Beef and Vegetable Soup

"This is a satisfying, very easy, and delicious vegetable soup to serve anytime of the year. Serve with saltine crackers and chunks of sharp cheese."

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 4 carrots, diced
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed

• 1 (15 ounce) can peas, undrained
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained and rinsed
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 bay leaf, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup water, as needed

Directions

1. Crumble ground beef into a stockpot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
2. Stir carrots, celery, and onion into the ground beef; cook and stir until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, tomato sauce, crushed whole tomatoes, undrained peas, corn, and green beans to the pot; season with black pepper. Stir mixture until evenly mixed. Add thyme and bay leaf to the pot. Pour 1/4 cup water over the mixture if needed to moisten mixture, replenishing as needed while cooking.
3. Bring soup to a simmer, place a cover on the pot, and cook, stirring regularly, until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

-1 can of drained and rinsed black beans
-1 can of corn-undrained
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-1 can of diced green chilis)
-1 package of the ranch dressing powder (or make a diy)***
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 Tbsp chili powder
-2 chicken breasts. (I just toss them in frozen)
-1 package of cream cheese.

Basically dump everything but the cream cheese in the crock pot and
Mix. Put the block of cream cheese on the top and cook on low for 6 ish hours or until your chicken is done. Shred your chicken and you're good to go.

We like to eat ours with corn chips.

*** If you don't want to use a ranch packet, add theses seasonings/ingredients
1/2  cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp dried parsley
3/4 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp salt

brownies

1 bag of toll house cookie dough spread on the bottom of a 9×9 pan. Layer on oreos. Prepare a boxed brownie mix and pour over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 min

Easy Oatmeal Breakfast

http://foodmatters.tv/content/how-to-overnight-oats-3-ways?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HFC+NL+July+9+2015&utm_content=HFC+NL+July+9+2015+CID_24471f1bc4590be48d11b95b5e931285&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor%20Email%20Marketing&utm_term=READ%20MORE

The Key to Smoothies

simplegreensmoothiesThe key to replacing meals with green smoothies is including healthy fats and proteins. Healthy fats and proteins are the way to go if you want to power up with green smoothies as a meal replacement. This combo will keep you feeling full and give you the energy you need to cruise right through ’til your next snack or meal.
STEP 1 // PICK A PLANT-BASED PROTEIN
Plant-based proteins keep your body full and give you tons of energy. They also help repair your muscles, which is perfect for that post-workout buzz. Oh, kale to the yeah!

Hemp hearts
Chia seeds
Plant-based protein powder
Rolled oats
Tofu
STEP 2 // PICK A HEALTHY FAT
Healthy fats protect your heart, keep your energy levels up, boost metabolism, and lower bad cholesterol levels. So please don’t skip the fats. They’re actually really, really good for you! And these ingredients below make your green smoothies extra creamy.

Avocado
Coconut oil
Almond butter
Chia seeds (yep, here they are again! These babies are loaded with healthy fats and protein, making them a great everyday booster)
PART 3 // PUT ’EM TOGETHER AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET…
Healthy Fat + Plant-based Protein = Meal Replacement Boosters

Green smoothies are the perfect fast food and adding these boosters will save you tons of time in the kitchen and keep you away from any drive-thru food that will wreck havoc on your body. We want you to be healthy and strong!

Use one of these meal replacement booster combos in your next green smoothie. The boosts are measured for our delicious Simple Green Smoothies recipes, which serve 2.

4 tablespoons hemp hearts + ½ avocado
4 tablespoons plant-based protein powder + 2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons almond butter + ¼ cup rolled oats
4 tablespoons chia seeds + 4oz silken tofu
4 tablespoons chia seeds + 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Tropical Tumeric Smoothie

TROPICAL TURMERIC CLEANSER | serves two
2 cups kale
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups pineapple
1 cup mango
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
¼ to 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, to taste

Did you know? Turmeric, another natural liver detoxifier. We most often find it in its dried, ground form. It is a root similar to ginger that is common in Asia and Polynesia. It lends a gorgeous yellow color to curries, mustard, and other foods we consume on a normal basis. But adding in a little extra turmeric into your diet adds big benefits. The curcumin in turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and has been used in traditional Eastern medicine for centuries to treat all kinds of maladies. Pineapple and mango add natural sweetness as well as fiber and loads of Vitamins A and C.

7 Day Diet Cabbage Soup

heart emoticon 7 DAY DIET WEIGHT-LOSS SOUP (Wonder Soup) heart emoticon

INGREDIENTS

½ head of cabbage, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup white or yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
14 oz can basil, oregano, garlic diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
few shakes of black pepper
½ teaspoon salt (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
. Add celery, onions, bell peppers, and carrots.
. Saute until slightly tender.
. Stir in garlic.
. Pour in chicken broth.
. Stir in tomatoes and cabbage.
. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
. Cook until cabbage is tender.
. Stir in oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt (if using)
. Taste broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
. Serve and enjoy!

OK so let’s talk about the 7-day diet!! It’s an old diet that has been around for YEARS and revised over and over again. You are likely to find several different version online. Lately these 7-day diets have become really popular. Even Dr. Oz has one.

I NEVER thought I’d like this soup, but it’s so good!

On the 7-day diet you follow a certain eating plan everyday. Along with eating these specific foods you are allowed to have cabbage soup aka wonder soup aka weight loss soup aka miracle soup aka weight watcher soup whenever you’d like. This is what drew me to the 7-day diet because I love that I can eat this soup in unlimited quantities. I HATE being hungry and I will not stick to any kind of diet if I’m hungry. Point. Blank. Period. Don’t forget you MUST drink 8 glasses of water each day. My results vary if I slack on water, but 8-10 pounds is what I usually lose.

Now about this weight loss Cabbage Soup (Wonder Soup), the website (my7daydiet.com) says you should boil the vegetables in water, uh…no ma’am!! I’ve always used chicken broth or vegetable broth with seasoned canned tomatoes and it has never hindered my weight loss. There is NO WAY I would be eating this soup everyday if I made it according to the recipe on the site. Yuck! Throughout the diet I also use salt, pepper, lots of herbs & seasonings, olive oil, and a tad of butter. These changes have never affected my results.

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So here is a brief overview of the 7 Day Cabbage Soup diet plan.

Remember: This diet should only be followed for 7 days at a time, with at least two weeks in between.

Day One: Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water. (I had coffee, no cream or sugar).

Day Two: Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.

Day Three: Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato.

Day Four: Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.

Day Five: Beef or Chicken And Tomatos: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for beef on one of the beef days (but not both).

Day Six: Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart’s content beef or skinless chicken and vegetables this day. You can have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.

Day Seven: Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.

Stick With The Cabbage Soup Diet For 7 Days…And Look Amazing Later, Too!

Be sure to eat your soup at least once to day.

No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda.

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