Tag: Bob’s Red Mill

13 Bean Soup

When I was at Bob’s Red Mill on Saturday I saw this bag of soup mix and it looked so delicious I had to pick one up. The recipe on the back seemed really simple.  I had all the ingredients on hand so on Saturday night I soaked the beans in water.

13 Bean Soup

Cooking Instructions:

1. Wash 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix, then soak overnight.2. In the morning, drain, rinse, and bring 2.5 quarts of water to boil with the beans and ham hock.

3. Reduce heat and simmer 3-3.5 hours.

4. Add 1 cup chopped onion, one 15 ounce can tomato sauce or 1 tomato, 1.5 teaspoon–1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder OR 2 cloves minced garlic.

5. Simmer 30 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Serving Size: 1/2 Cup      |    Calories: 270     |       Carbs: 49g     |        Fiber: 15g    |       Protein: 18g



I added chopped up Black Forest Ham (the sliced kind from Costco) because I didn’t have ham hock, I didn’t want to go to the store again, and I needed to use of the deli meat asap. It worked out nicely. I also had about a cup of chicken stock leftover I wanted to use up so I added that into the soup and a little less water. I let the beans simmer on the stove for a few hours Sunday while I ran errands and did some writing. By the time I got home, the water had burned off and it was ready to add all the yummy ingredients.

I didn’t have tomato sauce so I used the canned diced tomatoes and they worked really well. In fact, I probably could have used more than just the one can.

I added the chili powder to taste. I think maybe 2 teaspoons? I didn’t want it to be too spicy, or to suddenly taste like chili, so I went easy on it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes before I added the second teaspoon. I added the minced garlic, salt and pepper.

I was really happy that the soup thickened up like it did. The first time I ever made bean soup it was really watery and not quite the way I wanted it to taste. This time was so much better! It was hearty and thick.

It made so much! I probably could have used half the bag and saved the rest for another time but this way it’s all made for the week. There should be enough for 8 separate meals (lunches or dinners) and I might freeze some of it for another week.

Besides the yummy flavor, I love how it’s pretty low in calories and so high in fiber and protein. Even if I wasn’t on a diet it would be a great soup for any healthy lifestyle! I love Bob’s Red Mill! I can’t wait to try the Israeli Couscous I bought! Now I’m wondering what other goodies I could have put into the soup. Maybe chopped carrots next times! I wonder what other seasonings I could use too?

QUESTION: What do you like to put into your bean soup?

Saturday: Binge Day Part One

Saturday morning Michael and I woke up and we both weighed in. As of Saturday, Michael has lost about 5 pounds!

MICHAEL’S STATS:

Starting Weight: 197.8

After 1 Week: 192.4

Loss of 5.4 pounds


LISA’S STATS:

Starting Weight: 144

After 1 Week: 144.2

Gain of 2 ounces (Whatever)

I did lose .5 inch in my waist and .5 inch in my hips though.

I can’t say that I am at all surprised by MY number. I wasn’t expecting to lose much (if any) weight. I think Michael is the better gauge of whether or not this diet works. I think my numbers just reaffirm what I already suspected: I probably don’t need to lose any more weight.

I am so proud of Michael though! He’s doing a great job, staying strong and motivated. I feel like a jerk for not being more supportive when we first started this diet. I was pretty negative about the diet and the experiment. I complained about not being able to eat fruit or chocolate. That wasn’t a supportive partner. I guess I didn’t realize how much it matters to have a partner’s support because I never really had to rely on a boyfriend when I was trying to lose my 100 pounds. Anyway, I apologized to Michael and will support him 100%, whether or not I believe in the diet OR remain on the diet after this weekend.

BREAKFAST:

Michael informed me that even on the “Binge Day” we had to eat the “normal” breakfast. I wasn’t aware of that. But I agreed and ate a modified breakfast because I was on my way to the gym. I didn’t really want to eat a gallon of food right before working out. I had 2 scrambled eggs and 2 slices of bacon. (Not pictured.)

Calories: 230    |    Carbs: 21g     |     Protein: 24g   |       Fiber 6g

EXERCISE:

I went to the gym earlier than normal and saw that the weight area was empty. My ankle had been bothering me for a few days and I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to run so I decided to do weights first.


I did a bunch of machines I normally don’t do, just to mix things up. I was feel pretty good. I wonder if the higher carb content in Friday night’s dinner helped? I definitely felt a million times better than I did during my swim on Friday night. I took my time with the weight lifting and really enjoyed it. I spent about 45 minutes just doing weights until my arms were shaking.


I decided to see if my ankle was any better. I got a treadmill and got sucked into Law and Order Criminal Intent (love that show) and before I realized it, I’d run 3 miles. I had no pain in my ankle, my legs weren’t heavy, I didn’t feel slow or fatigued. Yay! It was an awesome run.


I could have run longer but by that time I had already been in the gym for about an hour and twenty minutes and I was just ready to call it quits. I had too much to do to stick around in the gym any longer. I finished up with about 15 minutes of stretching and Foam Rolling and then went home.

Gym Stats:

Time: 1:41

Calories Burned: 750


Not too shabby! I had Michael take some progress photos of me in my new workout shirt too. I love the new shirt, by the way.


I am seeing some progress in my waist and hips that I like. I wish I had more definition in my tricep area but I am not surprised that I still have some loose skin there. That kind of comes with losing a lot of weight I think.

SNACK:

My “Binge” Snack was plain Greek yogurt with strawberries!!


I am TOTALLY going WILD AND CRAZY on my binge day, apparently. 🙂 But this is what I wanted. Protein and FRUIT for my post-workout snack. I skipped the usual chocolate milk with protein powder for this instead. Before I had the fruit though, I had half a glass of Grapefruit Juice. Michael said that was part of the Four Hour Body Diet plan: drink a glass an hour before eating on Binge Day. I have no idea why.


I happen to like Grapefruit so it wasn’t a big deal to me to have the juice (even though I normally don’t drink juice).

Calories: 257    |    Carbs: 44g     |     Protein: 20g   |       Fiber 4g

On the way to lunch, we stopped at Bob’s Red Mill for some crucial supplies! Pizza flour, a pizza peel and a bean soup mix. I also picked up some Israeli Couscous!


To be continued with Lunch and Dinner….

 

QUESTION: Do you go “crazy” on your Binge/Cheat Days? If you’ve tried this diet, what did you eat on your “Binge Day?”