S-S-Spinach

I'm on a roll this week. Plugging along with my typical list of things to do and looking forward to the weekend. Ryan and I are finally going to the beach on Saturday and my college friend Tom will also be here.

Thursday breakfast featured one of my regular picks, two Nutri-Grain Eggos with apricot preserves. I also paired that with a cup of fresh strawberries and a fourth-cup fresh blueberries. I like this particular menu because it pushes me through lunchtime and never leaves me thinking about having a snack. I'm such a snacker, too.



I tried something new for lunch, Spinach & Tortellini Soup. I grabbed this recipe via my trusty SparkPeople database and I think we're going to keep it in rotation. I've been into spinach this week, with this week's Shrimp Panzanella dinner, and this.

Spinach & Tortellini Soup:

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 32 oz. box fat free vegetable broth
- 1 package Fresh cheese tortellini
- 2 cans stewed tomoatoes
- 1 bag fresh spinach
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt, pinch of pepper
- Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
- Saute garlic in olive oil
- Stir in the broth and tortellini
- Lower heat, add salt & pepper
- Simmer 5 minutes
- Add tomatoes, spinach, & basil
- Simmer until spinach is cooked (about 15 minutes)

When prepping this, I used what I had in my pantry. I had low-sodium chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I also offset the sodium intake with three cups of water. I included fresh basil from my herb garden, too. My tomatoes were diced, not stewed and I feel like one can was more than plenty. For extra spinach, I used spinach and cheese tortellini from Buitoni. YUM!


I was also pretty hungry after my kick-ass 45-minute run on the elliptical trainer, so I decided to add a turkey sandwich (with mustard and field greens) on multi-grain flatbread.


I should have taken a photo, but my husband also made me a cold iced coffee with nutmeg and cinnamon. He works from home and always makes a coffee after lunch. I am not the world's biggest coffee drinker, but once in a while I do like a cold ice coffee. This week I've developed somewhat of a routine. I'll share tomorrow.

Dinner saw a repeat of Shrimp Panzanella and we traded up some spinach for herb lettuce. We also topped it with a half-tablespoon of BelGioioso parmesan cheese. Absolutely fabulous.


Tonight I had some quiet time to wrap up some blogging and other odds and ends while Ryan hit the Lake Shore Path for some rollerblading. And, of course, Siggi's was there to end the evening. I chat so much about Siggi's, I should really blog about it. Hmmm....

Calorie goal 1,210-1,560: 1,399
Fat goal 32-57: 32
Carbohydrates goal 164-237: 194
Protein goal 60-128: 92

Until tomorrow xx