Eat Less - Move More - Sabotage

Sometimes it seems like people are trying to sabotage our efforts. I know that in the past, even though I told people I was on a diet, they still offered me other things, like chocolate pie, cake, etc. "Just one bite won't hurt." Who are they kidding? In the Bible somewhere I read that it is a sin to eat in front of other people that could not eat like you do. I will find it again and let you know where it is.

I have found that we can have chicken salad and pimento cheese. I buy water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, french cut green beans, garlic, and onion to go in my beef stew. Pork or chicken is great in the slow cooker with onions and garlic. I even use those same veggies to make chicken soup. Sometimes I mix in greens like mustard, turnip greens, spinach. I buy the big cans and only use half. I put the other half in a jar and keep in the fridge. For the chicken soup, you can use real chicken and boil or you can use canned chicken. Sometimes I will crack a few eggs, whip up in a bowl and drizzle into boiling soup. It kind of makes noodles. You can season to make it taste like Mexican or Italian. At times I also throw in a can of diced tomatoes.

The main thing is to eat as low-carb as you can. Exercise. Just remember, even though this may seem the be all and end all diet, it isn't. Of course, after I got over the craving for cookies and ice cream, I seem to eat less and less often. I chew gum for a snack instead of eating 5 or 6 cookies.

On top of all of this is the warning:

CALORIES DO COUNT!

So don't eat a whole pot roast or chicken.

Eat Less - Move More! Chicken Soup.

The decision has been made that I should take all those fattening recipes and make them healthy, but keeping the comfort. Here goes.

Mama Bates' Chicken Soup

Today is a very cold day and Mama Bates probably would have made a chicken noodle soup.

• Wring the neck of a chicken, boil it until the feathers would come off easily. 
• Then she would put some chopped onions and garlic in an iron pot with a little Crisco and caramelize them. 
• Then she would add about two quarts of water and boil until the chicken fell off the bones - the bones would then be taken out of the pot. 
• The fat would be left in the pot to flavor the soup. 
• Add 1/2 cup of shredded carrots, stick of butter, salt, and pepper. 
• She would put in the noodles, which were usually spaghetti noodles that were broken in 3 pieces. 
• When the noodles were done, she would turn the burner down very low, let it sit for about 20 minutes while she set the table. 

Then she would pour the soup into the big soup bowl, put in a ladle, and call the family to dinner. Most of the time this was served with saltine crackers, but if it was a special dinner, there would be fried fatback and cornbread.

BoomerMom's Chicken Soup

I made my chicken soup this morning.

• There is a Ramen Noodle pack of chicken flavored noodles. 
• First, I sauteed one chopped onion and two cloves of garlic in a little olive oil. 
• The flavoring pack that comes with the noodles is the next ingredient. There were also 3 chicken bouillon cubes, two shakes of hot sauce, 1/2 cup of grated carrot/ 1/2 cup of frozen peas, two quarts of boiling water, salt and pepper. 
• Did I tell you that all this is done in a four quart measuring bowl in the microwave (4 minutes) (except the sauteed part). 
• Then 2 eggs are beat up in a cup and drizzled over the now boiling soup. (This is how Chinese make egg-drop soup - stir the eggs lightly). 

The noodles were somewhat crushed in the bag they came in.

Finally, put the noodles in. (If you like a lot of noodles, use another bag.) 

• We usually have a roasted chicken from the grocery store. Since it is already cooked, I cut off  some of the chicken, chop it,  and put it in the soup. (About a cup)
• I am not going to tell you to put in a stick of butter, that would not help with the healthy part, but a tablespoon of butter will probably give you a little more flavor.
• Then put the dish in the microwave for three more minutes.

We had this lovely soup with saltine crackers today for lunch. I know there is a lot of explanation, but it only takes about 10 minutes to make it. The longest part is heating in the microwave. I cooked it for about four minutes on high before I drizzled the eggs in. We have a new microwave, so I put it in for another three minutes after everything was in the bowl. 

You might want to add some grated cabbage,squash or peppers.

I have no idea how many calories are in the soup, but I imagine it is a lot less in my version than in Mama's version. It is light and filling and hers was a little heavy with all that chicken fat. 

If you have any questions, contact me on Facebook. (Barbara Bates Duncan Duke)

Remember the #BoomerMom motto: Eat Less, Move More

(Calories do count)