Soup weather

With Fall comes a change in diet. I'm watching what I eat in an attempt to be more healthy for the 800th time. And that combined with dropping temps means soup.

Tonight, after a good day, I made split pea soup from Saved By Soup. It's super yummy and was so easy I can't believe it. Here's the recipe:

2 tsp canola or corn oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
2 medium-sized carrots, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced 1/2" thick
1 rib celery, trimmed and finely chopped
2 cups split peas, rinsed and picked over
4 cups defatted chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade
2 cups cold water
salt, pepper
(i added some chopped organic ham)

heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. add onions, carrots and celery, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 to 3 mins. add the split peas, broth and water and bring to a boil. partially cover the saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until soup is thick, about 45 minutes. season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

sooooo easy and yum!

i'll try more from this cookbook and let you know how they are.

I'm cleansing, I'm cleansing, I'm cleansing.

That's what I keep telling myself. It's funny, for the most part eating fruit and veggies is really pleasing... but about two hours after I eat, I'm really hungry. So I'm tired of eating peanut butter on crackers to get protein and tonight I've informed my very supportive and wonderful husband that we are having vegan burritos. Refried beans, black olives, orange and yellow bell pepper, salsa and avocado. I grabbed reduced fat sour cream at the deli and then thought, "No, no - that is not allowed!".

I just downed a bag of baby carrots and a bunch of hummus and feel much less panicky. I do think my body is happy with me. But man, I get hungry quickly.

My friend's wedding is coming up and I'm so excited! I've known her since I was about 3 years old. And I can't wait to go up to Maine and celebrate with her family. I'm close with her parents and love spending time with them which is rare.

We've been having a heatwave here on the East Coast which is supposed to let up tonight when it will go down to a cool 88F. Beats 100 tho.

And my birthday is coming up. I'm glad to say I'll be on the road for my birthday having a great time with friends. I could use it. It's been a long year and for the moment, we get a breather.

Vegan for a week.

So I have decided to go vegan for a week. My dear friend is getting married on a pond in Maine next weekend and I'm going to be there for the wedding, celebration, bbq etc. But before then I'd like to lose a few lbs and have my skin look refreshed... basically, I need to stop drinking and eating crap.

So I decided to go vegan for a week and see if I could do it. I have never identified myself as a non-meat-eater and drink milk like it's going out of style. I'm one of the few adults who actually drinks glasses of milk with relish. My husband is too.

I have read that consuming animal products may not be as healthy as we think it is. I'm sure for those of you who can eat fish and lean meats, whole grains, steamed veggies and all in moderation on a regular basis this drastic measure is not necessary. But for someone like me - i.e., a compulsive consumer on every level possible, it's hard to make myself stick to certain things. So I decided to "close the door" on a lot of the unhealthy possibilities and make it easier on myself.

So far I've had a lot of rice milk (which is higher in calories, sodium & fat than fat free cow's milk I discovered... hmph), oatmeal, fruit, salad and tempeh. And all of it was damn good.

I do also have to say that I feel... lighter. Not thinner, necessarily, but lighter. I don't feel bogged down in my system, at least not from what I've had to eat since Sunday.

I'll keep you posted. I may get four days into this, see a juicy burger and curse the very thought of vegan-ism. Until then, it's one glass of rice milk at a time.