Lunch!

Today's lunch was great and a throwback to when we lived in Knoxville TN. There was a restaurant there (a chain, but still good) that we liked to frequent, the Silver Spoon American Cafe.  They offered the usual fare for a casual type eatery, but their Tomato Dill Soup totally won over my heart (and tummy!) When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, I became BFF's with that girl who takes your carry-out order over the phone.  It was like a bad coke habit, but tomato-y and healthy.  I bet that I ate this soup 3 times a week for several months.  I've tried to make it from scratch at home and even doctored up good ole Campbell's Tomato Soup with mediocre results.  Last night was different.  The stars were aligned, the moon was in it's optimal phase. I had found it.  

After a late afternoon movie with the kids, we ran by the local Publix on the way home.  Rolling ideas for a dinner still unplanned in my mind, I determined that soup would be a good option (I love soup all year, not just in the winter). And then I saw it...an innocent can of soup in the organic aisle. A trusty brand name with a photo on the can that looked appetizing.  Could it be that this might be what I've been looking for all these 10 + years?  I started dinner when I got home. The soup looked great. The soup smelled great. One glance at the ingredient list and the nutritional facts deemed it more than acceptable.  I added a touch of sea salt, a generous pinch of dried dill and swirl of organic cream on the top. I plated a beautiful salad of field greens, sliced strawberries, walnuts and feta cheese topped with homemade Sesame Maple Dressing.  I added a slice crusty whole grain baguette and sat down, tasted and fell in love.  It tastes JUST like my beloved Tomato Dill Soup and I can have it anytime right here in my own hometown. Bliss.

Tomato Dill Soup

1 or more (it's NOT condensed, so allow 1 can per person) Amy's Light Sodium Organic Tomato Bisque
-Per can: 1 t. dried dillweed
-salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
-1 t. organic heavy cream or So Good brand Coconut Creamer (optional)
-small handful of croutons, optional

Heat up the soup and add the dill and salt/pepper to taste.  Spoon into a soup bowl and drizzle the cream from the end of a spoon onto the surface of the soup in a swirl or other decorative pattern. Gently lay croutons on top and serve.  It may be out of a can, but this is healthy and oh, so tasty!

The First Day of School

I've been waiting all summer for this day...the first day of school for ALL my children.  I've not had all my children enrolled in school EVER in my 23 years of married life (22 of those years with children). It's not that I'm ready to get them out of the house, it's that I can't get the organizing/exercising/praying/daily Mass attending/you name it done with everyone underfoot and wondering what I'm feeding them next.  I need time to plan and organize so that we can finally have an organized and peaceful home. Yes, I do believe that to be possible even if it kills me getting there.

True confession time...we ate junk this summer, and a lot of it! We all gained weight, too.  It's time to practice what I preach and get the junk out of our lives and diets. I'm going to break off my affair with that other man, Papa John and say good-bye to Happy Hour at Sonic, as well. I just turned 50 this past weekend and am determined to make the next 50 healthy.