So it appears I’m one of the only ones that has trouble sticking to exercise during the holidays 🙂  Luckily, y’all were there with some great tips:

‘Just do a little each day and tell yourself how good you’ll feel afterwards”’ –Lori

‘Sign up for a race right after Christmas to keep you motivated’ –Samantha

‘Workout, then get cozy’ –Katie

‘Stick to a normal schedule’ –Erin

Thanks for the tips, ladies! I’ll let you know how they work out 🙂

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As for the healthy eating, I’m pretty good at that one!  I even tried out a new recipe the other night for Meatless Monday.  (OK, so I actually don’t ‘do’ meatless Monday every week, which is a good thing because the sound of it struck fear into Hubbs’ carnivorous heart) 😉

The recipe comes from a great new cookbook I was sent… and if you stay check back this week… you might just get a chance to check it out yourself 😉

I was really excited about this recipe because it sounded totally different from the usual tomato soups I eat (no garlic or onions or chicken broth!).  So I gathered my ingredients…

2 (6 oz) cans of organic tomato paste

20 grape tomatoes, diced

3-4 romaine leaves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp garlic salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

3-4 cups of plain almond or rice milk*

(*I only had vanilla almond milk, so I had to use 2% regular milk instead)

 

and got to choppin’!

FYI: no carrot necessary.  I was just nibblin’ 🙂

I heated the milk over low heat in a small pot.

while in another pot I combined the paste, romaine and tomatoes over medium heat and let simmer while I stirred for about 5 minutes.

This is where I started to doubt the recipe.

It just didn’t seem right.  It looked chunky and weird… but I persevered and added the spices.

I mixed it all  up and let it simmer for about another 5 minutes.  Then, slowly, I added in the warm milk about 1 cup at a time.  I started getting more confident…maybe this could be good!

Once adding all the milk and stirring, I was impressed.  It looked GOOD!

And you know what? It tasted GREAT!  I served it up with grilled cheeses made on jalapeno cheddar bread (OMG YUM) for a perfect fall meal!

HOWEVER,

when I went back for seconds, I realized the stove was still on and had heated the pot too much… and my milk had curdled.  It pretty much ruined the rest of the soup.

I loved the flavors though, and am anxious to follow the recipe exactly next time and use almond milk.  It really turned out so much better than I expected!

What do you think the key ingredient is for a killer grilled cheese sandwich?

 

I think you have to use Cabot cheese (my favorite!) and a yummy bread (like jalapeno cheddar!)