Body Pump Update and Hungry Girl's V10 Soup

Oh goodness!!  I decided I would cook out of the cookbook by Lisa Lillien titled Hungry Girl for the next little bit.   This cookbook is not written for a real hungry girl like me.  It is written for someone who is really hungry and starving to death and could eat the paint off the wall because they are on a diet!!  I think the politically correct term for diet is now lifestyle modification or healthy eating plan.  Blah!!!  Guess who gave me this cookbook??  If you guessed Food Police, you are right.  Speaking of Food Police, have you noticed how the National Media must be reading my blog because they have stolen my coined phrase - Food Police???  There have been countless national stories about the Food Police and how they are snatching little kids' food right out of their lunchboxes because the little kid had -Heaven Forbid - some Cheetos or Oreo Cookies for lunch.  What is this world coming to?  I wonder what my Food Police will pack in her children's lunch boxes.  Oh I cannot wait to share those stories.  I digress as usual.   

Anyway, the author of this cookbook - Lisa - has a Food Network show where she shows you how to eat well for less calories.  She also has a wonderful web site - www.hungry-girl.com- where you can sign up for daily e-mail tips on how to eat right.  And I must say, after cooking and tasting a few recipes out of her cookbook, I am a new fan.

After I selected this cookbook, I thought this would be an opportune time to give you an update on my exercise and eating regimen here lately.  I made it  through the Holidays without too much of a stumble and have now lost a little over 20 pounds.  I am still going to my lovely Body Pump class twice a week.  I reread my original blog post about Body Pump (which has been my most popular post), and I must say, I believe I was a little angry when I was writing that.  It is dripping with sarcasm!!  Just so you know, though,  I still don't clap for the show-outs in class.  I still glare at them through the sweat dripping off my brow and give them my fake smile.  Oh if only they could read my mind!! 

Husband Fred has now joined the ranks of the Monday/Wednesday afternoon Body Pump Posse.  Of course, I had to do some arm twisting and begging to get him there.  Food Police pulled out the old "You are going to get Diabetes and Heart Disease" threat out of her little dietician's bag of tricks.  Goodness!!  It has been worth it though.  She and I so enjoy watching his weird contorted faces in the mirrors (Did I tell you they have mirrors in this torture chamber?  There is nothing attractive about your face when you are lifting weights).  Oh and how we love listening during class to his guttural grunting that is so loud you can hear it over the 5000 decibel song track.  I think he does it for attention to make you think he is really pumping a lot of iron.  I look at his weights to see how much he has added to his bar and do a double-take.  Oh my!!! Wait a minute.....Wait for it....Here it comes...... Food Police and I are lifting more weight than he is!!!!!!  Give me strength!!!  Do we make even one little sound?  NO!!!  Let me keep going!!!!   How about when we finish our Planks, he falls into the prone position and lies there for what seems like an eternity.  People just step over him to put up their weights and mats.  I reassure everyone that he is okay and not blown out his vertebrae.  I then whisper to them that he tends to have a Drama Queen side!!   They nod their heads up and down quite vigorously like they know exactly what I am talking about.  I see where Food Police gets her flair for the dramatic. Again, I digress.  I tell him to get up and quit embarassing himself and his family.  Finally, he manages to pull himself to his knees and come to a standing position ready for more.  Why does this bring such a smile to our faces??  I just thought of something.  Maybe that is why all the veteran Body Pump people are smiling.  It is not because they are actually enjoying the class, but they are actually delighting in watching the newbies get put through the ringer.  Hmmmm.....

Now on to the recipe....I thought why did the Eeny Game have to choose this one???  I don't really want 60 calorie vegetable soup, but maybe the Game was trying to tell me something!!  You think!!

Here is a picture of the cookbook.  That lady on the front looks hungry to me!  She must be delirious from low blood sugar because that would be the only reason why she would be smiling like that.  Sorry!!  I am hungry right now!!  I want a hamburger and French fries.

Shout out to my vegetarian friends!!  You are going to love this one.  You will need a bunch of ingredients but look at how healthy all that looks!!  You need 10 veggies - tomatoes, zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, green beans and mushrooms.  Plus you will use garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste, basil, oregano and parsley.  You will also need salt and pepper.

Look at the rainbow!!  Chop up the tomatoes, onion, carrots and asparagus.

Spray your pot with cooking spray and saute the tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, and carrots for about 5 minutes.

While this is cooking, chop up your cabbage.

Chop the mushrooms.

Keep chopping......Now the zucchini.

Keep going.....The celery!!

Measure out a cup of bean sprouts.

Add all the ingredients and cook for 20 minutes.  You will have this wonderful looking soup when you are finished!

I ate lunch with Food Police today and brought her some of the soup.  She was in Dietician Heaven eating it.  A generous cup of this tasty concoction is only 60 calories and is low in sodium, fat and sugars.  I have to say it really is good.  Hmmmm.....

Here is the recipe...

 

V10 Soup

Hungry Girl Cookbook

Lisa Lillien

4 C fat-free vegetable broth

2 C chopped cabbage

1 1/4 C chopped celery

1 C chopped mushrooms

1 C bean sprouts

2/3 C frozen green beans ( I used canned)

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 C sliced carrots

1/2 C diced onions

5 asparagus spears, chopped

1 1/2 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray a large pot with nonstick spray.  Cook tomatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Raise heat to high, add all other ingredients, and stir.  Once soup reaches a full boil. lower the heat until soup is just dimmering.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the beans and celery are tender. 

Makes 6 servings.

Now go have a great day.....