Cooking Is My Cardio

So working 8 to 8 yesterday was not very conducive to me hitting the gym. Well, that and the fact that I had an iced pumpkin spiced latte and a cupcake for dinner in the office (and I wonder why I did not sleep well and my tummy hurts today). So thinking about all the things I could be eating (with nutritional value) led to a late post work run to Earthfare (and Kroger) and cooking up a storm!

First up- Taco Soup! After Kiki posted her version of this delight a few days ago, I had a hankering that would not go away. It's September- time for soup!!

First up- saute a chopped onion. Then add in about 2.5 lbs of lean ground beef (I used chopped sirloin) and brown with the onions.

Now it's time to dump some cans. It's a recipe that involves a lot of culinary technical skill, as you can see. This has multiple variations, but here is mine-

2 cans of Pinto Beans

2 cans of Black Beans

2 little cans of green chiles

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (try to get no salt added)

1 can diced tomatoes (try to get no salt added)
2 cans sliced black olives (obviously this is optional. I heart olives so it's a must for me)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet taco seasoning (try to get reduced sodium)

Rinse your beans- I know I am seeming like a sodium Nazi, but I prefer my rings to fit after eating this soup, so you have to cut it where you can. Dump everything in the pot and stir.

Drain the ground beef-onion mixture and toss that in. Cook on low for forever! You don't have to, but the longer this melds, the better it tastes.

This morning I was starting to serve some up for my lunch at work, when I realized that I wanted to veggie this up to make it more of a complete meal. Hmmm, what would be good?

Luckily I had a huge bag of the holy trinity in my freezer. So I dumped that in my dutch oven, turned the eye on low, and nervously tried a new addition to taco soup. I hope it's a good add on! (I just tried it- excellent addition!).

Also- this recipe is pretty healthy (besides the killer sodium levels, which are easy to reduce), if you are jumping on Weight Watchers Wednesdays , this soup is great. Depending on how you make it, one cup ranges between 2-4 points, and it's VERY filling. Add in extra veggies like me (I think sauteed diced red and yellow peppers would be great in this), and you will get even more soup for your point. Can't wait for my dinner now!