Anyone Can Cook

I have only made soup twice using someone else's recipe and failed miserably at it. I've never made a broth based soup. Yet, I really had a taste for Chicken Tortilla Soup and was determined to make it. Sans the tortilla. I found a recipe on line and (greatly) adapted it using only the ingredients I like.

The result? A surprisingly (for me) delicious chicken & rice soup loaded with "south of the border" flavor and heat.

Below is the recipe for my Mexican Chicken & Rice Soup. I used a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shredded grilled chicken
1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes with green chilies
32 oz all-natural chicken stock (I used Rachel Ray Stock-In-A-Box)
2 cups water
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 6-7 hours.

Enjoy!

That's what Moms are for

"It was like coming this close to your dreams, and then watching them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd."

Admittedly, the past couple of days have been pretty tough. After 15+ years of trying to lose weight, only to gain, I had hope that my ship had come in. I had a plan to lose the weight and was doing it. It felt fantastic! I began to dream about being a size 10 again and it was as real as it could be. But, that ship has sailed.

To be sure, I'd consider myself pretty vain if that was the ONLY thing that has me distressed. It's not. It's the latest in a LONG line of recent things to which I've given 150% of my effort and attention, only to result in something much less than what I had hoped.

"Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane." Indeed, it can.

However, my mom did the thing that all good moms do. She dragged my butt to the gym. We talked to her personal trainer and learned about some different types of foods and eating plans, and then she drove me to Au Naturel Market in Valparaiso. We purchased some of the things the trainer recommended, like low-calorie gluten-free Pop Chips, gluten-free cereal and quinoa flour.

She also convinced me that I need to cook for myself. That in itself is enough to make me not want to eat, but it makes sense. My husband (who is THE cook in the family) can still prepare menus and meals for himself and the kids, but I will have control over what and how much is on my plate. And he won't need to cook twice. Tomorrow, I'm making chicken soup.

And, in two weeks, after I deal with this high-blood pressure thing, I'll talk with my doctor again. Maybe we reduce the dosage, maybe we'll try something different, maybe that's all there was to begin with.

In the meantime, I'm going to listen to Mom and do something I've never done before. I'm going to learn how to cook for myself.

Wish me luck!

It's not fair

I lost 15 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. Yep. 15 pounds. When I crossed the 10 pound mark, I knew that I was finally going to do it. I found the thing that works! I was finally going to lose the weight!

I've been trying to lose the weight my entire adult life. Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. Richard Simmons. Total Body Makeover. Atkins. Exercise DVDs. Yoga. Health club memberships. Walking. Eating less. Drinking water. Nothing I did took off the weight.

Finally, I decided to work with a doctor and was seeing amazing results. I had hope!

Now, I have high blood pressure. One of the things I was trying to avoid by losing the weight. Ironic, isn't it? It's one of the side effects of the medication. And now I can't take it.

I did this to live longer, to be healthier, to be pretty again. It's not fair. It's just not fair.

Honey, where are the brownies?