Doing nothing but eating my husbands cooking!

Staying true to my blog name, I literally did nothing in the making of this soup. Ok, I ate my husband's Chicken Tequila Tortilla Soup, that was my contribution. The tequila is the newest dimension he has added to this recipe. He has been working on this for six months, I have been the taste-tester. It is fantastic and probably my favorite. It is smokey with layers of flavor and the fresh avocados give it a creaminess with each bite. Of course, I could eat Mexican food every single day of the week. To top it all off it's really healthy. I just don't understand why he didn't serve it with shots of tequila on the side.

Boyd Ritner's Chicken Tequila Tortilla Soup

1 Chipolte Pepper in Adobo Sauce finely chopped
1 1/2 T of olive oil
1 C of chopped yellow onion
1 1/4 T of chopped garlic
2 1/4 t ground cumin
1 1/12 t ground corriander
2 t dried Mexican oregano
1/2 t dried chipolte chile pepper or cayenne pepper (which is hotter, but chipolte is smokier)
1/2 t Kosher salt, to taste
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained well
7 C chicken stock, low sodium
1 pound, boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces (can substitute bonless, skinless thighs for additional flavor and fat content)
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper and 1/2 medium red bell peper, stemmed seeded and cut into Julienned strips about 1 inch long and 1/4 inch wide
1 zucchini cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bag of yellow or white frozen corn
2 T fresh lime juice
2 oz tequila
Crema Mexicana for swirling (about 2 T per bowl)-Could use Creme Fraiche instead
1/3 to 1/2 C fresh cilantro
2 Avocados, sliced lengthwise
Extra lime wedges for garnish and taste

Tortilla strips for garnish (Fresh Gourmet Southwestern strips, found near the croutons)

Cut the chile pepper open and then rinse it off removing the seeds and membrane and then finely chop. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot add the onion and cook until softened, stirring often (4-5 minutes). Add the garlic, cook while stirring for one minute more. Add the chopped chipolte, cumin, oregano, corriander and chipolte chile pepper, stir for one minute more. Add the tomatoes and stock. Bring to simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Use either a food processor or an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Bring the pureed soup back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken, bell peppers, black beans, zucchini and corn and let simmer until peppers are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the lime juice, tequila and salt to taste.

Serve in bowls, swirl 2 T of Crema Mexicana on the top of each bowl. Add tortilla strips, 1/2 an avocado, cilantro and lime wedges to top of soup. Serve!

This makes four to five large servings.

And I didn't have to cook again! Thanks honey.

Options

Yesterday I got so excited about starting my new wheat-free diet that I went ahead and made my breakfast. About halfway through consuming my wonderful new concoction I remembered it was almost time to go to my yoga class. If you've ever gone to yoga class on a full stomach, you'll know why I skipped my class. You can check this link out here, if you don't know: Yoga Class Dos and Dont's.

So instead of yoga, I opted to take a walk to downtown. I had some errands to run and the sun had finally broken through. It was a bit chilly when I left, but by the time I got downtown, it was simply a magnificent day for a walk. There are always options for getting some exercise in your day. You also have to listen to your body. If your body is telling you not to do something, listen.  Our bodies are incredible, listen to what yours has to tell you. It may say to sit and do nothing or you may feel an urge to get out and run. Whatever it is, listen. You should never feel guilty if you're too tired to go to your class or if you pick the option of a walk around the neighborhood. It's all good!

Here's the recipe that kept me out of my yoga class yesterday!

Salsa Ham and Egg Scramble

1/4 cup egg substitute or one fresh egg
2 oz 97% Fat Free Honey Ham diced
Salsa (any flavor)
1/2 oz Queso Fresco Cheese-crumbled
1/4 Avocado cubed
1T Fat Free Sour Cream
Lime

Spray your skillet with Butter Flavored oil. Heat the ham in the skillet until it starts to brown. Add the salsa and push ham and salsa to one side of pan. Cook your egg. I use an egg substitute and scrambled it. You then mix it all together with the ham and salsa. Add cheese, avocado on top. Squeeze lime juice over the avocado. Top with sour cream.

To check out the diet I'm trying this week check out: What a Girl Eats Any diet that says I can eat avocados and drink wine is good by me!

I'll post a photo of this dish tomorrow, as I devoured it before I thought about writing this blog this morning.

Thai Pork and Noodle Soup

My husband and I are trying out a new way of eating this week.  Check out What a Girl Eats and take a look at the plan we are following.

This is my husband Boyd's recipe for Thai Pork and Noodle 
Soup. I'm allergic to shellfish, so he modified it to take out the fish sauce which often has shrimp in it. It fits in with our new diet. Love the rice noodles!:


Okay, here it is. This is my variation of a recipe I saw in some magazine somewhere, at some point in time. I modified it by deleting the fish sauce and replacing it with soy sauce, and using Thai rice noodles instead of sliced wonton wrappers. It makes about four servings.
2T canola oil
3 scallions, thinly slices, white and green parts separated
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 ½ T fresh ginger, chopped
1lb ground pork
½ lb shitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1T soy sauce
7 oz linguini style rice noodles
2T fresh lime juice, plus several wedges for serving
2 red jalapeno or anaheim chili peppers, sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves.
1/2t kosher salt
¼t ground white pepper

---Put a 3 qt sauce pan ¾ full of water on high heat, and bring to a boil. Remove it from heat and put in the noodles, stir them occasionally for about 8 to 10 minutes, then drain and rinse them in cold water. Leave them in the colander until later.

