THE SOUP KITCHEN IS OPEN...

HAPPY NEW YEAR, YOU HUNGRY PEOPLE!!!!

So here we go ~ an even easier way to get a healthy lunch without having to lift a finger.

Here are the soups that are in my freezer right now, ready to be purchased...

PUMPKIN-CARROT BISQUE

CHICKEN AND ORZO W/ROOT VEGETABLES

LENTIL AND SAUSAGE STEW

If you are interested, e-mail me at tannehill73@gmail.com, and we'll set up delivery. Just pay by check or cash upon delivery. (Don't use the PayPal button on this blog).

Also, please recommend an ingredient you're craving! I have more recipes than I know what to do with, so I'm sure I have a delicious version of what you're craving.

I will be making new soups almost every week, so keep checking back and hope to hear from you!

PIXY

MENU FOR OCTOBER 18-22

IT'S MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FOOD!!!!

MEAL #1: QUINOA CHICKEN SALAD (BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!) ~ Proteined up with chicken and turkey bacon, with dried fruit, pine nuts and vegetables.

MEAL #2: BUTTERNUT SQUASH BAKED PASTA ~ Scimeca's Italian-Style Chicken Sausage, 100% whole wheat farfalle mixed with roasted butternut squash, a wine and mozzarella sauce, and tons of black pepper and fresh sage. finished off with a bread crumb/cookie crust.

MEAL #3: BLACK BEAN CHILI ~ Using ground turkey mixed with 96% lean ground beef, and tons of veggies. Very healthy, y'all. This is my absolute favorite chili ever.

(MY MOUTH IS WATERING!!!)

SNACK #1: ROASTED SWEET AND SPICY WALNUTS, SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

SNACK #2: BUFFALO/BLUE CHEESE CHICKEN DIP WITH VEGGIES ~ Using 1/3 fat cream cheese mixed with other cheeses, roasted chicken, shredded carrots, Frank's Hot Sauce, blue cheese and water chestnuts, for crunch.

DESSERT!!! HONEY-CARAMEL APPLES ~ Yes, I'm using heavy cream for this, but I don't feel too guilty, since it's mixed with raw, pure honey and vanilla and that's it!

OMG, I'M SO HUNGRY!!!!!!!

I FORGOT TO POST THE NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR THIS WEEK!

I'm pretty sure everyone is too busy to care about this, but I'll just tell you that you had a lot of vegetables this week in that pasta salad. And that ricotta chocolate cake was literally only that ~ part-skim ricotta cheese, blended with Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate, and some crushed chocolate graham crackers to make the crunch. Ricotta cheese is low in fat and the dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, so there you go!!

But you all know this lingo already, right? The super foods and the high fiber, blah blah blah. Just enjoy the food and know that I am obsessed with healthy cooking and am absolutely in 7th heaven cooking for you all!!!!

Next week's menu will be up tomorrow....

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR 9/20-9/25

Here is some great information to know about your meals this week!!

MEAL #1: The Teriyaki Chicken Wraps are packed with veggies and roasted chicken, and sauced up with Hoisin sauce and Reduced Sodium soy sauce. It takes a very small amount of these sauces to pack a punch, and the rest is healthy for ya!

MEAL #2: The recipe for this Creamy Asparagus Soup calls for no cream. You just blend the veggies and the consistency becomes creamy. But I had to add just a little half and half and sour cream. Sorry.

MEAL #3: Tex-Mex Salad ~ That avocado ranch dressing is made with two avocados, a ranch dressing packet, 1% milk, mustard, lime juice, olive oil, and spices. Avocado is a "good" fat, so you have a creamy dressing that's pretty darn good for you! I suggest always using avocado as a substitute for mayo...

SNACK #1: Hummus is so good for you. I added feta cheese this time, instead of Tahini sauce. Chick peas are so filling and give you tons of fiber. Good stuff.

SNACK #2: I used a lite, half salt popcorn in this trail mix, as well as dark chocolate chips.

