Category Archives: meatless monday

Vegan Vegetable Beef Soup

I decided to come back to this blog, to figure out things by returning to what worked for me in the past. Losing weight, achieving fitness and wellness milestones while helping charities. I haven’t exactly figured out my 2023 spin on it yet, but I’m excited to be here. My other blog JuiceJavaJoy will launch once I wrap this one up in a big red shiny bow.  I plan on getting my spark back by finding my fitness, losing the weight I gained and helping others along the way, as I help myself.

Today I begin by tracking on the loseitapp ( sometimes I use the WW app)  My daily calories will be up to 1,600 a day. I’m starting with smoothies again even though I need a better blender. 

Cooking is important, as is planning meals. I have to not only plan meals for me but my husband.  That can be tricky, as it is if you have children too.

Here’s a delicious soup you can make for #Meatlessmonday  I’ve been under the weather so even though it’s 107 here in Texas, it’s a soothing dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Serve with a delicious crusty bread and oyster crackers. Remember your portion control. Let’s do this again. Welcome back to my mychangeforaten journey part two.

Bon Appetit

Vegan Vegetable Beef Soup 

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 45 minutes

Ingredients

7 stalks celery diced

Half bag shredded carrots

1 medium diced onion

6 diced cloves of garlic

3 handfuls spinach

2  1/2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon no beef base

1 bag frozen vegetables

8 cups water

2 cup noodles

1 bag frozen beyond beef steak or optional white beans or both 

Two tablespoons olive oil  

In a medium to large pot add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and celery, carrots and onions. Cook about 5 minutes or so until the onions are translucent.

Add diced garlic and continue to sauté another 3 minutes or so.

Add 8 cups of water and stir, adding the Better than Bouillon no beef base until it dissolves.

Add bag of frozen vegetables, stirring.

Add spinach and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

Add noodles to soup and time according to the directions on the noodle package. If adding white beans drain and add after the noodles and cook an additional ten minutes. 

As the soup cooks add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a nonstick pan and cook frozen beyond steak according to package.

When the beyond steak is cooked add directly to the soup and stir.
Enjoy 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Scribble Day

It’s National Scribble Day, so this blog post is going to be the blog equivalent of scribbling. My thoughts are all scrambled, but not in a bad way. My job, ( waitressing) sometimes exhausts me and I admit to procrastinating in the things that are important to me. There is a new documentary on Netflix I really want to watch called Heal. It’s all about healing from a mind body perspective. This gets me thinking. Is my exhaustion real? Can I do things that make me feel more energized and ready to take on tasks that are important to me? I think the answer is a big yes. No excuses.

Posting more than once a week is definitely one of my many goals. I’m going to really work on my state of mind like I’m working on my nutrition and fitness. Yes, I work a very physical job, but I believe I can make it softer on my body with positivity and possibly some tools to help me along the way. Good shoe inserts, better pillows for sleep, a foot bath at the end of the night. No longer using my job as an excuse is a biggie. A massage now and then wouldn’t hurt. 

I did say it National Scribble Day, and I’m truly all over the place. I’m so excited for this brand new chapter in my blog/journey. I’m going to be doing a wonderful interview series with real influencers in fitness who focus on achieving goals and teaching others through a positive mindset. These are the women I look to for inspiration. Just in time since I have six months until I take my exam for The American Council of Exercise group exercise certification. Time to get fit again, study and get things done.

I didn’t weigh in today, I gave my mind a break. A budget friendly vegan grocery haul is needed, as I’m trying to get my hubby James to eat clean. He claims he cannot do it until I set him up. We’ve  been working on a positive mindset and it’s totally working. You are what you believe, you achieve only when you believe. We believe, we believe. 

Happy National Scribble Day. Go out and Scribble the vision board if your dreams. I know I am. I’m following a well lit path. 

love and light 

Rose

 

HEALTHY VEGETABLE SOUP

I just entered week two of my newest journey since I started this blog two years ago. I joined Weight Watchers Online last Tuesday to lose the eleven pounds I gained when I was away the fourth of July weekend, and to break my plateau. How did I gain that much weight in three days? Welcome to my struggle. If you do not know I lose weight slowly, and that may be do to an adrenal tumor and too much Cortisol. I work very hard, but for me slipping up causes havoc on my body. That is why I rarely do it. I lost over 50 lbs on my own and now I feel I need the help of Weight Watchers to help me keep track of my food and help to get the scale moving again. That with my running, yoga, and Melissa Bender Fitness workouts and guidance I should be able to take this to another level. I slip up a little, and the scale moves forward a lot. I have no room for error it seems. I sometimes feel like I have the worst metabolism ever, but I challenge it and come out fighting. I never give up and this will not happen again. Weight Watchers will help me to not make that mistake again, it is not extreme and easy to stay on track. I am afraid I was getting to obsessive with food and I ended up on a holiday weekend splurge as the result of eating too little.vegsoup

Today I am happy to report I lost five of those eleven pounds with six more pounds to get to what I call my fighting weight. I am now 171 lbs.  After I get back to 165, I plan on picking a charity and losing the next ten pounds and getting to 155. I will never have a three day cheat day again, it really did me in. Moving forward,  I am excited and motivated and enjoying my Weight Watchers Online experience. The WW app makes it a game changer for me with my new smart phone. I got  this. My final goal is around 135 lbs.

This was my dinner last night, and it was Fabulous.

This recipe is a combination of all the soups I make, and Weight Watchers zero points vegetable soup. I have formatted it how I like all of my soups. I took my recipes and their Weight Watchers Vegetable soup and came up with this. You can be really creative and use any fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand. You can even add legumes if you want it to be a bit heartier. This is your soup, make it as you please and it will please everyone who eats it. It really was a fantastic Meatless Monday dinner. My version has 1 point because I choose to use oil in my soups, if you beans 1 cup would be 3 points.

1 oz of Parmesan cheese would add 3 points, as would one oz or Soy Faux Parmesan cheese.

Manga’

HEALTHY VEGETABLE SOUP

  •   4 cloves garlic, minced   
  •   2 medium uncooked carrots, diced   
  •   2 cups green beans, fresh 
  •   2 cup(s) (shredded) uncooked savoy cabbage, or other variety, shredded   
  •   1 cup diced zucchini
  •   1 medium uncooked onions, diced  
  •   half cup uncooked celery, diced   
  •   2 tsp fresh basil, chopped   
  •   2 cartons reduced sodium vegetable broth   
  •   1 large can diced tomatoes
  •    1 can tomato paste
  •   2 Tbsp fresh parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
  •   1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste    1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste  
  •   1 can legumes of your choice, low sodium. (optional)

 

  • Instructions

Saute’ onions, carrots and celery in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until clear, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute’ 2 more minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Add 2 cartons vegetable broth and 1 can of tomatoes, and all vegetables and seasonings, and simmer for 30 minutes.

This is super easy, and if you like you can add a can of beans, low sodium of course. I used great northern beans and added it after 20 minutes. A little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese really makes this feel like a decadent Italian soup.

Manga’

Rose