Another tasty soup recipe from Prevention magazine. This one makes you feel like you are eating comfort food that is totally bad for you when it actually only has 140 calories per serving! And the colors are oh so pretty!
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3/4 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Dash of ground red pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Cook the potato in water in a medium covered saucepan for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Add 1 cup of broth. Mash the potato until free of lumps. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add scallions and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add corn, cumin, salt, potato mixture, and remaining broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, or until opaque. Stir in red pepper and cilantro.
Per serving: 140 calories, 3.5g fat, 264mg sodium, 15g carbs, 5.7g sugar, 2.4g fiber, 13g protein.
This recipe came from Prevention Magazine. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delicious and it is something a little different from what I'm used to when it comes to soup. I figured I would share it so we can all try it together now that the cold weather season is just around the corner. If you have already tried this soup, please share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comment section below!
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 3/4 lb), cut into thin strips
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp Thai seasoning
4 oz Chinese wheat noodles
8 oz spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 carrot, shredded
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pork, scallions, garlic, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the pork and mushrooms are lightly browned. Add broth, water, water chestnuts, soy sauce, and Thai seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Stir in the noodles. Cook for 3 minutes, or until almost tender. Stir in spinach and carrot. Cook 2 minutes longer or until the spinach is wilted. Serves 4
Per Serving: 389 calories, 2.6g fat, 440.6mg sodium, 45g carbs, 6.3g sugar, 8g fiber, 31g protein.
We got our first taste of cooler fall-like weather in St. Louis this weekend and I sure wish I would have had some of this soup ready following the Cardinal's baseball game last night! Anyway, this soup is a healthier version of broccoli cheddar soup. It is definitely one to keep in your healthy recipe reserves this fall and winter. Not only is this soup delicious and satisfying, but it can be thrown together in the slow cooker and be ready when you return home from work or school. If you have leftovers it can also be frozen. Best of all, its only 125 calories per serving and thanks to all of the fiber and protein, its super filling!
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head of broccoli, washed and cut (or 4 cups if using pre-chopped)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper (I always double this because I love black pepper)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I like Better than Bouillon organic veggie paste)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, washed and chopped
Parmesan cheese, optional
Use a food processor to shred garlic and onions. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute the garlic and onion on medium for 4-5 minutes. Shred the broccoli in the same fashion until the desired size is reached. Add broccoli and saute in onion/garlic mixture 2-3 minutes. Puree cannellini beans in the food processor and add to the veggie mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Using a whisk, slowly incorporate the vegetable broth. Add rosemary. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes until reduced to the desired thickness. Serve with additional black pepper and Parmesan cheese. This recipe makes about 6 servings (12 ounces each).
Per serving: 125 calories, 2.9g fat, 312.76mg sodium
vs
Panera Bread Company's Broccoli Cheddar Soup: 300 calories, 19g fat, 1250mg sodium.
Now that I have provided you with the equation needed to figure out your personalized daily points+ allowance, here is a list of zero point foods. Because these foods have zero points, you can fit a serving of them anywhere in your daily menu and now use any of your points allowance! Why, you ask? Because these foods contain fewer calories than your body uses to digest them. Therefore, you are technically either consuming zero calories or negative calories. So without further ado...
Acorn squash
Apples
Apricots
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Bamboo shoots
Bananas
Bean sprouts
Beets
Bell peppers
Blackberries
Blueberries
Broccoli
Broccoli rabe
Broth
Brussels Sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage
Carrots
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Celery
Cherries
Clementines
Cranberries (fresh)
Cucumber
Dates (fresh)
Diet soda (although I recommend staying away from this completely)
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Figs (fresh)
Fruit cocktail in water
Gelatin (sugar-free)
Grape leaves
Grapes
Grapefruit
Hearts of palm
Honeydew
Horseradish
Hot peppers
Hot sauce
Jalapeno peppers
Jicama
Ketchup
Kiwi
Kim Chee
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lemons
Limes
Lettuce
Mangoes
Mixed greens
Mushrooms
Mustard
Nectarines
Okra
Oranges
Papapya
Passion fruit
Pears
Peaches
Pickles
Pico de gallo
Pineapple
Plums
Radishes
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Salsa
Sauerkraut
Scallions
Soy sauce
Snow peas
Spaghetti squash
Squash
Steak sauce
Strawberries
String beans
Sugar snap peas
Tangarines
Tomatoes
Turnips
Vinegar
Water chestnuts
Watercress
Watermelon
Zucchini
Worcestershire sauce
Sriracha
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil cooking spray (5 sprays)
I came across a great list on Pinterest of small changes you can make to kick-start your weight loss journey. Even if you are starting small, every change you make adds up to have an impact!
