Week 2, Day 5

I definitely need to work on adding more fiber to my diet. Not to get into the too-much-information territory, but my innards are NOT happy and the pressure is increasing my back pain. I have read up on it a bit, and I've found that innards can be like petulant children and refuse to do their job when they don't get what they're used to. It's made worse since I'm taking some pain meds for my back. So I need fiber and lots more water to whip those buggars back into shape and get them to cooperate with my new food choices.

I'll have to find ways to hide the fiber, though. I'm not a big fan of fiber. A friend of mine recommended oatmeal. Now that the weather is getting cooler, oatmeal sounds tasty. I'll never be able to eat it without some kind of sweetness, though. Thank goodness I found stevia. I've used that for a couple of years, and it's a great sugar alternative.

Today I had a chicken and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, two beef patties, lettuce, tomatoes, and two cups of yogurt. Not as much exercise as I wanted, but it's all more than I did before. So I'm doing alright.

The fall weather makes me crave pumpkin. Adam works at a restaurant that makes a really yummy pumpkin frozen custard drink. I mean seriously YUMMY. But I found a pumpkin soup recipe that I'm going to try soon. I think it might help me with the cravings for this tasty veggie, and it looks like it's pretty healthy and low-cal.

Spicy Pumpkin Corn Soup

2 cups pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 cardamom pod
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup cauliflower flowerets
1/2 cup sliced carrots
One 12-ounce package frozen corn
Salt And Pepper to taste


1. Put oil in large pot or kettle. Heat until quite warm.
2. Add cardamom and cumin seeds. Cook until seeds crackle.
3. Add Onions, garlic and powders. Sauté until onions are browned.
4. Add remaining ingredients and add enough water to about an inch and a half or two inches above the vegetables.
5. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours.


I'm not much of a cook. Just about the only thing I do well in the kitchen is soups and desserts. Since desserts are on hold for awhile, I'll have to share more of my soup recipes here.

Bon apetit!