Don't judge me but I'm going to eat a donut!

Don’t judge me but I’m going to eat a Donut! Those were the words that came out of my daughter’s mouth on Saturday morning as we headed down to the St. Lawrence Market for our weekly supply of organic fruits, vegetables and other goodies. She literally ate a “sparkle” donut for the ride down. Let’s look at a Tim Horton’s donut...what did Desiree just put in her mouth: I just went to the Tim Horton’s website and you cannot get the nutritional breakdown of a “Hawaiian/Sparkle” donut. Hmmmm? Well looks at a chocolate dip donut: 210 calories, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 190 mg sodium and 9 grams of sugar (white death). You can only imagine the sparkle donut is along the same lines. And for all you morning bagel eaters; a Tim Horton’s Wheat n’honey bagel has 300 calories, 600 mg of sodium and if you add light cream cheese add another 100 calories, 216 mg of sodium and 5 more grams of saturated fat. In one sitting you had half of your daily intake of sodium so good luck with the rest of the day!

Some new science that came out this week indicated that even people with low blood pressure will have the same ill effect on their arteries if they consume large amounts of sodium. Did you also know that 125 ml or ½ cup of Campbell’s Tomato Soup has 770 mg of sodium...please tell me the last time you ate ½ cup of soup???? Start reading food labels – always check the serving size, generally it is much smaller than what you might consume...as our idea of a portion has totally been distorted.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine! Sorry for the delay in a blog update. I have an injury in my back and it is almost impossible to sit in front of my computer : ( I refuse to take pain killers, instead I take M&M’s...they don’t really make my back feel better but they sure make me forget about for a few moments. I did wake up today and promised to break up with M&M’s for a while. You can the difference in your body right away when you eat sugar...especially High Fructose Corn Syrup. Let’s see how I do this time!

On Sunday my daughter Desiree her guy Chris my best friend Monte (Lynda) and her guy Scott came over to see our disaster zone we now call our house. This week our new floors go in but currently we have no kitchen at all. Interesting way to live, but were surviving, sort of LOL. Keeping my eye on the prize...it’s going to be beautiful! We all went out for Greek Food to celebrate...my good friends poked great fun at me and suggested they would order lots of bad food as I could not catch them with my bad back...they listed all kinds of things that made the little hairs on my back stand up. Monte ordered a burger which broke my heart....did you know that they refer to ground beef as “cha cha” which stands for cheeks-hearts-and ass... no thanks. Rob and Scott ordered the Gyro dinner...more processed beef and lamb and of course a side of fries. Desiree, Chris and I had chicken...but I could taste the salt...I tried to eat more of my salad. The company was great but the food was crappy....I felt okay but Rob complained all afternoon that his stomach did not feel great. Valentine’s dinner at home was amazing....we had grilled shrimp, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower. I enjoy eating at home where I can control the calories, nutrients and sodium levels.

My back is friggin killing me but I’m pushing on and continuing with yoga. To my wonderful surprise I bumped into my client Joy P standing in line waiting to try the yoga class out....and I know you have heard me mention her before; this is 20+ pounds less Joy P. Joy is 65. She has never even seen a yoga DVD so I was really impressed she was willing to give it try. Yoga really shows you just what bad shape you are in. I did however, bend over for something today and despite my back ache I could actually feel that I was more stretchy...it was an “ahhhhhhh” moment for sure! I will keep doing yoga. Joy P told me the next day that her hips had never felt that good...this yoga thing is really something. This past Thursday Joy P attended Yoga again...looks like she will be a regular with me. I love this woman!

Another one of my gorgeous ladies Marie C sent me these terrific recipes for soup. Who doesn’t love a nice hot cup of soup on a cold day and lord knows we have had many cold days this winter.

Enjoy, and I welcome your feedback!

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

5 spray low-fat cooking spray
1 medium onion(s), peeled and chopped
2 stick celery, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder
50 g dried split red lentils
850 chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoon tomato puree
400 g canned tomatoes
2 sprig fresh rosemary, plus 2 sprigs, chopped to garnish

Instructions
Heat a large saucepan, spray with low fat cooking spray and add the onion and celery. Cook stirring for 5 mins, add the garlic and chili and cook for another 5 mins until tender and beginning to brown.

Add the lentils, stock, rosemary, tomatoes and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins until the lentils are soft. Remove the rosemary.

Cauliflower and roasted-red pepper chowder


 This creamy chowder will warm you up on a cool fall day. Plus, it'll help you meet your veggie servings!

 Ingredients:

 1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine

1 small Vidalia onion(s), chopped

2 medium stalk celery, chopped

29 oz vegetable broth

1 1/2 cup water

1 head cauliflower, finely chopped

1 large potato(es), red, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

16 oz sweet red pepper(s), roasted, water-packed, drained and chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

 Instructions

 Melt margarine in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Add cauliflower and potato; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in milk and roasted peppers and heat about 2 minutes more.

Place soup in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. (Note: Depending upon the size of your blender, you may need to puree the soup in batches.)

Return soup to Dutch oven; add basil and bring to a boil stirring constantly.












Blend the soup using a hand blender or liquidizer until smooth and season with salt and pepper.











Serve hot garnished with a sprinkling of chopped rosemary.