---Heat the oil in a large sauce pan (I use a dutch oven) over medium- high heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the pork and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through (about 6-8 minutes). Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and, stirring frequently, cook until the mushrooms are tender (about 2 or 3 minutes).

---Add the broth, soy sauce, and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the noodles and simmer until the noodles are re-heated. Stir in the lime juice.

---Serve with scallion greens, chili peppers, and cilantro liberally sprinkled on top, and put a coupe of lime wedges as a crown.

And it took more time to write this than it takes to make the soup….so there!

Yoga in the morning...pure joy

Tried a new yoga teacher this morning. It was bliss. The class challenged me but I was able to modify. My back didn't hurt and I was glowing by the end of class. The teacher, Barbara Rose Sherman was wonderful. I will be back.

Now that my lower back is feeling better after an injury in late October, I'm feeling pain free! Been working out on the cardio machines at the gym, doing yoga in the mornings at home before I leave for work and now back to yoga classes at the Santa Barbara Yoga Studio. I love taking classes here because I can walk and most classes start as the church bells across the street are singing. Very spiritual.

I have to thank my first yoga teacher Linda Grace for the knowledge she imparted to me so I can piece together my own practice every morning. Namaste.

Deadline on...

Why is it I always need a deadline? Going to St Lucia in April, so I'm hitting the gym hard. I need to wear those cute sundresses and shorts in the hot Caribbean sun. Not very yoga like.

Maybe we need deadlines to keep ourselves accountable. I know I need motivation. Maybe I just need to start fresh each day and forgive myself when I go off track. Live in the now.  But hey, two weeks, lost 5 pounds!

Can't wait to be sitting at The Reef again sipping my cocktail and getting some rays.

This past year has been full of transitions and my exercise routine went out the window. It's always the first thing I put aside and it's the only thing I should consistently keep going.  I feel so much better when I'm exercising on a regular basis. Moving forward, forgiving myself and feeling better in the moment. Bathing suit (yikes!) here I come...

Semi-Retirement

It's all in how you look at things. I started calling us semi-retired. People ask how did you do that? Well, it's easy; I work and my husband doesn't right now and we live in a vacation destination. We just pretend to be on vacation on my off hours and that's how you become semi-retired.

In reality, my husband is out of work. His company didn't have any openings down this way, but we really want to live in Santa Barbara, so he's looking at other opportunities and we are just making things work.

When I was younger I don't think I would have taken this big of a leap of faith.  But I know everything will work out. I'm of the mind that the universe gives you signs and whatever decision you make is the right one.

Transitions

Here I am in the now. I've been away from my blog way too long. Actually, I've been hurtling through a major transition in my life since November. A new job presented itself 5 1/2 hours away from Half Moon Bay and I jumped on it.

My family and I lived on the Coastside in Half Moon Bay for the past 15 years. We raised our children there, put down roots, made friends. But the tides were pulling me back to Southern California. Family and sunshine, simply put, are what pulled me back. Our children are grown. One is in college, one has a family and career on the East Coast. Still under 50, I decided this was the time to make a change if I was going to do it. So I made the plunge, found a new job and moved to Santa Barbara.

My husband stayed behind to finish the lease on our house and tried to find a transfer within his company. He just recently arrived full-time in Santa Barbara with no transfer but a bunch of new ideas to  possibly start his own company, while looking for work. That is still playing out.

In the meantime we have downsized from a six-bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment and a 10x10 storage unit. We will be moving again in a couple of weeks to a slightly bigger two bedroom apartment. I can tell you we are sick of moving at this point and our cat is not happy with us.

Since this is my yoga blog I guess I need to tie this into my yoga practice. Let's just say my yoga practice has lapsed a bit the last 8 months. We were short money because we were paying rent on two places and we were doing a lot of commuting back and forth from Santa Barbara to the Bay area so classes were not on the table for me. Not to mention it's intimidating to me to walk into a new studio and start taking classes with teachers and students I don't know.

I did do my own home practice. It wasn't daily and not ever as long as a full class. It's hard to discipline yourself to do yoga in your living room for an hour and a half. What I did do well was keep yoga in my daily life. If I was feeling stiff at work, I'd stretch. Just doing yoga over the last couple of years has changed the way I walk and stand. I'm always checking my posture and stance. If I was stressed I'd do a mantra or do some restorative poses. Yoga is now part of me.

Over the last couple of months I started taking some yoga classes here in Santa Barbara. I've been trying out different studios and teachers. I'm coming to find out what I like and don't like. I also discovered without a teacher to guide me, I don't push myself as hard. I've lost a lot of my stamina and strength I had gained. When I left Half Moon Bay I had just started to kick myself up into a headstand. Some of that shoulder and arm strength is gone, but I'm sure it will be back soon.

More to come on my new yoga experiences here in Santa Barbara...