DESSERT!!! These cookies will be appearing all year long, in different forms. They are MIRACLE cookies. Only 2 Tablespoons of butter, mix with 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil, applesauce, one egg white, a small amount of brown sugar, whole wheat flour, and the rest is nuts and fruit and oats! Amazing!!!!

nutritional info

i hope you all are enjoying your PIXY food today! sam mentioned that all of the food is really good together, so he is having a little bit of the soup with the salad and the salmon.

the salad ~ you can put some of the salad in the LID and toss it with the dressing. that way you can have it more than one day and the salad won't get soggy. just a suggestion.

i also recommend heating the entire salmon meal. i figured out yesterday that the potato salad tastes better when it's warm.

all of the containers are freezable, microwavable and recyclable.

here is some nutritional info:

SOUP: there is absolutely nothing bad for you in this soup! in fact, lots of superfood and yogurt, which aids in digestion. star ingredients include honeydew and cucumbers, in addition to all sorts of veggies and fresh herbs from the farmer's market. i think this soup is so refreshing.

SALAD: the raspberry vinaigrette is made with raspberries, lemon juice, orange juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, stone ground mustard, honey, and salt and pepper. totally good for you!!!! you can even enjoy the bacon because it's turkey bacon cooked with one slice of real bacon for flavor. i divided that one piece of bacon among SIX of you, so you do the math.

POTATO SALAD: no mayo. as guilt-free as potatoes can be!

YOGURT DIP: i added a bit of sour cream to the yogurt, but it is mostly yogurt with cucumber and herbs. very healthy.

FRUIT: the marinade is honey, mint, basil and orange juice. i think lime juice too.

GRILLED PEACHES: the topping is a granola made by a new company in KC called "hippie chow". i mixed some of that granola with one tablespoon of butter (again, divided among six people), cinnamon, fresh nutmeg and sliced almonds. that's one guilt-free dessert. hope you like it!!!!

if anyone would like weight watcher points, please let me know. i could do some research and try to add that info to the blog!!!

BY THE WAY, THE MENU IS ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE THIS MORNING AND IT TURNS OUT THAT GREEN BEANS ARE BEAUTIFUL RIGHT NOW. SO I'M MAKING GREEN BEANS AND RED POTATOES INSTEAD OF ASPARAGUS, TO GO WITH OUR SALMON. JUST FYI!!!

MENU: WEEK #3 (9/28-10/1)

MEAL #1: thai coconut chicken soup.

MEAL #2: prosciutto/pear/gorgonzola salad w/spiced pecans and walnuts. Served with balsamic-cinnamon vinaigrette.


MEAL #3: hearty pasta salad. loaded with vegetables and tossed with a basil pesto
dressing.

SNACK #1: cannellini bean and spinach dip. served with pita chips.

SNACK #2: spicy almonds.

DESSERT!!!! ricotta chocolate mousse cake!!! made with part-skim ricotta cheese and dark chocolate!!

MENU: WEEK #2 (9/20-9/24)

MEAL #1: TERIYAKI CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

MEAL #2: CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP. Served with whole-grain roll.

MEAL #3: TEX-MEX SALAD, W/AVOCADO RANCH DRESSING

SNACK #1: CILANTRO-LIME HUMMUS WITH CARROTS

SNACK #2: POPCORN TRAIL MIX. popcorn mixed with nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate chips

DESSERT!!!!!! COOKIES ~ HEALTHY COOKIES!!!! WEEEEE!!!

MENU: WEEK #1 (9/13-9/17)

Since September is sometimes just as hot and miserable as summer, I'm giving you the last fresh tastes of this season. Cold summer soups, raw veggies, and fruits that are still in their glory days. Enjoy!!!

MONDAY:
NAKED SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS ~ this is my favorite way to eat salmon. it's seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in a pan with butter and olive oil. that's it. served with roasted lemony asparagus.

TUESDAY:
BIG FRUITY SALAD ~ made with mandarin oranges, farmer's market blueberries, crisp turkey bacon, feta cheese, tomatoes, sliced almonds, and a homemade raspberry vinaigrette. (ALL SALAD DRESSINGS ARE HOMEMADE, ALWAYS)

WEDNESDAY:
COLD SUMMER SOUP ~ made with farmer's market produce ~ honeydew, green onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. proteined up with hard boiled eggs. Served with grilled whole wheat pita bread.


