 (monday)
- breakfast: coffee with english toffee stevia
- lunch: chicken with german mustard and seasonings, cucumber with salt and pepper
- 'fun' drink of the day: coffee, ice, 1 tbsp milk and english toffee stevia mixed in blender
- snack: apple, grissini breadstick
- dinner: lean ground beef, seasoned with cayenne pepper, garlic, etc, salsa poured over (yummy!)
- snack: 4 strawberries

day 3 (tuesday)
- breakfast: coffee with stevia
- lunch: greek burger, grilled onions, melba toast

- snack: strawberries, stevia and 1 tablespoon milk
- dinner: 'steak' seasoned with amino acids, onion powder and ginger.  cabbage sauteed in apple cider vinegar, amino acids, garlic, celery seed, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, etc... (i was determined to make a cabbage as close to kimchee as i could!)
- snack: orange

day 4 (wednesday)
- breakfast: coffee and stevia
- lunch: fat-free cottage cheese, melba toast, cucumber and orange
- dinner: 'soup' made with italian-seasoned ground beef and diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano as well as other italian seasonings. garlic melba toast.  it was FABULOUS and i couldn't eat it all!  definitely remember this one.
- fun drink: 'cappacino' made with ice cubes, coffee, english toffee stevia and 1 tbsp milk in the blender
- snack: strawberries

day 5 (thursday)
- breakfast: coffee with stevia
- lunch: chicken with mustard and spices (eh, it wasn't fantastic), cucumber, 1/2 an apple baked with cinnamon and stevia
- dinner: the rest of last night's soup with garlic melba toast
- fun drink: fake mojito

day 6 (friday)
- breakfast: coffee and stevia (2 cups)
` lunch: burger with tony's seasoning and fresh minced, tomato
- dinner: corned beef and cabbage at my favorite pub.  this was my first attempt at eating out, and it was...kind of successful?  the beef was fine, but the cabbage was definitely cooked in oil and butter -- and i could TASTE it.  it was odd.  i ended up transferring it from the bowl to my plate and shaking off most of the sauce, so it wasn't bad at all once i did that.  oh, and i had a small shot of whiskey.  yummy.  but no more alcohol during this phase -- my head was liiiiight!)
* i skipped both fruit servings and one serving of bread to make up for the extra calories.  hopefully that wasn't a bad thing!*

day 7 (saturday)
- breakfast: coffee, cinnamon and stevia
- lunch: cottage cheese and 2 tomatoes (one from MY garden!!!)
- snack: orange.  and i had starbucks! iced coffee and i added cinnamon and a tbsp of nonfat milk as well as a packet of stevia
- dinner: burger and grilled onion at the in-laws...another (kind of) successful attempt at eating somewhere else but my house or bringing my own food.  unfortunately, i didn't get to weigh my meat before it was cooked (which is a big no-no) but we tried to figure out how much to take off and i figure it's close enough.  and i only sort of coveted the cheese and onion rings on the table...


as of this morning i am down 6.1 pounds and 6 inches.  for a week...not too bad?  and i haven't been (too) bored with my food and choices...

best of all?  i feel GREAT.  seriously.  i have more energy (on WAY less calories, thank you drops) and i just feel...good.  the 'cleanse' bit is definitely working, and i'm considering extending it another week and just dealing with a bit of a gain/stall when we go to indiana and i have to eat cake at our shower...

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .12

 hey, it's ok

...to eat doritos with your low-fat cottage cheese.  it's balanced, right?

...to sometimes watch silly tv shows

...to love wrapping paper and wrapping gifts in a nearly unhealthy way :-)

...to consider trading free babysitting for my clients with elipticals.  i used one of them the other day and it was a fantastic workout!

...to really, really, really be tired of the rain.

...to be thrilled that not only do you have a summer job lined up but that when the mother called to tell you she used the words "we are so happy and excited that we've found the perfect person for our family!"

...to be over-run with laundry.  all of it clean, none of it in it's proper home.  yikes!

...to be a hockey fan even if your knowledge of the game is a bit sketchy.  but hey, the fights are kinda fun.  (go preds!)

...to get excited about goodwill shopping.  no reason to spend big money on a wardrobe as i'm moving between sizes and losing the weight.  and finding actual quality pieces there makes me even more excited.

Fitness Friday: could it be??

in principle, i'm not a fan of fast food

in practice, however...

i head through the drive-thru more often than i'd prefer

simply because fast food is just.that

fast!

and easy...

i found this article from fitness magazine that gives a few tips and tricks for getting through the drive-thru windows of kfc, mcdonalds, taco bell, wendy's and pizza hut.

great.  the only one of those restaurants i come close to frequenting is mcdonalds.

