Recipe: ravioli and vegetable soup

I have officially completed two of my three new soup recipes for the week.  While the ravioli vegetable soup is amazing, the chicken and white bean soup was a bust so I won't be sharing that recipe.  I'm really hoping that the chili recipe is good, I'd hate to be 1 for 3 at the end of the week!

When I made the ravioli soup I couldn't believe how quick, easy and delicious it was.  The only change I made was to use tortellini instead of ravioli. It's not that I have a preference for one little stuffed pasta over the other, but the only ravioli they had was 'meat' and I'm always a bit skeptical of the quality of meat that they use in the pasta. At the end of the day use whatever you like best.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram
• 1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) ravioli, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 cups diced zucchini, (about 2 medium)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pepper-onion mix, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.

Normally but the 5th time I'm eating something I just want it to be gone because I'm sick of it.  I was really sad to finish this soup at lunch today, it was just that good. I can't wait to make this again.

Soup's on, part deux

Jenny, you are my inspiration!  Your blog title spoke to me and as I was reading about your tomato soup (which I love Campbell's Tomato Soup) all I could think about was having a soup's on-week.  So, I'm doing it and the menu this week consists of tortelini and vegetable soup; chicken and canellini bean soup and zesty wheat berry and black bean chili. I'm really excited, not just because I get to eat boatloads of soup but also because I get two opportunities to work with ingredients I've never tried before. The chicken soup calls for leeks and I've never cooked with wheat berries before. I can't wait!!

Anyway...soup's on!

Recipe: sweet potato and black bean chili

I don't know about you, but I love this time of year because it means soup!  I honestly can't think of a better meal on a cold night than a hot bowl of delicious soup. I've started my winter goal of making a pot of soup every week and the sweet potato and black bean chili I made last week was wonderful. I'm still on the fence about the spicy onion and apple soup I made this week. The more I eat it the better it gets but I don't know if I'd ever make it again. If I finally decide that I like it, I'll post the recipe. For now, you'll have to settle for just the chili.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

I did tweak a few things while making this recipe. First, I didn't add the ground chipotle chili, not because I didn't think it would be good but because I forgot to pick it up both times that I went to the store. I also left out the fresh cilantro because I don't personally care for cilantro. I'm pretty sure that I also added a bit of Frank's hot sauce because I was a bit shy on the called for amount of chili powder. You can play with the seasonings to make it as mild or hot as you like...there is no right or wrong. I got this recipe from eatingwell.com and one of the serving suggestions was to eat the soup with tortilla chips. I was pretty short on calories the days that I was eating this chili so I picked up some multigrain scoops and gave it a shot, boy was that good! Whether you eat it with a spoon or chip this is a must have chili for anybody who likes sweet potatoes or black beans.

No-scale November!

Ladies, I have hit another plateau in my weight loss attempt. I am so stinking close to losing 100 pounds but it's just not happening. I have been losing and regaining the same 3 pounds for a month...a MONTH! Now, had I not gone home and had 2 week of naughtiness followed by another week of trying to get back on track I might be at that beautiful milestone but if's aren't cutting it right now. I'm not worried, I hit a plateau right before I hit the 50 pound mark as well and eventually busted through, it's just frustrating to lose a pound, gain a pound, lose 1.5 pounds, gain 2 pounds, lose 2.5 pounds etc. So, in an attempt to salvage my sanity and the well being of my scale I have decided to embark upon a no-scale November.

I have been weighing myself everyday for the last 6 months. Now, many people might not like this fact. There are, in fact, many people who recommend that you only weigh yourself once a year. I think that's great if you're of normal weight and you're just trying to maintain. However, I find that when I'm actively trying to lose weight that the scale is just another tool in my arsenal. Because of my daily weigh-ins I know how my body responds to all sorts of things: hormones, salt, really hard workouts, GI issues, over/under hydration, lack of sleep etc. The daily fluctuations don't bother me at all because that's part of a daily weigh-in. It also keeps me from freaking when I gain over 5 pounds that special time of the month because I know in about 5 days it will all be gone. I calculate my actual weight loss not by daily numbers but by my monthly weight trend. Most days of most months I can look back to the previous month and find that I have lost about 5-9 pounds between the two. As long as my monthly weight trends down I'm happy. However, that did not happen from September to October. So, I figure for the next few weeks I'll fly blind. I plan to change up my workout plans, not because of the plateau but because I've been needing to do it, and really focus on a strong, healthy diet and by the time I get back on the scale in December I should be at, or over, 100 pounds.

