I don't get it

In an effort to lose the last of my baby weight I am trying to cut back on carbs. Who am I kidding? It is not the "last" of my baby weight, it is pretty much most of it. And baby weight? My "baby" is 2 1/2 years old. So really - I just need to lose some weight. I want to be skinny again. I'm trying South Beach Diet again because it worked pretty well in the past and I also like the fact that I can eat a good amount of food and not spend the day hungry. Because I have these kids ... and I am mean when I am hungry. Kids + Hungry Mom = BAD combination.

Here's what I don't get. I made this soup. It is delicious. Nutritious. Colorful, tasty, hearty, yummy - any word you can think of to describe great soup. (And if you want the recipe, I'll include it at the bottom - because it is also very EASY which is another one of my favorite words to describe anything that has to be cooked by me.)

Why in the world do I want this instead?

The boys made it. As you can see, it was not even mixed properly, it is all full of orange dye, white flour and tasteless powdered cheese - but there it was on the stovetop right next to my very pretty, very tasty, very colorful pot of soup. Why did I want it? WHY?


I ate the soup instead. But after the first two weeks, you are allowed to add in some carbs and do you know what I did first? I grabbed a big spoonful of that nasty mac & cheese. And it was gooooood. But I still don't get it.

Here's the soup recipe:

2 cups beans, cooked as per directions on bag
OR
1 can beans (I used red beans, but you can probably use any kind)

2 cups cubed or shredded leftover chicken breast.
(and if you are vegetarian you could probably leave this out entirely)

1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion cut up, or 1 TBS onion powder
1-2 cups spinach - cooked or uncooked, doesn't matter
2 cups water
2 bouillion cubes (I used chicken but if you are vegetarian you could use veggie)

OK - super easy - Put everything into a crockpot, mix it up and cook on low for 4 hours, or if you are in a hurry, cook on high for an hour or two - OR if you are in a bigger hurry, put it in a big stock pot on the stove and bring to a boil and then simmer for a bit. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets because the beans break down and make it a nice consistency, almost like split pea soup - so if you want it thicker, cook it longer - if you don't want it too thick, take it off the heat sooner. You can top it with some sour cream if you are feeling decadent. Be sure to eat it in a place where there is no Mac-n-cheese trying to make the soup feel like a second class citizen.