(they have the best.drinks.ever)

so i looked around a little more and found this article on helpguide.org

it's a little more generic, and common sensical.  it breaks down the CATEGORY of restaurant (burger joint, taco place, chicken, pizzeria, sub shop, etc) and gives you a guide to less healthy and more healthy options.

bottom line: should you (or i) be eating fast food on a daily basis?

absolutely not

however, on those occasions where it's more convenient to drive to dinner...at least make health(ier) choices!

Fitness Friday: an obesity FORECAST?!

i know

i read that and went "really?"

and the article is here, should you want to read what sparked this post.

i think the line that got me the most in this was the following:

The lifespan of an obese person is up to 8-10 years shorter than that of a normal-weight person, the OECD said, the same loss of lifespan incurred by smoking.

um, wow?

but truly, it's good that studies are being done

i live in tennessee, which is (according to recent calculations) the 2nd fattest state in the nation.

yikes.

that's not ok

thankfully, our governor sees this as the huge problem it is, and has unveiled a plan to make some pretty major changes

more sidewalks, taxes on soft drinks, more frequent PE classes

among other things

hear me say:

i'm not at an ideal weight

but i am working toward it

i got a little out of control

and i can certainly see how that happens

but seriously

to be the fattest nation on earth

when we have the access to amazing, local produce

(or at least fresh-ish produce for those of you not near great farmers markets and groceries)

and we have the whole world literally at our fingertips

to research how to eat healthful and real food meals

exercise plans for every level of ability and need

what's our excuse?

really.

what will it take for us to take the doritos off our regular buying list

and replace them with (for the same price) a week's worth of crunchy vegetables and hummus?

when will we put down the expensive packaged cookies

and for a fraction of the cost, make a better and more healthful version?
(ahem -- it kind of drives me crazy when people complain about the cost of healthy food
when junk food is incredibly expensive!)

it's not about deprivation

it's about making smart choices

and yes.

i occasionally buy a bag of doritos

but it's not even once a month!

and i bought oreos for the first time in about 2 months yesterday

but i'm sure the cashier was a bit surprised by that addition to an otherwise healthy basket.  ha!

i guess the real question here

is when will we get off our (literal) butts

and start making our health a priority?

(i'm asking myself too)

for me...i need to learn that happy medium.  after struggling with eating disorders for years upon years

i started eating what i wanted 

i embraced recovery

and as i stated above, i got a bit out of control!

but now that i'm learning more about what my body actually needs

how it was designed to function

and how i can eat really good food

and still be healthy?

why would i NOT prefer that over a drive-thru?

all things in balance

all things in moderation

it's not about never eating anything unhealthy

-- unless you're a stronger person than i!

it's about learning to make that the exception rather than the rule.

(and for me...a cheeseburger tastes SO MUCH better when it's been weeks since i've ordered one!)

i'm still working away at my weight loss challenge

(which reminds me...must make an update post about that next week)

my goal is to be at a weight that i'm happy with

and want to maintain

by the time i'm shopping for wedding dresses.

that's my clear and eventual goal

to be thrilled with my body on my wedding day

and beyond

it's a tangible goal

beyond that, i want to raise children

who never have the same body image issues i did

who learn how to have that balance and healthful attitude

that i'm currently striving for

what about you?

you know...we could prove that forecast wrong.
i'm just sayin'

fitness friday: tracking, tracking, tracking

so, anyone who is serious about losing weight or getting more active intends to track their meals and exercise

i don't know about you, but food diaries always worked for me for awhile. then i'd forget to put a meal in, continue forgetting, and then try to think back to what on earth i'd had the day before much less the previous week!

enter websites that have saved my calorie counting life

the only one i have any experience with is sparkpeople. i found it, liked it and stuck with it. so i'm going to chat about it a bit, list a few others that seem to be similar, and then ask for your input. if you've had any experience with any of these or have one to add, please leave it in the comments so everyone can see it :)

first the rundown:

sparkpeople is free...which was important

it was easy...which was also important

and it has cool features that i'm STILL finding out about.

i've been using it off and on for a few years. here are my favorite things about it.

goals:

on sparkpeople you can set a goal for weight loss...or you can simply set some lifestyle goals. examples of lifestyle goals include "drinking 8 glasses of water a day" or "keep a journal" or "listen to a get-up-and-go song every morning"

you can also fill in the blank and create your own goals.

nutrition tracking:

every bite you put into your body can be tracked!

most restaurant nutritional info is available online, so you can enter it yourself