Anyway, on to other things. Work is going well but it's been crazy since I've been back and it's going to be getting crazier. The move to the new hospital was pushed back. We were supposed to be moving this coming week and weekend but it's now been moved to the first weekend of December. I'm really excited about this because I can't imagine being ready to move by Thursday. Also, I think I'm going to be in the market for a new employee soon. Sheena got a job offer as a night-shift patient care tech on 5E which is the pediatric cardiology inpatient floor. Apparently the letter of recommendation I wrote her really stuck out because the hiring manager and the woman who did the interview both sought me out to tell me how good it was. I'm glad they liked it but I was really hoping to not have to replace Sheena until after the new year. She is such a strong employee and we're still training Jill so it would be nice to have her in place until Jill is fully functional but I guess I don't get to make that decision. I'm going to miss Sheena but this job will be really good for her and her family. Fortunately I had another applicant when I hired Jill that was a really strong candidate and as far as I know he's still interested in our department so I know that there will be at least one good applicant this time.

That's pretty much it for now. I still have some blog ideas, I just need to find some time to get them down on paper. I think I might make it a goal this week to get a few most posts. If nothing else I have a soup recipe I would like to share, maybe two. My sweet potato and black bean chili that I made last week was amazing and today I'm going to whip up a pot of spicy onion and apple soup. If it's any good I'll share that recipe too!

Slacker, party of one...

 Happy Halloween weekend all! I can't believe that Halloween is almost upon us. October flew by so fast and now it's almost gone. I suppose being on vacation for half of the month didn't help in the time flying business. I just realized today that I haven't put any Halloween or fall decorations up. If there weren't so much work involved in getting them out of storage I might still throw a few things out but I think I'm going to have to let this year slide. At least I was able to locate my Halloween door mat. My mom would come back and haunt me if I didn't have at least something Halloweeny around.

My trip home was amazing. I could go into a lot of detail but this blog would last forever so I just have to say that everything was perfect and beautiful, just like a wedding should be. Karla and Justin are so obviously in love, it's kind of sick at times. I was almost glad to leave for Charles City the Tuesday after the wedding because the newlywed bliss was starting to make me nauseous...in a good way, of course. However, Cody and Tasha are all of the sudden mushy in love again so I didn't really get away from the gooiness all that much. I am so happy that my brother and sister found partners who they will be forever happy with. It warms my heart just a little to know that they will be in love forever and ever! What more can a sister ask for.

Speaking of romance, my family had an EPIC fail in an attempt to set me up with my sister's boss at the wedding. The 'auctioning' off of Scott was a genius idea, and stuffing a 20 in my hand right before it started was good planning. However, he ended up getting Kim's (my step-sister) number and they actually had their fifth date last night. Karla, Justin, Lacey and Shawn (Scott's sister-in-law and brother respectively) had grand ideas of a Warnke/Soifer love connection but it looks like they're going to have to settle for a Roepke/Soifer fling instead. Scott is a nice guy and I know he was interested in me but I can't get mixed up in a long-distance relationship right now, at least not with someone I don't really like in a romantic way so I'm very much OK with the Kim/Scott thing. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out in the end.

My birthday was fabulous. I was starting to feel better and I could speak by then...yay! I got to see lots of friends, but not all :-( and even ate sushi (not so amazing).  I think with everything else going on I didn't really feel like it was my birthday but that's OK. I'm liking 29 so far...I actually think it's going to be a really great year. I hope that by the time 30 rolls around I will be at or very near my goal weight and just really enjoying the fact that as I get a year older I get a year healthier. However, I need to stop being a slacker for that to happen!

I don't know what my deal is but I have been losing steam over the last few weeks. If it was just the vacation and the week after it wouldn't frustrate me so much but I was slacking even before. I hope it was just the I'm going on vacation soon thing playing into it but I have to get back to my original game plan. My eating hasn't been horrible but it hasn't been great. I'm still working out a few times a week but it's not as regularly as I would like. I've gotten into the habit of skipping some of my early morning workouts during the week and I have to fix that now. I think part of the problem is that this time of year makes me want to stay in bed all snugly and warm. I'm really looking forward to daylight savings. Hopefully that will help me feel more awake early in the morning. Also, as a side note, why the hell didn't skinny people tell me how much colder it is when you don't have as much insulation? I'm not anywhere near skinny and I already have a lot lower tolerance for cold. I can't believe it. I'm going to freeze to death this winter if I don't buy some clothes because I don't have much in the way of warm clothing that fits. This could get expensive. I hope to find some good deals.

