Healthy Eating

So it has been over a week now that me and my family have adopted a healthier eating menu. It is not the easiest thing in the world. As a matter of fact it is really hard for me. I have tried to cut out sugar all together and it’s not working so well. The first 7 days I did really well however my energy did not seem to be up to par. On Sunday I taught the sunbeam class and I brought snacks; crackers, marshmallows and fruit loops. It was really hard to feed them and not myself so I did sneak some fruit loops. Now the past two days I have found myself snacking on cold cereal several times throughout the day. I’m not sure how to stop. I haven’t had one piece of candy or chocolate and that is a huge feat. Were doing somewhat ok but of course it could be better. We eat a lot more vegetables and mainly chicken or fish. We’ve also cut out table salt. We use a lot of Mrs. Dash. It’s got to be healthy right?! I’m actually really proud of Steve I did not think he would be able to keep it up this long but he seems to be doing really well. Of course I sneak cereal so who’s to say he doesn’t sneak as well.

I’ve also got Steve exercising every day. Exercising is a lot easier for me than the eating part of this whole scenario. It’s not so easy for Steve however. The lack of time is a big factor. There’s usually less than an hour of time for him to spend with the kids at the end of the day. And if you factor in a workout there is no time, which has left him to exercising late at night. I am exhausted by the end of the day and I can only assume it is the same for him, but he has been a good sport and has continued each day.

So the reason that I put up this post is to add a few recipes every so often. I’m trying new, healthier recipes and I thought I would share those I liked.
This soup is one of my favorites. It is so easy and so good.



Tuscan Vegetable Soup




Ingredients
• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

Directions
In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.