OR you can search entered info from other members--chances are that someone has tracked the same meal

any food you buy in the grocery is either listed or easily entered

and there are extras!

not only are there meters for fruit/veggie servings per day and glasses of water per day

but there are also ways to create food groupings of things your often pair together (my coffee with sugar and creamer, for example) so that you don't have to enter each one separately

and my very favorite part, which is an entirely new category...

recipes:

enter the ingredients, the number of servings, and save it in your recipes

you can choose to share with everyone else on sparkpeople if you wish

or just keep it for your handy info

i LOVE this

finally, there's fitness tracking:

you can plan to work in cardio however many times a week you want

strength training

etc

there are plenty of extra features--message boards, motivation tools, etc. i find that i don't really use them or the sparkspoints system, but you might find it helpful.

the only extra i do use? the iphone app.

:0)

here are a couple of other sites that seem to do similar things

fitday.com

nutrition data

calorie count

the daily plate

so

have you tried any similar tracking sites?

did you stick with it?

were you happy with the features?

what's YOUR recommendation?

re●ve●la●tion

so this weekend was amazing

with the encounter retreat friday through sunday

and then a whirlwind trip to destin, florida

sunday through monday

(i'm happy to report that there is no sign of oil at seaside beach)

somewhere between tennessee and florida

the wheels that had been turning all weekend clicked

and since we had practiced "walking in the light"

(basically being completely honest about struggle/sin)

and had cast out all demonic influences

(including spirits of fear)

i had to share it with laura and meghan

and when i got home, anthony

and now i'm sharing it with you

for a few months i've been increasingly frustrated

that i keep losing 10 pounds (or so)

but gaining back 5

or losing 5 pounds

and gaining back 3

or losing a couple of pounds

and staying stuck at the new weight

because i am eating healthily(ish)

i have a fairly active lifestyle

and i'm young enough that it shouldn't be affecting my weight loss

and i've kind of had the feeling i'm sabotaging myself

with excuses not to exercise

with buying the occasional pringles can

and finishing it within 24 hours of purchase

with other very unhealthy choices

like crappy bedtimes, for example

but i've had no idea WHY the sabotage

(on another note: i've wondered how i let myself put ON this weight in the first place)

well...

here's the "click"

number one

i know myself

i know i have been delivered from my eating disordered past

and i know that i know that i know

that i'm not going to slip into old patterns

however,

because people who genuinely care about me

have made it a point to caution me about "my history"

they've instilled into me

(without meaning to)

a spirit of fear

so while *i know*

i'm not going to screw this one up

when someone says something

(or has in the past said something)

about the fear of me returning to old patterns

it makes me worry that i will

so therein, i lose 10 pounds

and think

"oh no!

what if i DO fall into old habits?"

or i lose 3 pounds

and say

"it could happen..."

well, yes

it COULD

but the reality is

i'm free of that

so why the fear?

because i'm letting other's expectations of me

(or the ones i perceive they have)

define my expectations

and since i perceive they expect me to fall into patterns

i'm trying to "prove them wrong"

(ps, this is how the weight crept on

because i was afraid of appearing to be obsessed with diet and weight

so instead i ate like i didn't care

and stopped moving

fear)

i'm not afraid of that anymore

and i won't let anyone return that spirit of fear into me

it's not from God

and i refuse to accept it anymore.

number 2:

because at my root

i'm a people pleaser

i also don't want to make anyone worry

or be disappointed with me

so if i'm not afraid of failing

i'm afraid of worrying someone

i have to do this for me

and if others worry, so be it

if others make comments

i'll simply "walk in light" with them

so that they know

i know

what i'm doing

so spirit of fear:

be gone

you have no place here

you are not welcome

extra pounds:

you're toast

Monday's Memory: the one with the motivation

i'll write more about this another day

but i kind of had a revelation about why i am "stuck" with weight loss

and it has little to do with me

so,

see this girl from 4 years ago?

(july 4, 2006)

she will be appearing again here shortly.

and by shortly, i mean within a reasonable amount of time

but soon.

weight goes down and it's rewards

i'm adding to my little sidebar "weight goes down" button

you see, i have this big goal of approximately 50 pounds lost in total

but even though that's not THAT much

it's easy to get discouraged along the way when i see a pound lost at a time

i've also tried to reward myself in the past with different things...but they more often than not include food. uh, that's not helping.

so. here's my official weight loss reward system:

10 pounds lost = the "eat this, not that" book to go along with my "cook this, not that" cookbook

15 pounds lost = trip to storage to get clothing from my next size down :)

20 pounds lost = new book of piano music (possibly the Les Mis book)

