Recipe of the Week – Creamy Cauliflower Bacon Soup
Enjoy this warm, delicious soup by the fire on a cold night.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as needed
2 bay leaves
1 cup half & half or heavy cream
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until bacon is completely crisp. Remove from Dutch oven with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the dutch oven.
2. Add onions, half of scallions, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, half & half (or cream), and cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until cauliflower is completely tender, about 30 minutes,
4. Working in batches, blend soup until completely smooth (if you don’t have a very powerful blender, remove the bay leaf before blending. If an extra-smooth soup is desired, pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer after blending); if soup is too thick, whisk in additional hot chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with crisp bacon pieces and remaining scallions.
Recipe Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/10/creamy-cauliflower-bacon-soup-recipe.html
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Exercise of the Week – Kettlebell Renegade Row
Get more from your workout.
Work your core, back, and arms all at the same time with the Renegade Row.
Grab a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells and get into a push-up position holding them. Press one into the floor and pull the other up to your side. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Keep you back flat and do not allow your hips to twist. Perform three sets of ten alternating sides every rep.
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Why Are You So Hard On Yourself?
Why are you so hard on yourself?
In two weeks you leave for vacation, but you are not excited.
What should be a fun week with your husband and kids has become a huge stress. You have been going to the gym religiously and watched every thing you have ate. You have even lost ten pounds and in the best shape of your life. But, the thought of wearing a swimsuit at the resort has you freaked.
You know you should feel confident and good about yourself, but the media, magazine covers, and lingerie ads make it nearly impossible.
Stop being so hard on yourself. Stop buying in to the media’s message of what women should look like.
You are amazing, you are strong, you are awesome, and you are wonderful.
You cannot chase perfect, but you can be wonderful.
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12 Days of Fitmas Workout
Give this challenging, festive workout a try.
It goes just like the song, starting at one and then building up one at a time repeating everything below until you finish.
Bonus: Extra calories will be burned if you sing along!
On the 1st Day of Fitmas – 1 Minute Plank
On the 2nd Day of Fitmas – 2 Burpees
On the 3rd Day of Fitmas – 3 Squat Jumps
On the 4th Day of Fitmas – 4 Reverse Lunges
On the 5th Day of Fitmas – 5 Push Ups
On the 6th Day of Fitmas – 6 Goblet Squats
On the 7th Day of Fitmas – 7 Kettlebell Swings
On the 8th Day of Fitmas – 8 Mountain Climbers
On the 9th Day of Fitmas – 9 Medicine Ball Slams
On the 10th Day of Fitmas – 10 Second Squat Hold
On the 11th Day of Fitmas – 11 Overhead Presses
On the 12th Day of Fitmas – 1200 Meters Rowing
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No Excuses Holiday Survival Workout
Time will not be an excuse this holiday season to miss a workout.
Grab a Kettlebell. Take 10 minutes and get in an awesome workout.
Here is the circuit:
– 5 Swings
– 5 Squats
– 5 Overhead Presses
– Repeat on the left arm.
– Rest 30s and repeat for 10 minutes
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Recipe of the Week – Wedding Soup
Warm up on a cold day with this delicious wedding soup recipe.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-wedding-soup-recipe.html
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