Lisaopolis.comA Nurse's Journey to a Healthy and Balanced Life

This afternoon I decided I was in the mood for soup. I searched the internet for a recipe, that seemed appealing. I found one for broccoli and cheese soup. I changed the recipe quite a bit. Here is my version, and a link to the original one. http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-065u6.html (the original recipe)

The soup was a household hit! There were no left-overs.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

1 lb fresh broccoli

Fresh grated cheddar

3 medium-large sized potatoes

2 white onions

1-2 garlic cloves

2 packages of vegetable stock (made according to package directions)

3 cups water ( and 2/3 cup water for each package of vegetable stock)

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Parsley (dried flakes)

1 tsp white sugar

Prepare all vegetables (peal and chop). Place the oil in a large pot and add the oil. On medium heat fry the onion and garlic in the pot until lightly brown. Now add the potatoes. Stir well. Add the prepared vegetable stock and all the water. Also add the tsp sugar and the salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir well. Let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Now add the broccoli and add a little more salt and pepper. Cook for about 6-7 minutes. Now pour or spoon the mixture into a blender or food processor and whiz for a few seconds. Then pour your soup back into it’s pot. Now add your grated cheddar cheese. Heat on low for a few minutes and serve.

I served the soup with some garlic tortilla chips that I made.

Tonight I was in the baking mood. However I didn’t have much energy or ambition, so I decided to defrost some cookie dough. I made my favorite cookie dough; English Bay Double Chocolate Chip Cookie dough into wonderful cookies.

I baked these cookies for 14 minutes. They turned out soft, but slightly crunchy on the bottom. I prefer my cookies very soft. The container says to bake them for 10-15 minutes. Consequently I think next time I will bake them for 12 minutes.

Despite the cookies not being ultra soft, they were still an exquisite treat for the taste buds.

I had my cookie with a small glass of skim milk.

I would recommend this cookie dough to all chocolate lovers! It is a must try.

When I was a kid my mom introduced me to what she called “grilled cheese sandwiches”. It was not until later in life that I learned that these sandwiches that she called “grilled” were not grilled at all. Instead they were baked.

I have had real “grilled” cheese sandwiches a few times in my life (in my 20’s), and from those experiences eating them I can say that they are nothing like the baked (grilled) cheese sandwiches that I grew up with. Both kinds are very good, but in different ways.

Here are the not so grilled cheese sandwiches that I grew up with.

I made them with whole wheat sliced Italian bread, and low fat marble cheese. I baked them in the oven for about 4 minutes on 375 degrees F. Then I placed some garlic style sliced baby dill pickles on top. That is it. There are no sauces and no margarine or butter. The fat in a low fat cheese is enough to make the bread (not dry).

I think the not so grilled cheese sandwich is a good alternative to “real” grilled cheese sandwiches because real ones seem to have butter or margarine in them (meaning more calories).

A few days ago, I decided to keep track of everything I ate for a full day. I decided that since a picture is worth a thousand words, I would take photos of all foods consumed for one day. I did this because something I think I lose track of just how much stuff I eat in a day (in particular how much junk food I eat in a day). So here it is, my food for one day.

Breakfast

a slightly sour grapefruit

A mixed bowl of cereal with skim milk

Many glasses of water through out the day

Lunch

Salad

chocolate covered biscuit for dessert

Snack

banana (between lunch and dinner snack)

Dinner