When Micah was about 5 weeks old, I had a bit of a sleep-deprived induced meltdown. There was a lot of crying going on (mostly him, but also a little from me) and not a lot of sleeping  happening (mostly me). Up until then I had honestly forgotten about the being “so tired your brain hurts” feeling that comes with having a new baby. I know that feeling oh so well now.

A good friend of mine was lucky enough to witness my meltdown when she was dropping off my kids from school for me one afternoon. It was one of those days where Micah wasn’t sleeping for more than a few minutes at a time unless he was being held, I still hadn’t showered and dinner was definitely going to be take-out. Add on the fact that we were getting up every couple of hours during the night for several days, I was so exhausted. The thought of my kids getting home from school with lots of energy and homework kinda sent my head spinning. Needless to say, when my friend dropped them off all she had to ask was “how are you doing” for the waterworks to happen.

Sigh. I’m so glad I’m getting a little more sleep now.

My dear friend came to my rescue that week. She picked up my kids from school the rest of the week, took them out to dinner one night, and brought us dinner another night. As humbling as it was for me to break down like that, I’m so grateful my friend was there for me when I needed the help the most.

So what does this healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup have to do with any of this? This soup is what my friend Heidi brought us for dinner. You would have thought we hadn’t eaten in daaaays with how excited, thankful and hungry we were when she walked through our door with her pot of soup and all the fixings to go with it. This isn’t her exact recipe, I am still waiting for her to pass it along to me, but I believe it’s close – it tastes just as delicious and hits the spot every time I make it. It is especially comforting after a long day or when I only have enough time to heat up a quick bowl of soup for lunch. I truly love a soup that makes you feel good after eating it, and this is definitely one of those soups. Enjoy!

Here are a few more healthy dinner ideas for you.

(more…)

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You know what I love? I love when I cook something and my husband gives me the excited mouth full of food nod of approval…do you all know what I’m talking about? It’s the “oh this is good” without words expression. I just love it.

I saw Ellie making this soup on an episode I had saved on DVR the other night…my husband normally doesn’t sit and watch cooking shows with me, but somehow I inconspicuously finagled a way to keep him from changing the channel to ESPN or CNN. Once he started watching though he did get interested and started to pay attention to what Ellie was making. All I had to hear from him was “oh that looks good” and I knew I would be making it soon. As a matter of fact, I made it the next day.

This light and nontraditional version of chili is a new favorite for me. I loved it…as did my husband and nephew. It has just enough kick from the poblanos and just enough creaminess from the Greek yogurt…and is still healthy. I didn’t have any hominy on hand, so I substituted frozen corn instead. I did pick up hominy today and will be trying it for the first time the next time I make this chili, which will probably be very soon.

A soup like this is perfect for a light weeknight dinner or an easy lunch to take to work. I found it filling and satisfying and knowing that it’s good for me is added bonus. I can’t wait to get through my leftovers this week.

Ellie Krieger’s White Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 3 medium poblano peppers (about 4 ounces each), seeded and white ribs removed, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more to taste
• 1 pound ground white meat turkey
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans white beans such as cannelini, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
• Salt
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery, poblanos, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink about 2 minutes. Add the white beans, broth and oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.
3. Add the hominy and salt and more cayenne pepper, to taste, and continue cooking, partially covered, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into individual bowls and top each serving with 1 tablespoon of yogurt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cilantro. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Recipe from Ellie Krieger, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger

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(…light and creamy after the Greek yogurt is stirred in.)

I ran the Spirit of the YMCA 5k this past Saturday, it was my first 5k in a few years and I’ll tell ya I think I’m hooked again. It was a great event, very family friendly which is a big reason why I love the Y. They held a kid’s Fun Run after the big race and my little guy couldn’t wait to use his speedy legs. He had been excited about it all week…he “trained” for it by running from driveway to driveway as fast as he could.

Seeing him out there so happy and proud like that definitely made my heart smile. 😉

Have a great week!

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