I guess I should begin by stating the obvious-I haven't written anything on the blog in a LONG time. But things have been pretty tough and you'll notice some pretty big changes around here.
On the personal front, Boyfriend will no longer be in the picture. I've moved apartments (and will now be working in a smaller kitchen) and I will also be generally cooking only for one. Unfortunately, these past 6 months have also been fraught with poor eating habits and worse, poor drinking habits. My renewed blogging enthusiasm (hopefully!) partly stems from the fact that I really would like to be a little more responsible towards my body again.
Hopefully the new focus of eating healthfully and mindfully while being a single girl in the city will interest some of my readers! In the next post or two, I will put up some photos of my new digs with some pretty explicit views on just how little space I am working with (think mini fridge!). I'll also try and post some general thoughts and musings on living on my own again and will attempt to share, without oversharing, the social experience that necessarily accompanies that.
Through all this, it's important to note that my parents and friends have been extremely supportive. From things like helping me move, keeping me company, helping me with stuff that I'm hopeless with (hello, technology!), people in my life have stepped up and really showed me a lot of kindness. For those of you that do read this, even though it's been on hiatus for so long, thank you very much, you know who you are!
Down to business!
On the personal front, Boyfriend will no longer be in the picture. I've moved apartments (and will now be working in a smaller kitchen) and I will also be generally cooking only for one. Unfortunately, these past 6 months have also been fraught with poor eating habits and worse, poor drinking habits. My renewed blogging enthusiasm (hopefully!) partly stems from the fact that I really would like to be a little more responsible towards my body again.
Hopefully the new focus of eating healthfully and mindfully while being a single girl in the city will interest some of my readers! In the next post or two, I will put up some photos of my new digs with some pretty explicit views on just how little space I am working with (think mini fridge!). I'll also try and post some general thoughts and musings on living on my own again and will attempt to share, without oversharing, the social experience that necessarily accompanies that.
Through all this, it's important to note that my parents and friends have been extremely supportive. From things like helping me move, keeping me company, helping me with stuff that I'm hopeless with (hello, technology!), people in my life have stepped up and really showed me a lot of kindness. For those of you that do read this, even though it's been on hiatus for so long, thank you very much, you know who you are!
Down to business!
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My mom, who has just been amazing with making sure I'm well stocked with food (and advice!), has come up with this very simple, very healthy, very LIGHT recipe for soup. I have now made two pots of this stuff and I think it's a great success. The ingredients and technique are simple
Ingredients (chop all veggies into bite sized pieces and pile in on top of each other)
**You can vary these ingredients depending on how much you like each thing**
3/4 package of prechopped cole slaw mix (see picture on left)
1 bunch celery
3 medium tomatoes (or 4 vine ripened or 2 giant beefsteaks)
2-3 carrots
2-3 peppers (red/green or combo of both)
Dill
Cilantro
Bay leaves (3)
2 lemons (juice and zest)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin
Water or vegetable stock
Optional: vinegar
**I think maybe adding some onion to this would be great**
**For a heartier soup, consider adding beans or potatoes**
Directions
Toss cole slaw into the bottom of the pot
Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces (time consuming)
Shred/chop/cut dill and cilantro
Zest and juice of lemons
Toss in at least a teaspoon of salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Dash of cumin
1tbsp of light-colored vinegar (whatever you have on hand)
Throw all chopped ingredients into a LARGE soup pot.
Cover all your vegetables with water and make sure there's about another inch of water to work with.
Turn on heat, boil then let simmer. Taste the soup every now and then and cook until the vegetables are to your liking.
This is not a short process. It takes about 30-40 minutes to prep and simmers for about an hour. Remember to keep tasting in order to get the seasonings to your liking. But it does generate at least 8 big servings of soup.
Ingredients (chop all veggies into bite sized pieces and pile in on top of each other)
**You can vary these ingredients depending on how much you like each thing**
3/4 package of prechopped cole slaw mix (see picture on left)
1 bunch celery
3 medium tomatoes (or 4 vine ripened or 2 giant beefsteaks)
2-3 carrots
2-3 peppers (red/green or combo of both)
Dill
Cilantro
Bay leaves (3)
2 lemons (juice and zest)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin
Water or vegetable stock
Optional: vinegar
**I think maybe adding some onion to this would be great**
**For a heartier soup, consider adding beans or potatoes**
Directions
Toss cole slaw into the bottom of the pot
Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces (time consuming)
Shred/chop/cut dill and cilantro
Zest and juice of lemons
Toss in at least a teaspoon of salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Dash of cumin
1tbsp of light-colored vinegar (whatever you have on hand)
Throw all chopped ingredients into a LARGE soup pot.
Cover all your vegetables with water and make sure there's about another inch of water to work with.
Turn on heat, boil then let simmer. Taste the soup every now and then and cook until the vegetables are to your liking.
This is not a short process. It takes about 30-40 minutes to prep and simmers for about an hour. Remember to keep tasting in order to get the seasonings to your liking. But it does generate at least 8 big servings of soup.
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Here's another shot of the soup as it simmers (left). Unfortunately, it doesn't stay quite so bright (right). Still bringing it to work is like having a warm lunchtime salad. So healthy and light but sooooooo nice on a cold day!
I have no idea what the nutritional value of this soup is, but since it's pretty much all vegetable, no oil and no beans/potatoes/meat/rice, I can assume it's likely to be rather light.
But, of course, now that I'm no longer coming home and making dinner for two, I'm occupying myself with other pursuits! This summer was really heavy on outdoor activities and having food/drinks with friends. And now that the warmer months are coming to a close, I'm excited to begin to dust off my ski gear and hit the slopes for what I hope will be a very snow-heavy winter! Here's a short recap of my summer:
I have no idea what the nutritional value of this soup is, but since it's pretty much all vegetable, no oil and no beans/potatoes/meat/rice, I can assume it's likely to be rather light.
But, of course, now that I'm no longer coming home and making dinner for two, I'm occupying myself with other pursuits! This summer was really heavy on outdoor activities and having food/drinks with friends. And now that the warmer months are coming to a close, I'm excited to begin to dust off my ski gear and hit the slopes for what I hope will be a very snow-heavy winter! Here's a short recap of my summer:
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Up for this weekend is my good college guy-friend's wedding. I will be sitting at the table with all the groomsmen because I've known all these guys since my freshman year of college! We still get together and I consider them pretty close friends! The goals will be to a) enjoy myself fully b) attempt to avoid eating anything for filler** and c) to try out Spanx for the first time ever!
**Explanation of b): On previous occasions I've thought "well if I fill up on zucchini, eggplant and other veggies, I'll avoid the cheesy lobster mac n' cheese goodness and the fried rice balls". This turns out to be completely worthless, as in the end, I wind up filling up on "healthy foods" and then eating all the treats anyway! So this time, I will try to keep myself to small portions of "treats" but avoid anything for the sole purpose of "filling up on healthy stuff".
Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how both me, my dress and the Spanx handle the evening =)
Back with a vengeance,
<3 Jules
**Explanation of b): On previous occasions I've thought "well if I fill up on zucchini, eggplant and other veggies, I'll avoid the cheesy lobster mac n' cheese goodness and the fried rice balls". This turns out to be completely worthless, as in the end, I wind up filling up on "healthy foods" and then eating all the treats anyway! So this time, I will try to keep myself to small portions of "treats" but avoid anything for the sole purpose of "filling up on healthy stuff".
Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how both me, my dress and the Spanx handle the evening =)
Back with a vengeance,
<3 Jules
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