Too Much Food

Ugh, Christmas is over and we had way too much food.  There were plenty of leftovers so my Dad pretty well won't have to cook all week long!  As the table was being cleared, I noted that there was a lot of good food left on the plates.  This annoyed both me and my Dad.  Because some members of the family are vegan, we had two versions of some dishes to omit butter and milk.  Next time we are making just one version (vegan) so that we save table space and don't waste food.  The other reason for the wasted food is the old "eyes bigger than stomach" routine.  People had been eating cookies all day so when dinner came, they weren't so hungry but wanted to eat all of their favourites.  

I kept a bowl of baby carrots (honest!) on the kitchen counter all day and ate those whenever the urge for a cookie came about.  I can honestly say I did not over-eat on Christmas and I think the carrots helped.  Of course the fact that I have a tenacious cold helped as my appetite and taste buds are somewhat diminished.

Other than the over-abundance of food, it was a good day. All of my siblings, nieces and nephews where there at one time or another and everyone was on good behaviour.  We babysat my great nephew almost all day.  He's 4 and a delight.  He loves his Great Papa's house.  Most of the time, he is easy to deal with... It's only when we want him to eat something (other than a cookie) that he says no.  We found if we just put the food in front of him and didn't ask him to eat, he will.  I made him some little banana pancakes, so he could just pick them up like a cookie when the urge hit him.  He also gives us a bit of business when it's time to go home.  I don't blame him.  Papa's house is fun and he's indulged non-stop.  

I was going to start dieting a bit more seriously on Boxing Day but I succumbed to the allure of the mashed potato.  I'm going to make a pot of soup today.  It's good, hearty, low cal and just what I need for my cold.  Here is my recipe (as written, this is vegan but you can add other protein such as chicken or lean sautéed sausage or a tablespoon of bacon bits for a smoky flavour):

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 peppers chopped (any colour)
1 can crushed tomatoes
32 oz of low sodium vegetable cocktail juice
2 tbsp lemon juice ( I use way more)
1 or 2 can of beans. I used white beans and or black beans.
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (I used the tubed stuff)
1/4 cup fresh or dried parsley

Sauté the onion, garlic and pepper with olive oil in a stock pot.  Then add everything else except the cilantro and parsley.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the cilantro and parsley.  If it's too thick, add some broth.   This makes a lot of soup.  It can be made in a large crock pot but I prefer the stove top as it tastes more fresh.