Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup...healthified! + skinny bacon

i told Sonny to get me outta bed when my alarm went off this morning no matter what.  he didn't, haha, but i got on up anyway and hit it early so i could use the rest of the day cooking for Thanksgiving!  speaking of, we have a Thanksgiving Damage Control Challenge going on right now by the way for 1 buck!! check out the details and sign up to keep yourself in check for the big day tomorrow.  i did a little arc trainer for my cardio and then one of our 6 Pack USA upper body workouts which targeted chest, biceps, triceps, and a little back.  then i went into the group fitness studio for core and stretching and did a few of these:

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i admit- i love this Beyoncé video and song. i just do!  not a Yonce stan, but definitely a fan.

then i got home and got the boys up and fed before i got cracking on this soup again.  yesterday went terribly wrong. bad pics, bad soup color cause i burned the sausage...it was just...wrong.  sometimes i want to post anyway and get it off my chest but something kept telling me to WAIT and be still.  today turned out loads better. loads.

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while i was cooking away, the doorbell rang.  i immediately heard a truck engine start which means it was UPS and i had a package, haha! they never wait. ever.

knock, knock...

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IT'S BACON!!!!!!

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not just any bacon though. uncured, ApplegateGood Morning Bacon.

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 skinny bacon! what? yes please! when it comes to natural and organic meats, Applegate is top-notch.  you get what you pay for, guaranteed.  Chiso looooved the hot dogs from our welcome-home-from-the-hospital lunch a few months ago!  and if you're a dear reader of mine then you know how picky that guy is.  we cracked the bacon open right away for breakfast. it's:

• applewood smoked
• 60% less fat than regular bacon
• uncured
• antibiotic, gluten, casein, hormone, and nitrate-FREE
•  heaven-sent

it's no coincidence the soup calls for *drum roll* bacooooon. i told ya, perfect timing.  His timing!  anyway, it tastes just like pork belly bacon without all the excess grease and/or oil.  let's give it up for Applegate!

*round of applause*

without further adieu, i present to you, healthified, dairy-free, Zuppa Toscana soup!  it's 2nd place to Olive Garden's chicken & gnocchi soup in my book.  maybe i'll healthify that one next ;) .  the longer you let it sit, the creamier it will become, fyi. i hurriedly took these pics a few minutes after i finished cooking while i still had some good natural light left and it was still a tad thin. a few hours have passed since and the flavors have made their presence known and the texture is just right.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup - Healthified

the stuff:

• 1 lb sausage of your choice (see mine below), sliced
• 2 medium red potatoes
• 1/4 cup Applegate uncured Good Morning Bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 can light OR full-fat coconut milk
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 2 big handfuls of raw, fresh kale
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

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couple things: i used light coconut milk.  full fat would yield an even thicker, creamier soup of course!  i also used spinach & garlic chicken sausage that i found at HEB, but you can use whatever you fancy.

do this:

1. coat a very large pot with no-stick cooking spray and set it to med-high heat
2. brown sliced sausage in pot  (3-4 minutes)
3. add onion, shallot, potatoes to pot and stir
4. add chicken broth ensuring the water cover the top of the veggies/meat
5. cook on medium heat until the potatoes are done (about 10-12 minutes...watch it closely)
6. add bacon
7. add salt & pepper and let simmer for 10 min; taste
8. season again if needed then turn heat to low
9. add coconut milk and kale (make sure you push the kale into and under the liquid) and stir until well combined
10. serve warm and top it with more bacon!

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using the My Fitness Pal recipe nutrition calculator i estimate 4 big bowls of soup from this pot. for one 12 oz serving:

285 cals, 10g fat, 28g carbs, 4g sugar and 1299mg sodium

 (high sodium because of my sausage choice but that can be altered.)

pure YUMMINESS! make this and tag me! @fitfoodiele

omg. i'm running a 10k tomorrow morning. it's not like i don't know how to train for a run, i just don't want to. lol. and the temperature has dipped early this year at that!  man. this time last year i was preggo and complaining about the cold.  only difference is i still want to workout (indoors) and no first trimester woes.  welp, if you're out there getting your trot on in Houston, holla at meeeeee!  for now...

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back to cooking my mom's famous cornbread dressing! happy TG eve!

le

lean turkey pumpkin black bean chili + sweet golden conebread

conebread. today is spell-it-like-you-say-it-day.

aaaah yeeeeez.... it's finally chili and cornbread weather in Houston!

if you're like me, then you prolly already have multiple cans of pure pumpkin in your pantry in prep for next month. whoa.  way too many p's in one sentence.  pop one of those babies open and make this chili while we count down the days until TG.

lean turkey pumpkin black bean chili (adapted from here)

the stuff:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 can Low Sodium Black Beans
• 4 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1 can Libby's pure pumpkin
• 1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
•  1 tsp sriracha chili sauce
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

do this:

1. spray your large pan with no-stick cooking spray and set it to medium - high heat.
2. add onion, bell pepper, & garlic, 1 tbsp of the cilantro, and cook while stirring frequently until translucent; about 4-5 minutes.
3. add ground turkey (or chicken, or beef) and cook until browned.
4. add tomatoes, pumpkin, mushrooms, chicken broth, sweet corn, sriracha, chili powder, cumin, garlic & onion powder, liquid aminos, rest of the cilantro and pepper and bring to a boil.
5. reduce heat to medium low and add beans.
6. cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 more minutes so those flavors can work their magic.

 my recipe made 8 cups with a little extra left over.  so for 1 heaping cup of chili:

and because you can't eat one without the other,

sweet golden cornbread: (adapted from here)

• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill 100& Stone Ground Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Stevia for baking
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance Whipped Organic Buttery Spread, slightly melted
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn

do this:

1. preheat oven to  425°
2. sift together dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. add egg, milk, butter, corn, and oil.
4. beat until smooth; do not overbeat.
5. spray your pan with no-stick cooking spray (or add some melted buttery spread to the bottom of the pan and pour your batter into it for those buttery, crackalicious, crispy edges!!! thanks mom :)
6. bake for 20-23 minutes.

i put my batter in a 9 in round pan and cut it into 8 slices.  stats for 1 slice:

uuuugggghhh, is it November yet!?!?!? all i wanted to do was clock in and teach my class this morning :shock:

Halloween has just never been my thing.  this is a picture, AND the thing is fake, and it's still giving me chills.  blood, gore, guts, horror movies - no thank you!

Q: what is your least favorite holiday?

le