Poor Man's Minestrone

Poor Man's Minestrone or, as my Mom always called it, Hamburger Soup... Whatever you want to call it, it made a yummy dinner on this chilly gloomy day for me and the boys!  It was the third workout in as many weeks for my 38 cent crockpot and it did its job like a rockstar!

This is a clean out the little bits left in the fridge, freezer, and pantry kind of dish...

Next time it might be a little different depending on what veggies I have that need to be used but to make the soup today, I broke up and fried 1 lb of hamburger.  When that was nearly done, I added about 1 cup of sliced baby carrots I'd forgot about getting for snacks, 4 sliced up ribs of celery that were right on the edge of turning wimpy, and the half an onion rattling around the bottom of the vegetable crisper, roughly diced.  I let this cook until the vegetables were starting to soften.

Meanwhile, into the crockpot went the end of a bag of frozen corn, the end of a bag of frozen peas, a big handful of frozen green beans, 2 packets of dry onion soup mix, and a can of diced tomatoes.  I added the burger mixture and a couple of tomato cans of water (gotta get all that tomatoey goodness!), set the crockpot on high, and gave it a good stir.

Now, this is the really important step in making this soup so pay attention!

I went to the laundromat and did my laundry (yay for clean clothes!) while the soup simmered away and the flavors blended just like magic.  Yup, I just walked away and forgot about it for a couple of hours.

When I got home, I added a little more water, the end of a box of shell macaroni, approximately 2 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning, and walked away again for about 30 minutes.  Then it was time to dip it up and enjoy with a couple of crackers...

Love in a bowl!!  Or, if you're like me, in a big coffee cup!

Meatless Taco Casserole

My plan for today was meatloaf and a sweet potato casserole... but when I got home from PT, I was hurting and hungry and I had the ingredients to make something simpler and faster so I tried out this Pinterest-inspired dish instead.

My Pinterest-inspired casserole made with taco
seasonings and couscous in place of meat.

Off and on for the past year or so, I've been studying scripture known in my Church as the Word of Wisdom.  It's a kind of dietary law for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm not alone in wanting to truly understand not just what the Lord has commanded us to avoid (verses 1-9), but what He has provided for our nourishment (verses 10-17).  We are His design so it seems reasonable that He would know how to keep us in our best working condition...  And we are blessed for keeping this commandment in very specific ways (verses 18-21).

Some people who are on this path of study have taken the Word of Wisdom to the extreme of veganism.  And that's ok if it's what they feel called to do.  I have no criticism for their viewpoint.  But I don't share it.  That's another thing I really appreciate about the gospel:  we are asked to study all available information, ponder and pray to discern what's right, and then use our agency to decide for ourselves just how to implement a precept.

I don't believe we should live in a spiritual vacuum so there were some other scriptures that influenced how I'm implementing this.

Genesis 1:29 - dominion over earth (care for and manage its resources wisely)
Genesis 9:3 - every living thing is meat, even as the green herb
Leviticus 11:1-8 - these are the beasts which ye shall eat...
Romans 14:22 - don't condemn yourself for what you eat
Proverbs 3:8 - honor the Lord with what and how you eat
1 Corinthians 6:12  - all is lawful so long as it doesn't cause you to stumble
1 Timothy 4:3 - every creature is good; don't forbid but receive with thanksgiving

There were also some points made by wise and famous men that I admire and I considered them strongly.  A couple of examples:

"There is no question that the health of the body affects the spirit, or the Lord would never have revealed the Word of Wisdom… To a great extent we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions, such as no tea, coffee, tobacco, or alcohol. What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects-the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state-without over refinement and processing-the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods…"  Ezra Taft Benson

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed."  Mahatma Gandhi

But I bet you're not here to learn the gospel according to Kathy...

My final words about it are that my choice is to focus my eating on fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains while making animal-based products take more of a condiment role.  So yes, I will still be eating a bit of bacon in my spinach salad and making scrambled eggs for breakfast and drizzling my toast with honey... I'm just focusing on making plant-based foods the star of the show.

And that was the point of making this recipe.  I was asking not just is it tasty enough for today's main course, but could it be a satisfying basis for tacos tomorrow?  I think, yes.  I had some today with a big green salad on the side.  Tomorrow I will use the leftover in a soft taco/burrito with some shredded lettuce, a slice of avocado, and a bit of shredded cheese all topped off with a drizzle of ranch dressing.  The couscous does not have quite the same texture as ground beef, but I found it perfectly acceptable for a taco filling.

Meatless Taco Casserole

Prepare 2 cups of whole wheat couscous as directed on package.  When cooked, transfer to a casserole dish, add 1 8 oz jar of mild or medium salsa, 1 packet of taco seasoning (or equivalent if you make your own - I will be when I get better situated!), 1 can black beans, drained (I forgot to add them this time... oops!), 1/4 cup Mrs. Dash, and 2 tsp cumin (optional).  Stir all together, top with about 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Serve hot, either as a main dish casserole or with all the assorted ingredients that make a taco (or burrito) uniquely yours.

Happy eating!!

Tooth of the Dog

Seriously... don't his teeth look good?

Jack's been feeling a little rough the last few weeks with mysterious swollen glands and a bit of a fever so when he rolled over on his back for a belly rub and flashed me a toothy grin, I had to get a picture!  I'm so glad he's getting better!!  And he's acting more like his normal goofy self every day now.

Along the same timeline, I've been thinking that Lightning, Jack, and Gizmo all have pretty decent smelling breath and their teeth are looking a lot cleaner and whiter.  Gazing at Jack's picture got me thinking about it and wondering why.  That makes it sound like I think it's a bad thing...  And nothing could be less true.  Clean teeth are wonderful!  Just a bit of a surprise because they were getting kind of gunked up and I've been dreading the lecture next time we get to a vet.  Turns out I'm accidentally doing something right - the boys' favorite bedtime treat.

Just about every night before turning the lights out we share an APPLE.

Sometimes two.

The fleshy part of an apple contains a good bit of malic acid that helps dissolve the plaque and tartar on their teeth.  (Pick the seeds out or cut away the core - the seeds have an arsenic-like toxin in them that you shouldn't give to your dog.)  Other fresh fruits and vegetables help them have pretty smiles, too.  Carrots and celery were especially noted.  Carrots for the scraping crunch and celery because the strings act a bit like dental floss.  Well, who loves their fruits and veggies?  Yup.  That'd be my boys!

Gizmo isn't as much a fan of green vegetables or big pieces of carrot, but Lightning and Jack will eat anything I hold down for them.  So they get fresh carrots and chunks of celery now and then.  And pears, melon, corn on the cob (I hold it, they bite the kernels off), green beans, snow peas, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, peaches, plums, blueberries, strawberries, bananas... Lightning even likes lettuce, oranges, and tomatoes.  I'm thinking he'll be hard on that future garden and orchard!

Weird things for a dog to eat, huh?

But so healthy!