FOOD and FITNESS!: February 2011

A great trick to get your servings of fruits and vegetables ( Canada's Food Guide), AND help you lose weight. By having a bowl of soup with your lunch, or prior to dinner, you will eat less when the main meal comes.

You don't have to sacrifice taste for this! I have a few recipes to share here...I found some of them on the net, and am quite happy with them.

Make up a batch, freeze in individual containers, or one larger container to feed your family ( 4 for me)...

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

This is a lovely sweet, yet not too sweet, soup with a hint of mild spice. Butternut squash and pears make a wonderful combination, and both flavours are evident in this warming fall and winter soup.

•2 tsp olive oil

•1 cup finely chopped onion

•1 tbsp curry powder

•1 pound butternut squash (about half a medium squash), cut into 1-inch pieces

•2 ripe medium Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

•3 1/2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Preparation:

Heat oil on medium heat in Dutch oven or soup pot. Gently sauté onions until softened—about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and stir, sautéing for 1 minute. Add butternut squash and pear pieces. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until squash and pear are tender. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, working in two batches if necessary.

Serves 6

Per Serving: Calories 119, Calories from Fat 17,total Fat 1.9g (sat 0.2g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 38mg, Carbohydrate 23g, Fiber 3.2g, Protein 2.5g

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

•1 tbsp olive oil

•1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

•2 garlic cloves, minced

•1 tbsp curry powder

•1 tsp cumin

•3 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

•1 15-ounce can pumpkin

•1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

•Freshly ground Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in curry powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and pumpkin. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add evaporated fat-free milk and cook for 2 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Swirl some fat free plain yogurt on top if you'd like...
Serves 6.

Per Serving: Calories 112, Calories from Fat 25, Total Fat 2,7g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 101mg, Carbohydrate 15.6g, Fiber 2.9g, Protein 6.1g

Tomato and Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

•2 tsp olive oil

•2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

•1 cup finely chopped onion

•1/2 cup finely chopped celery

•1 tsp dried thyme

•1 tsp dried oregano

•1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

•1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

•2 cups fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth (such as Kitchen Basics)

•3-ounces fresh spinach, chopped

•1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

•1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

•Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat oil in Dutch oven or soup pot. Gently sauté garlic, onion and celery until softened. Sprinkle thyme and oregano, and stir. Add canned crushed and diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth, followed by chopped spinach and basil and stir until wilted. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar and season with freshly-ground black pepper.

Serve with crusty whole-grain bread
Serve 4-6

Per 1 cup Serving: Calories 115, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2.2g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 309mg, Carbohydrate 19.3g, Fiber 5.2g, Protein 4.5g

Low fat Carrot, Tomato and Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

•1 medium onion, finely chopped

•2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

•1 tsp ground coriander

•4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

•1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced

•1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

•3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

•1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Preparation:

Heat 2 tsp canola oil in large pot on medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic until softened. Add ground coriander and stir well. Add carrots and zucchini, followed by canned tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add fresh cilantro. Stir and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat, transfer soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. Blend until smooth.
Serves 6-8

Per Serving: Calories 104, Calories from Fat 17, total Fat 1.9g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 153mg, Carbohydrate 17.6g, Fiber 4.9g, Protein 4g

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

•2 tsp olive oil

•1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

•1 stalk celery, finely chopped

•1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed

•4 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped

•2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

•1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

Preparation:

Heat oil on medium heat in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Gently sauté onion and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add potato and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender in 2-3 batches, and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat gently until ready to serve. ( I like to add a Tbsp of shredded sharp aged cheddar on top of mine)

Serves 6.
Per Serving: Calories 88, Calories from Fat 16. Total Fat 1.8g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 1mg, Sodium 83mg, Carbohydrate 13g, Fiber 3.1g, Protein 4.9g

So we are rushed and getting home from a mini ski vacation. I know I have hamburger patties all made up in my freezer but I am out of buns. I have 2 hrs, so I put the ingredients in the bread machine and made a large batch of bread dough.

The buns turned out great, as always...home-made buns always make a burger extra special in my eyes...

But I made a double batch. My son had a friend over for the night, so why not make a " Breakfast Stromboli" as they also had hockey first thing. ( well, then we found out they didn't have hockey...but breakfast was ready anyway!)

I rolled out the dough into a large rectangle and put in some shredded cheddar, and leftover diced black forest ham I had leftover in the freezer. Rolled it up. Sealed in Saran wrap and kept in the fridge for the night. When I woke up, I made my coffee ( always the first thing to do) then put the dough on the baking stone, under a towel and heat lamp above my stove. Let it rest, while I pre-heated the oven 375, and enjoyed my coffee.
Baked 25 minutes or so- again! I have no clue, I just peak on it every so often, until it sounds hollow when you tap it and it looks something like this.