Milestones (Er, and FREE SOUP!)

Though it shocks me a little, (I had a heck of a week with big ups and big downs) I lost a tiny amount this week (1.5) but it was the right direction (and it put me past 2 stone!) but the BIG news this week was the measuring one. Remember, I only measure every OTHER week because that one moves slower.

My waist, across my hipbone, and my butt are all 4 inches smaller than when I started, but what got my attention was my waist passing under the danger mark. I HATE admitting this, and feel compelled to remind you I am 5'11” because I find it so embarrassing, but until today's measure my waist has been above that 35” 'danger mark' that they tell women is a heart disease risk. Today it is happily at 34 (not that I will be HAPPY until it is under 30, but as I get older, those heart markers matter more).

It caused me to do something ELSE that I hadn't done at all since starting this. Dive into a BMI calculator. My BMI was almost 33 when I started this thing (that is DANGEROUSLY overweight, which is a euphemism for Level 1 OBESITY). For three weeks now, I have been out of that danger zone, too, and into simply OVERWEIGHT (a zone I've spent 70% of my adult life in). Eleven more pounds and I will only be 'mildly overweight'! Which is funny, because it coincides with the least I've weighed since 2007, so I really want to get there ANYWAY. If you're curious to calculate your own (exactly, I mean), here is the link (it's down the page just a little).

http://www.homanmd.com/bmi_pounds.htm

It is interesting, because though I want to lost 37-57 more pounds, this says I will be healthy weight in just 23 (so I'm more than half way to that powerful marker)--though it seems they've adjusted this upward... I am 28 pounds from that magical marker I've always watched for before '25'.


So to celebrate I am offering up my free soup recipe. When I went on Weight Watchers in 2002, I took a quiz as to what KIND of eater I was, and I am a VOLUME eater—someone who isn't satisfied without quite a bit of food. For me the perfect trick has been to fill out my meal with vegetables—this is especially helpful at LUNCH—a bowl of soup that has no point count whatsoever can make a 3 point half sandwich seem satisfying, if you need to save points because your family is ordering pizza, for instance. I played around (I have a past life in a pub, where amazingly I learned my only cooking skill—soup).

FREE SOUP

Butternut Squash
Whole head of garlic
4+ peppers (I used a red, a yellow, a green and 2 Poblano last time)
Whole onion
2 cans stewed tomatoes
Chicken or veggie broth
Other veggies that might interest you (I've used carrots, mushrooms—whatever we have)

cumin, a little salt, 2-3 kinds of pepper (I used chile powder and chipotle this tie and it was nice)

Roast butternut squash and garlic in oven 1.5 hours, 275 degrees.
If you CAN, flame roast peppers (I do this on my gas stove top, if you don't have gas, it can be done under a broiler—you want to keep them whole and blacken the skin—when black, put in a paper bag for 20 minutes so they sweat)
saute your onion (and any other veggies you are adding that might need it—if I use carrots I actually boil them in a little chicken stock to soften them before I get going)

Get out your blender or food processor and start pureeing!

After pureed I put it all in a big pot on low and start adding stuff. Be sure to catch the juices from inside the peppers (and peel off the blacked skins!).

I usually leave SOMETHING unpureed for some texture (didn't puree the mushrooms or onion this time), though the squash makes it a nice, thick soup, so some people might prefer it all pureed.  Spice in the pot!