25 pounds lost = one new piece of clothing from a favorite store

30 pounds lost = a pair of killer shoes

35 pounds lost = a new pic of a and i, in a frame

40 pounds lost = wii sports resort

45 pounds lost = private yoga session with my favorite teacher

50 pounds lost = new bathing suit, even if it's not swimsuit season anymore ;)

this could obviously change a bit, but i'm committed to a "reward" every 5 pounds. some are obviously more exciting than others, but i'll look forward to each one.

oh, and the only reason i didn't do a 5 pound one is because i've lost 5 pounds and gained 2 and lost 5 and gained 3 for the past month and a half. soooo, i'm starting rewards at 10 pounds down from my starting weight--which i'm approximately 5 pounds away from right now.

Thursday's Ten: photos

so seriously? i started to write a blog full of 10 potty training tips. i wish i were kidding. this is NOT going to turn into a mom blog, especially before i'm a mom for pete's sake...but can you tell what i'm doing this week?

(btw, boys are much different to train than girls. just sayin')

instead, i think it's time to pull out a few favorite photos. mine will be from the past few months since i do this particular thursday's ten on a semi-regular basis.

share pics--caption if needed, stories if you wish!

here's mine:

1. emi loving me :)

2. a and i with my valentine's day flowers
3. the doggies i "sat" for (a's parents dog, a dog each from his 2 aunts and his grandparents 2 dogs) while they were in kentucky for the second memorial service for his granddaddy.

(yep, that's f-i-v-e itty bitty poodles!)
4. my friend laura's little girl being quite pleased with herself
5. emi's glamour shot
6. a pic our friend natasha took of a and i at the pub
7. at a friend's wedding

8. indiana field--i was a little obsessed and took a few pics :)9. my friend beth and her little boy "e". i have a couple of him that are adorable, but don't want to show them here without her permission! so you'll have to settle for his cute back :)
10. a self portrait i took at the rehearsal dinner for the wedding i was in almost a month ago (i'll post pics of that weekend with the professional ones come in). i just like this one because the dress is fun...and it zipped up with NO problem when it wouldn't even close a month before :D

30 before I'm 30

originally i had this scheduled for a few days after my birthday. then came the foreclosure...the packing...the hospital stay...the flood. so i'm just a LITTLE late. :)

here's my 30 before i'm 30 list...30 things i want to accomplish and do before i turn 30 next march! none of these are earth-shattering huge things...but if the last few months have taught me anything it's that even the little things count.

truth be told, i hesitated at even posting this. it seems so...frivolous...after all that's happened just in the last few months. but something my smart boyfriend and his father pointed out to me as we were packing my stuff up for storage and moving is that i need "wins" right now. little ways to smile and acknowledge that i've accomplished *something* no matter how small.

so some of these are silly, some are fun, some are serious, and many are modified because at the time i first wrote this list i had no idea i'd be losing my house.

1. actually run an entire 5K (I've run/walked several now)

*modification due to asthma...run at least HALF a 5K. we'll work on the whole after that.
2. take a trip to Holiday World--i want to introduce A to a place that was fun for me as a kid!
3. visit at least one brand-new-to-me place
4. eat 3 fruits/veggies every day for a full month (0/30)
5. read 20 books (0/20)
6. volunteer at *something* at least 5 hours/month (2/12)
7. take one picture per day of my 29th year

*modification due to foreclosure, moving, hospital and flood...start a 365 photo album on january 1 next year like everyone else...and just attempt to take a picture every day for the remainder of this year to get used to that
8. try 30 new recipes (2/30)
9. fit into the majority of my professional wardrobe. This will require losing another 20ish pounds, but preferably 30-40. (3/20)
10. review 12 books in 12 months for le blog (0/12)
11. find and perfect a mojito recipe
12. grow a container herb garden
13. look into graduate programs and decide what to get my master's in (hopefully to be completed by age 35)
14. play the piano daily for a month (0/30)
15. begin practicing yoga again, up to 3x a week by my 30th birthday
16. have at least one meatless day a week
17. wear more hats because I love them
18. entertain at least once a month, whether that be a big party or another couple (can be at A's place or mine as long as I have at least 1/2 the responsibility) (2/12) *modification...cooking for A's family counts!
19. get my cds organized...oy
20. reorganize kitchen

(uh...does finding all the kitchen boxes and organizing THEM count?