I think that's about it. I have settled on a culinary goal for this winter. I would like to try and make a big pot of soup each week. There are so many great recipes out there and I really do enjoy soup. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Have a great weekend!

p.s. I only gained 1.7 pounds on vacation...whew!

And I'm out...

Happy Monday and wedding week!  OK, I know it's only wedding week for me but I just had to share the enthusiasm. I'm not technically leaving until tomorrow but I doubt I'll be on here tonight so I thought I'd say my short-term farewell while I had a few minutes this morning.

Things have been really crazy at work lately.  We ran -1 person for two weeks which was hectic and then my very first new hire started last Tuesday. She's doing really well and I think she's going to be an excellent addition to our team. She's caught onto things pretty quickly so I know she'll be a tremendous asset to the rest of the lab when I'm gone. I'm just nervous because everyone has been working so hard already I hate leaving them for two weeks.  It's funny how quickly I've adopted a protective attitude about the lab. Oh well...they will survive and everything will be fantastic when I get back.

I'm also a bit apprehensive about my weight loss stuff while I'm back. With so much going on I know I'll be eating out more than normal and there will certainly be more snacking than I'm used to.  I just need to make sure that I try and keep myself in check as much as possible and get lots of physical activity. I'm OK gaining while I'm back, I just don't want to gain too much.

OK. I have to get to work. Have a wonderful mid October and I'll check in as soon as I get home!!

1:300,000 those are odds I can get behind!

There was a bit of a scare this week in the Warnke family.  Because of her hypothyroidism and advanced age (who knew 30 was advanced), Karla has been seeing a specialist in the high risk OB clinic at the University of Iowa.  Because she is now on medication to regulate her thyroid hormone she has to have a fetal ultrasound every four weeks to make sure that little PJ is growing appropriately.  Apparently if mom is shrinking you can't use belly measurements to keep an eye on the fetus. At her appointment on Monday Karla received some scary news.  During the ultrasound the sonographer noticed two choroid plexus cysts in the right brain hemisphere. While these cysts are sometime benign they can also mean chromosomal abnormalities, especially if the risk factor from Mom is elevated.

Karla was understandable upset when she heard this news, especially when it was paired with the nurse telling her that she has two weeks to terminate the pregnancy. Now Karla and Justin had talked about the possibility of something like this happening and decided that as long as Karla wasn't at risk that termination would never be an option. However, she wanted more information.  If  the doctors were talking termination did that mean that there was no hope for a healthy baby? What should she expect when or even if little PJ arrived? Her nurse, who I'd like to someday find and shake really hard briefly mentioned trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome), spinal gap (which I assume is the spina bifida family) and then went into a huge discussion of trisomy 18 (which is really, really bad).

After Karla heard 35 minutes of how her baby probably won't make it to term and if he does his median life expectancy is 15 days she was a wreck.  Her doctor finally came in and asked if she'd like to do a blood draw to see what maternal risk factor for any of these three chromosomal was?  After the results of the blood test came back the doctor said that they could move ahead with an amniocentesis if it looked like her risk factor was high.

Don't get me wrong, I work in the medical field and I understand the importance of giving patients and families all of the facts and not candy coating the bad stuff.  However, scaring the hell out of a hormonal woman is not OK.  They told her that it could be benign, yes, but what they didn't tell her is that in the absence of any other indicator or risk factor of genetic issues that there is a very, very weak correlation to these cysts and one of the three issues mentioned above. You would think that this would have come up at some point given the fact that PJ, besides these two cysts, is perfect. He is growing and moving as he should be.  His heart is good, his limbs are good, his liver and kidneys and everything else that they can see at this point are good. Even without her blood tests his risk of anything chromosomal would appear to be low.

Anyway, she got her blood test results back which give her a 1 in 300,000 risk of having a baby with any of the previously mentioned abnormalities, the chances are that we will have a very healthy baby sometime in February. It was just a really long week waiting for that call from the doctor and it didn't have to be as tense for them, or the rest of the family, as it was.  I get not wanting to give false hope to a family but at some point why not employ the wait and see policy before you scare the crap out of someone.  Anyway, the news was good in the end.  Hopefully the cysts are gone by week 32, if they're benign that's normally the point that they're gone.  I just want Karla and Justin to have a perfect baby, not that they or we would love a baby with a medical problem less but I just want the best for them.

Alright, I need get my butt in gear so I can enjoy some of this beautiful day.  Have a wonderful week ladies!