Soup for you!

5. Learn five new healthy dinner recipes.

Oh, hey 101 in 1001 list, how's it going?  Long time no see!

Bad me, I haven't really been keeping up with my 101 in 1001 challenge... but at least I still have nearly 11 months left to finish the items!  (I do have a few completed items to tack on to the end of this post, though, so keep reading.)

As previously mentioned, Nate cheerfully shared his first big cold with the hubby and me (which we are still very dreadfully suffering from, ugh).  When I have a cold, I want hot, spicy foods.  Stuff that will soothe my throat and clear my sinuses.  What I do not want is anything with big pieces to swallow or significant amounts of texture.

So when I mention that I'm really in the mood for tomato soup, what does the hubby say?  "You know what makes me feel better when I'm sick?  Protein - like chicken or something."

Uh, gag.  That was not happening.  And so, I found a very happy median: Cooking Light's Black Bean-Tomato Soup.

It has tomatoes.  It has black beans (protein!).  It has vegetables (nutrients!).  It has chicken broth (protein!).  It can be topped by cheese (protein!  and CHEESE!).  And, most importantly, it has bacon (the hubby's true love).

I followed the recipe nearly exactly, except that I had chicken bouillon so I made my own broth (money saving!) and I used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular.  This added quite the extra kick to the soup; I'm not sure I'd do it again.  But considering how my throat feels and how numb I've been to taste, it did feel good.  I also did not make the cilantro-lime cream to go on top, which would have cooled it down, but yech, sour cream.  (I only like sour cream in baked goods or The Pioneer Woman's pancakes.)

This was a great dinner, though.  Just the bowl of soup with a sprinkle of shredded medium Cheddar cheese on top was enough for me.  I made a grilled cheese sandwich for the hubby to go along with his soup.

As for Nate?  He had his first bout try of cereal on Monday:

No likey, clearly.  We tried that for two days and then moved on to peas and pears yesterday, neither of which were a hit, either.  We still got the "What are you trying to do to me and where is the rest of my bottle?" look.  Or maybe it is the "Where are my tacos?" look, as the hubby guesses.

Now, as promised, other completed 101 in 1001 items!

91. Go to three concerts. Last night the hubby and I went to see Roger Waters, The Wall Live.  It was totally fantastic.  My parents babysat for Nate at our house and I have to say, it still feels weird to do anything without having Nate with us; it feels incomplete.  Even when Nate is not in my sights, he's on my mind.  But, regardless, the concert was very good and I did enjoy it.  I never saw Pink Floyd in concert, so this was a real treat.

98. Send a random care package to a friend.  A few weeks ago, a friend who I haven't seen since last year but who is very, very dear to me, was having a tough time and it was really hitting me how hard it's been to make time to see her.  She hasn't met Nate yet and I know she's going to love him, but neither one of us can afford the inter-state trip at this time so I decided to send her a card and a letter and a little package to let her know she's in my thoughts often.  I included some of my favorite tea, the favors and a picture from Nate's baptism (since she couldn't make it), and a copy of The Pioneer Woman's cookbook - because, you know, nothing says love like cooking with lots of butter and beef.

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[Amy]

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