SNACK #1: SEASONAL FRUIT WITH MINT MARINADE

SNACK #2: FRESH VEGGIES WITH YOGURT/DILL DIP

DESSERT!!!!! GRILLED DELICIOUS SUMMER PEACHES WITH AN OATMEAL CRUMBLE ON TOP. YUMMMMM!

READY TO SIGN UP?

If you are interested in THE PIXYWAGON lunches, please sign up now! Deliveries will begin, September 13, the Monday after Labor Day. Just add your name as a follower, comment on the blog, or e-mail me at s.tannehill@yahoo.com, if you are interested!
The first week's menu will be posted soon!!!

Introducing...

THE PIXYWAGON!


THE PIXYWAGON started a few years ago when my ridiculously hard-working high school choir director friends were complaining about their hideous lunch choices. It was either the school cafeteria ~ tater tots and greasy pizza ~ or make your lunch the night before. And since choral conductors work an average of 12-16 hours a day, most have no interest, or energy, in premeditating the next day's meal, especially if you are trying to make healthy choices.

Enter THE PIXYWAGON. I am a serious foodie, I have a PhD in Food TV and have been cooking and baking since I was born. In the last ten years, I have narrowed my obsession down to collecting and creating recipes that are healthy but not boring. I have all sorts of tricks up my sleeve and am dying to use them on YOU!

This is not to say that I ever shy away from using great flavors, like my two best friends, bacon and cheese. I will just use less of the "bad" and tons more of the "good".

The meal plan is as follows:
3 meals that might be big enough for some to have leftovers.
2 snacks to munch on the whole week.
1 dessert ~ because you need a treat.
Delivery of the entire week's meals is on Sunday night or Monday morning. We can discuss delivery options. The food will be packaged in microwave-safe takeout containers made of 100% recycled paper, and can be recycled again.
The total is $35/week. I have a PayPal account set up on this blog, or you can pay by cash/check. All of this will begin in September.
I will announce the week before if I am not able to deliver that following week for some reason, and you can cancel the week before as well.
You can also comment on the blog ~ requesting that certain meals be removed that following week, for a prorate, or telling me you LOVE or HATE something. Do you hate cilantro? Tell me! I can leave it out of your food. Please also inform me of any allergies. However, if you have an allergy to dairy, we might have a problem.

Caveat: I invite you to try everything at least once. I have a way with vegetables. Just when you think you hate beets, wait until you try them caramelized in balsamic vinegar.

I will be using this blog as a website: posting each upcoming week's menu as soon as I can (hopefully in time for you to look and salivate, or inform me that you hate borscht before I sell it to you) and will also post as much nutritional information regarding the food as I can find.

Some helpful information I hope to add to the blog:
Weight Watcher Points (not sure if I can swing that, but I'll try)
Substitutions ~ these are healthier ingredients I use instead of their fattier counterparts (i.e. Tofutti instead of cream cheese)
All ingredients that are high in fiber (a great weight loss trick)
All veggies and fruits

I will also tell you about the "bad" ingredients. I hate the word "bad," though, so I will call them "sexy". :)

Finally, I like to honor what I call the FOUR SUPERFOOD GROUPS for weight loss: fiber, darker skinned veggies (or really as many veggies as I can pack in there), protein that is low in fat, and I think extra virgin olive oil is the greatest thing on the planet.

Any other info you need from me? Just ask.

The following is a "mock" menu, to give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into!

MEAL 1: Iceberg lettuce wedge with turkey bacon and homemade blue cheese dressing. (this dressing is made with no mayo, so it's automatically healthier than the store-bought kind. Instead, I use milk, stone ground mustard, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and blue cheese. You'll never miss the mayo, y'all.

MEAL 2: Black Bean Chili. Made with ground turkey, black beans and tons of veggies. Surprisingly good for you.

MEAL 3: Grilled Salmon with Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables.

SNACK 1: Homemade Cilantro/Lime Hummus with Carrot Chips

SNACK 2: Roasted Cinnamon and Chocolate Almonds.

DESSERT!!!! Morning Glory Muffins. Made with honey, whole wheat flour, dried fruit, nuts and LOVE. :)

Please let me know if you are interested in THE PIXYWAGON.
You can contact me by e-mail ~ s.tannehill@yahoo.com, or simply comment on this blog.

Thanks for your time...


Sarah Tannehill
cell 913.710.8827