Disclaimer: I am not a physician, dietician, nutritionist or a medical person of any type. The info provided in this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please know your allergies of all types and food sensitivities and speak with your physician first if you are embarking on a new eating plan. Also, I have not been compensated in any way for products mentioned in this post.
What I've Been Eating Lately....
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Happy Saturday dear readers! Today, I'm sharing what's been on my plate lately....my food plate I mean. I know some bloggers have a special day each week that they dedicate to sharing recipes or blogging about food. But remember, this is Debbie This And That, meaning you never know what you'll get when you visit my blog! A little bit of this and that, right? So, today, I'm going to dish about three meals I've had recently for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All are vegetarian meals. Here we go.
Breakfast
I actually enjoyed this delicious meal this morning. I've been looking for ways to incorporate veggies earlier in the day and this fit the bill! I started with a slice of toasted multi-grain bread from Fresh Market, added an over easy egg, and then topped it off with sauteed grape tomatoes and spinach. Yumm!!
My husband and I are not strictly vegetarians as we do eat some meat and also fish. However, we limit the amount of meat and do several vegetarian meals per week. When we do eat meat, it is most usually chicken or white meat turkey. I will occasionally go in for pot roast or a hamburger, but only rarely. Mr.thisandthat doesn't eat red meat at all. OK...on to lunch.
Lunch
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I love, love, love tomato soup!!! And, I have to admit that for many years I have relied on the canned variety from...you know...the "soup" company that's been around forever. I find soup a true comfort food. I've mentioned before that we do not use salt in our recipes for health reasons. And canned soup...even the "healthier" varieties....still have quite a bit of sodium. So, I've been looking for healthier alternatives that I can make from scratch.
There are so many varieties of canned vegetables available these days with "no salt added." Those are always the ones I choose whenever possible. This brand adds some tasty spices.
First, I heated the canned tomatoes.
Then I added one cup of fat free, lactose free milk. Yes, cream would be good, too.....but, I'm trying to keep it healthy!
I then poured the heated mixture into a bowl and used my immersion blender to turn the mixture into a "creamy" soup. Finally, I poured the soup back into the pan and heated it some more, adding black pepper and onion powder. These are my "go to" spices I use frequently in dishes.
I have to tell you that this soup was delicous!! It satisfied my craving for cream of tomato soup without all the sodium. The garlic, basil and oregano that were in the canned tomatoes along with the pepper and onion powder I added, gave just the right flavor boost to this soup! I added a Weight Watchers light moisture, part skim mozzarella string cheese stick and some saltines to the lunch. We do try to eat whole grains whenever possible. But, I love me some saltines with my soup!! And these saltines have unsalted tops which reduce the sodium amount.
I'll definitely be making this soup again! OK..what's for dinner?
Dinner
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Do you say "dinner" or "supper?" I tend to use both terms interchangeably. How about "evening meal?" At any rate, this was a delicious dish we shared one evening last week. It is a mixture of colorful red, orange and yellow peppers, onion and tofu on a bed of brown rice. There was quite a bit of chopping to do as meal prep, but it went quickly.
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The peppers were so colorful mixed together in the bowl. By the way, this bowl is an "old fashioned" pyrex dish that was a wedding present 33 years ago. Still using it! Have seen similar in "antique" stores. Good grief! Am I an antique??? I'll probably break it today since I wrote about it. Hope not!
OK, the onions are chopped. On to tofu.
Do you cook with tofu? I always buy firm or extra firm tofu for stir fry dishes. Before I cut it, I try to get as much moisture from it as possible. It's stored in water inside the container it comes in, so there is liquid in it that can make your dish watery if it is not removed. Many people have methods they use. Mine is quick and fast.
I basically lay the tofu block on thick paper towels and wrap the paper towels around the block like it's a present. I then push on the paper towels and let it absorb the moisture. I repeat this a couple of times. Then, I start cutting.
For this dish, I kept the pieces bite size to go with the other vegetables. If I'm grilling the tofu on my grill pan, I just cut straight down for thin slices. Tofu by itself can be bland. So, adding spices and other ingredients are key. But, we love it and eat it frequently. OK....I'm going to speed things up here. Let the magic of blogging begin.....
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Basically, everything gets sauteed, although separately. We did peppers together, onions and then the tofu and then added it all together for a final saute. My use cast of character spices (onion powder, black pepper, italian seasoning (no sodium added) were, of course, added.
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I've gotta tell ya...it was delish! And that's what has been on my plate lately. How about yours? What are fave dishes you like to create? Leave me your thoughts below. We do try to eat healthy....most of the time. I read somewhere that eating healthy 85% of the time is pretty good. I hope we do that...haven't tried to figure out the percentages. What a long post! I'm starving....let's go out to eat, OK? You know...I'm craving chocolate cake! Hmmmmm.....85%? It is the weekend...
Until Next Time,
Debbie
6 comments:
I really enjoyed this post Debbie. Each of the dishes look delicious, and healthy! I eat mostly meatless during the week and don't enjoy red meat (except bacon!!) Your tomato soup idea is great. I wonder what almond milk would taste like in it... I LOVE tofu! My method for getting moisture out is the paper towels, a tilted cutting board and a cast iron skillet on top while I chop veggies. I have not made friends with brown rice as it comes out too watery when I make it. I would eat the egg dish for supper/dinner too! On the weekends, stand back! I'm having dessert! Thanks for the recipes!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, Karen! I'm not sure what the soup would taste like with almond milk..but give it a try! I'd enjoy hearing if you like it that way or not. I use instant brown rice or the bags of steamed brown rice that you can cook in the microwave. When I cook the boxed instant brown rice, I use one cup of brown rice and one cup of water and put it in the microwave for seven minutes. It comes out OK for me that way. You might try it that way to see if it is less watery. I have to admit I like white rice, too. Especially at Chinese restaurants. Yumm!!
You had a good day of eats! How healthy and delicious. Great tip on the soup. I say dinner and I don't cook with tofu much because my hubby is not a fan. I'm hoping to change his mind though.
Glad you liked the soup tip, Julie. It took us awhile to warm up to tofu, but now we eat it all the time. So, there's hope for your hubby!
We share that love of tomato soup. Anytime I feel a little under the weather, it is my "go to" food. I have tried to find recipes to make tomato soup from fresh tomatoes during garden season with no success. However, I will try your method using canned tomatoes. It sounds and looks delicious. I even thought I might try canning tomatoes from the garden and then turning those canned tomatoes into your soup! We'll have to wait and see if we have a "bumper crop" of tomatoes this year.
Sharon, I would love to sample some of your tomato soup made with your home grown tomatoes that you can. I know it would be excellent!!
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