You probably think I'm crazy for saying this, BUT all you have to do is eat this soup and you can lose weight. Trust me, this is a miracle weight loss recipe all in one pot!
It's been colder in Seattle than it has in over 15 years, so you know dadgum good and well I ain't been ridin' my bike. So I've been able to see the difference on the scale. You may remember that I lost 20 lbs. this past summer eating right, riding my bike, and dancing. I did it the old fashioned way, and it felt great. I've since lost another 5 lbs, and I want to keep this weight off. So with less exercise (I'm still dancing) and Christmas goodies on the way, I'm pulling out every weight loss recipe in the recipe journal.
I made Stuffed Cabbage Soup a few days ago, and I've been eating it at least once a day. Y'all I stepped on the scale today, and I lost 2 lbs. NO JOKE! All I did was eat this stuff, and I lost weight! It's a MIRACLE FAT BURNER!
Give it a whirl! What have you got to lose? HA!
Stuffed Cabbage Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 head cabbage
1 onion
4 carrot stalks
4 ribs celery
4 cloves garlic
2 boxes of low sodium beef stock (love to get organic if they have it too)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1/2 small can of tomato paste
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bunch of parsley
2 bay leaves
1 package of Italian seasoning (next to Taco/Chili seasonings in grocery)
1 package of Lipton Onion soup mix
In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In same pot, saute roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery. DO NOT SALT. You can open the Italian seasonings packet and use some of this to season as you go. Add the garlic and let saute for about a minute. Add the fresh thyme and bay leaves. Add the tomato paste and stir until it incorporates with all of the vegetables.
Add beef stock and deglaze the pot scraping up all the beefy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the ground beef back to the pot, then the whole tomatoes and both seasoning packets (Italian and onion soup mix).
Finally add the thinly sliced cabbage. And turn up the heat on the soup pot to medium high and let the soup come to a boil. Then turn the heat down and let the soup simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
At the very end, chop the parsley and add to the pot.
I serve this with crusty whole wheat bread. It's VERY healthy, but yet it's filling.
Remember, it's an "Eat TWO bowls and NOT feel guilty" kinda meal!
ground beef.
With the holidays here it is more important than ever to be diligent about eating healthy. Look we all know what is coming...Christmas and Momma's cookin'. Last year for me I was hypnotized by the homemade Pimento Cheese. I put it on every thing I ate, and you know where it ended up. Oh yeah, taped on the side of my hips. But I let myself indulge over the holidays, because on January 1st EVERY year I go on a very strict South Beach Phase 1 diet. If you wanna undo the damage you've done over Christmas, this will melt away the fat. If you want to know more about South Beach Phase 1, please ask me.
I just want to make sure when I go into this "eating" holiday that I've done everything I can before it begins to eat as healthy as I can.
One of my go to proteins to accomplish this is ground turkey. You can turn it into just about anything. Last night I had lemon and parsley on hand, so I grabbed the dijon mustard and got to work.
No Guilt Baked Lemon Dijon Turkey Burger
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 onion
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Saute onions and carrots until softened. Add garlic and saute one minute more. Squeeze juice of lemon into pan. Add dijon mustard and stir until incorporated. Pour this mixture into a large bowl.
Add the turkey and remaining ingredients to the large bowl.
Mix together with your hands and form into four patties. Place on tin foil lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes.
I serve this with my favorite roasted veggies and eat an absolutely guilt free meal!
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It's not every day you get a call from the Air Force. When I did, my eyes filled up with tears at their request. They asked if I would like to be the Guest Master of Ceremonies for their JBLM 62d Operations Support Squadron Holiday Party! At the time I wasn't exactly sure what all that would entail, but I knew it was an opportunity to show my support for the local military that I respect and admire so much.
They also asked if my FBP would like to attend the party! Believe it or not, this would be the first time that we dressed up for an event TOGETHER. I've seen my FBP dressed up for work events, and he's seen me do the same. But this was our first chance to get all gussied up and be together!
The party was held at the Tradmark City Center in Tacoma, and the first person to greet me was Michelle Matern. She is part of the Squadron Intelligence team. Michelle and Juanita put this fun party together collecting all donations from local merchants for give aways. Isn't she beautiful? Michelle reminds me a movie star.
Then I got to see my FBP! He had to work, so we took separate vehicles. When he walked into the party, my heart skipped a beat. He looked so dapper!
Can you tell I was having fun hosting the party?
We had a delicious dinner and listened to Christmas music. And I had to get another pic or two of my fiance. He's so handsome!
One of the nicest people I met all night was Commander Col. Cooley and his wife Terese. At one point we played a Scavenger Hunt, and Col. Cooley did not have a "military coin" in his pocket which means he has to buy everyone a drink. A few moments later Col. Cooley let everyone know the bar was open! He was keeping his word, sticking with tradition and buying anyone who wanted a drink! What a great boss huh?!
This is Col. Cooley with Michelle helping him give away the iPad mini. Notice his "Ugly Christmas Sweater"! You can't really tell in this picture, but the dadgum had blinking lights on it!
They also had a few of their airmen dress up as Santa and his elf. These costumes are hilarious! I love the hat on the lil' Elf!
This is the table where I got to sit with Col. Philipart and Col. Cooley and their wives. Everyone was so welcoming and nice to us. We felt right at home.
Check out my very own place card! They really made us feel special all night.
After we had dinner and gave away all the door prizes, I got a chance to socialize. These are some of the ladies that shared with me that they were fans and will be "following me to my next adventure...whatever that may be".
The hugs and the well wishes meant so much to me.
I've gotta get me some of these "Intel" glasses! They are so cool!
Of course I gotta get ONE more pic of my sweet fiance! He's just so cute sittin' there...all dressed up! I can't wait to marry this man!
Thank you to everyone in the 62d Operations Support Squadron at JBLM! You are a fantastic group of people who know how to have fun! Thank YOU for all that you do! We love you and pray for God to bless you and your families!
Merry Christmas!
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