1. If you usually use the escalator or the elevator, switching to stairs can help you lose 2 pounds per year.
2. If you usually use 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise on your sandwich, switch to 2 tablespoons of mustard. Doing this three times a week and you could lose up to 4 pounds in a year!
3. If you usually order a large fry at your local fast food restaurant, swap it out for a small order once a week to lose up to 5 pounds in a year.
4. Break up for television viewing with just 30 minutes of housework each day and you could drop 5 pounds in a single year!
5. If you usually drink an 8 ounce glass of whole milk, switch it out for skim and lose up to 6 pounds a year. This one I'm not sure about. As a female with thyroid problems and trying to get healthy enough to get pregnant, I think I would rather stick to whole milk for the calcium benefits...but its your call.
6. Walking 20 minutes briskly every day will help you lose up to 7 pounds in one year.
7. Grab a piece of fruit instead of that chocolate bar just twice a week and you could lose up to 7 pounds a year!
8. Swap out the whole milk in your 16 ounce latte for non-fat milk and you could lose up to 10 pounds in a single year.
9. Save your calories by swapping out that can of soda for a glass of water. Doing so can help you lose up to 15 pounds in one year if you perform this swap just once a day!
10. If you breakfast normally consists of a three-egg cheese omelet with bacon, toast, and hashbrowns, try swapping it out for a bowl of cereal with non-fat milk once each week. The results could mean an 11 pound weight loss in a single year!
11. If you switch to consuming a half-pint of sorbet each week instead of a whole pint of ice cream, you could be up to 12 pounds lighter come this time next year! This one's an easy one for me because I LOVE SORBET!!! This is something you can easily make from home too. No machine necessary like when you're making ice cream.
Ever since my mom used the program to drop almost a significant amount of weight and change her lifestyle, I have been an avid fan of Weight Watchers. After my doubts had been erased by seeing my mom's success with the program, I decided to give it a try. Shortly after that, the new points+ system came out. Now, I'm a broke college student trying to pay for a wedding so I was not about to pay WW even more money to buy their new program. I have a feeling many of you feel the same way. For those of you wanting to jump on the Weight Watchers bandwagon without paying their pricey membership fees, here is how you can calculate your daily points+ allowance.
Females
(height in inches-48)/2 + (weight x 0.1416) - {[(age-21)/5]-5} = daily points+ allowance
Males
(height in inches-48)/2.25 + (weight x 0.1834) - [(age-17)/4] = daily points+ allowance
Now that the year is coming to a close and everyone is about to get back on the New Year's resolution weight loss bandwagon, I figured I would share my list of favorite workout songs of 2013. So here they are...
1. "Can't Hold Us" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
2. "Scream and Shout" Will.I.Am & Brittney Spears
3. "I Love It" Icona Pop
4. "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" Fall Out Boy
5. "Timber" Pitbull & Ke$ha
6. "Wake Me Up" Avicii (Avicii speed remix)
7. "Applause" Lady GaGa
8. "Overcomer" Mandisa
9. "Live it Up" Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
10. "Yeah 3x" Chris Brown (not a 2013 song I know, but still a favorite)
11. "Come and Get it" Selena Gomez
12. "People Like Us" Kelly Clarkson
13. "The Other Side" Jason Derulo
14. "Heart Attack" Demi Lovato
15. "I Need Your Love" Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding
16. "Demons" Imagine Dragons
17. "Safe and Sound" Capital Cities
18. "Don't You Worry Child" Swedish House Mafia
19. "Sweet Nothing" Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch
20. "All Night" Icona Pop
21. "I Could be the One" Avicii vs Nicky Romero
22. "Turn up the Love" Far East Movement
23. "I Knew You Were Trouble" Taylor Swift
24. "Masquerade" Nicki Minaj
25. "Team" Lorde
26. "Slow Down" Selena Gomez
27. "Va Va Voom" Nicki Minaj
28. "Don't Stop the Party" Pitbull & TJR
29. "Radioactive" Imagine Dragons
30. "Charlie Brown" Coldplay
31. "What Now" Rhianna (firebeatz remix)
32. "A Light That Never Comes" Linkin Park & Steve Aoki (great cool down song!)
33. "Marry Me" Jason Derulo (this tends to make me think of my wedding gown I have to fit into soon and makes me work harder)
34. "Alone Together" Fall Out Boy
35. "Let's Go" Calvin Harris ft. Neyo