*modification: find some space saving solutions at IKEA and implement them. Atlanta trip coming up in June)
21. go through wardrobe as I lose the weight and toss clothing that no longer fits into a box for clothing exchange/donation
22. have fresh flowers in the house weekly (from my own garden or an inexpensive bouquet from TJ's)
23. find a wreath for the front door that I love

(ok it's now a side door, but still)
24. once I get it, use the WiiFit at least 3x per week (usually more, especially once it gets cold!)
25. put at least 3 new pieces of jewelry in my Etsy shop per month
26. try at least one new ethnic food group
27. visit NYC
28. unless i'm out of town, keep up with the blogs in my google reader...because 300 unread blogs is NOT a good normal
29. take Emi to the vet for a check-up. it's been awhile...
30. complete a 30 in 30 list (because that's an accomplishment in itself--it's hard!)

on the right track

i'm down the 2 pounds that i gained back last week
(oops)
but yay...
and today i went for a walk/jog
(walked the whole way one direction, ran all the way back)
and went to trader joe's
(swoon)
where i spent lots of money on amazing produce
veggies (which i love)
fruits (which i'm learning to love)

small steps toward the right direction
attempting to use only the best, freshest ingredients when i cook
(except for pasta...because once in awhile that's just necessary)

what have you done lately to make you a healthier you?

*healthy* recipe of the week -- tomato basil soup

Is it cold where you live?

It's REALLY cold in Nashville right now. I'm not too thrilled.

However, it means that I get to try out some new cold-weather recipes. And since one of my goals for the year is to find one new healthy recipe each week to try out in the near future, I thought I'd look for something healthy-ish.

Tonight Anthony was coming over and I told him I'd get a rotisserie chicken to make sandwiches out of (not a whole lot better there!). And then I told him that I'd found a great tomato soup recipe to have with the chicken sandwiches.


That's when he told me the jaw-dropping fact that he doesn't. like. tomato. soup.

Omgosh.

I told him I still want tomato soup, so to pick another side for me to cook.

He picked Sun Chips. I was beyond cool with that. "Cooking" them means opening the bag my parents sent home with me after Christmas!

Anyway, on to the tomato soup.


The basis of this recipe is from this food network recipe. I made it much, much easier though, which I'm definitely a fan of!

Homemade Tomato Soup

1 can fire roasted tomatoes
(the fire roasted bit is important. original recipe calls for fire roasting your own tomatoes. I said why bother!)
swish of extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, Italian spices of your choice
various chopped veggies
(the recipe calls for celery, carrot and onion. I chose to buy the "trinity mix" of pre-chopped celery, onion and green pepper. worked just as well)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 chopped basil leaves (or torn, which is my preference)
1/2 cup cream
(optional--even lighter without it I'm sure but I definitely prefer it!)

Heat olive oil in saucepan over med-low heat. Add veggies and garlic, cook until softened or about 10 minutes.

in my world, that means walk into the living room and talk to the boyfriend, check on farmville, and then remember that you took the can opener to A's parents house on New Year's and you have NO IDEA where that bag is...

Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf (if you remembered to buy one...because I didn't), and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

again, if you're me, in between this step you've taken the saucepan off the heat because you're still looking for the darn can opener oh, and when you DO find the can opener? add the tomatoes et al, and then reorganize the silverware drawer where you'll find not one, but two extra handheld can openers...

Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

or...if your immersion blender is broken because you may or may not have immersed it too far when cleaning it last time, attempt to use the gizmo your parents bought you once upon a time which is a poor substitute at best, but at least gets it smoothish. And add "immersion blender" to your Target list.

So...was it worth it?



You bet.

It'll be a LONG time before I open a can of tomato soup again.
(and Anthony even tried a bite and claimed it "more bearable" than most other tomato soups he's had. I'll take it)

Thursday's Ten: Things about 2010

Ten things about 2010
1. Nashville is dropping a GUITAR instead of a silly 'ol ball. Because we're cool like that.
2. I WILL have a full-time job in 2010. I WILL.
3. I will lose at bare minimum 30 pounds this year. I'm hoping the majority will happen before May since I have a bridesmaids dress to fit into!
4. Since I have perfected a bloody mary recipe...my next step is making a fabulous mojito.
5. The only big purchase I plan to make in the next few months is a Wii and WiiFit. I probably will wait and buy it with birthday $$ though...
6. My friend opens his pub this year, right around the corner from my house. I'm SO excited and thrilled for him. And he'll be headlining nightly :)
7. I really want to do the 3sixty5 photo thing. It should be SUPER easy since my iPhone takes great shots as well. So...we shall see.
8. I will carve out time for ME--as much as I carve out for loved ones.
9. Emi will get to go out to the patio more often this year because *I* will go out to the patio more often this year.
10. I will love and laugh and little more easily.

No MckLinky tonight--just grab the button and let me know you're participating so I can visit you too!