Recap!

Lucky for me, there were leftovers of the delicious foods I mentioned in the previous post!

The fruit plate:

The salad:

aaaand a grilled chicken pita with some of the chicken (chicken + spinach + provolone + ranch = YUM!) I will definitely be making another one of these today.


I am now 21 weeks pregnant! Over halfway there!! Unfortunately, I think that my transition to a more healthy lifestyle and my extreme aversion to beef recently (part pregnancy, part food documentaries that scare me away from food) I have been experiencing extreme headaches which I can only assume are caused by low iron. I cannot really diagnose this myself, but it explains the sluggishness and the headaches that I've been having recently, add in that I haven't eaten red meat in almost a month AND I have not been eating a ton of fortified cereals or leafy greens, I would say that's probably what it is. It was so bad last night Brent ran out and got me a cheeseburger from Burger King (gross, but it lessened the headache) and I decided that tonight we are having STEAK for dinner! SO excited. Normally I am a medium rare kind of girl, so I will have to survive with it being a little more brown, but I'm sure it will be delicious. :)

I also plan on experimenting with some recipes today... including a delicious looking banana bread!

Broccoli Cheese Soup!

Broccoli cheese soup is a new found love of mine. I discovered it's greatness while working at Subway, and have been obsessed ever since. The only downfall is I cannot find a good brand that I actually care for. Most canned soups are too salty for my taste, or the cheese tastes fake, or they are just too runny. I would try various restaurant versions, but I usually ran into the same problems... or the soup was overpowered by ginormous chunks of vegetables with hardly any cheesy broth.

The solution: make my own!

However, I cannot take complete credit for this, the recipe is from my soon to be mom-in-law (which was passed down from her mom). Family recipe = delicious!

Also, I fully believe that soup is a perfectly acceptable summertime food. :)

The ingredients:

1 bunch broccoli
1 head cauliflower
4 large carrots
5 medium potatoes (diced)
1 medium onion (optional) - (I left this out since I am allergic to onions)
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 lb. velveeta cheese

1. Cut veggies and put them all in a pot, barely covered with water. Add the chicken bouillon cubes and let boil.
2. Once boiling, add the milk and cornstarch. Continue to stir until thickened.
3. Once thickened, turn down the heat and add the cheese - cut up into small cubes for faster melting.
4. Let cheese melt.
5. Serve hot!

The final product:

I halved the recipe and still ended up with this enormous pot! So, definitely good if you are making for a lot of people. :) It is extremely creamy and loaded with vegetables and flavor! I could seriously eat it all day if it wasn't so filling.

I served some to myself for lunch with a half pita filled with shredded, steamed turkey and roast beef, spinach, cucumbers, 1/2 slice provolone, and mustard. yum!

Everything tastes better in a mug! :) and the whole meal totally hit the spot!

Next on my list of things to do today: oatmeal m&m cookies!