Great Recipe!

With all this cold weather, soup is a great solution for lunch or a quick dinner. I came upon this recipe for Minestrone soup in Prevention magazine. I have modified it a bit and it is delicious! I would reccomend tossing in a little cut up cooked chicken to increase the protein, especially if it will be your dinner meal. You all know how I feel about getting in enough protein!! Either way the beans add protein and lots of fiber Enjoy! Noreen


Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped, 1 cup
4 cloves minced garlic
1.5 tsp dried basil
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 fennel bulb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 can (4.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 bag (5 ounces) baby spinach
15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
DIrections

1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over med high heat. Add onion, garlic, and basil. Cook, stirring occaisionally until onion softens. Stir in squash and cook until starts to soften. Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until veggies are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

2 Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes. Add beans and pepper, cook until hot. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Tips - I did not add the fennel, was pretty sure my kids would not eat it and I also threw in a handful of whole grain pasta. Enjoy!!

Want to lose more weight? LOG!

To log or not to log - that is the question. Well, I guess the next question should be - how much weight do you want to lose? Research has backed up what we have known for a long time, people who write down what and how much they eat - lose more weight! There are many ways to log your food intake, some clients keep a small notebook in their bag or at their desk at work, others write down what they are going to eat the day before, while others use their computer of phone to help them keep track of what they eat. I know in my own practice that the clients that are committed to logging are the people that lose the most weight. Why?? because they can see what works and what does not work. If you have really good week, you can go back and see why it was good, and if you have an off week, again, you can go back and see what may have thrown you off. For example, just last week, I had a client who told me she was hungry all week. SInce she had logged on the computer, we could easily go back and identify the culprit, she had significantly decreased the protein she was eating and barely drank any water. If she had not logged, this would have been much more difficult to figure out. Give it a try. I, myself, have started using the Calorie King computer program that we have at the studio, this is a great, user friendly program but there are apps for phones and always the trusty old notebook. Whatever you choose, stick with it. I bet that the chocolate chip cookie will not be as appealing if you know you have to write it down. Feel free to contact me if you would like to take a look at the Calorie King program or if you would like a list of other programs that are available.

Stay focussed! Noreen