No Fear Beer Cheese Soup

Lee's a Ram's fan, and I'm a Packers fan.  So obviously, we're cheering for the commercials during this year's Super Bowl.  Still, this time of year, I think it's ok to pull out our favorite football soup of all time, especially when we're going to stay below freezing the entire week!  Beer Cheese Soup, or what I like to call, Wisconsin in a Bowl is just the ticket.  Our original one is delicious, and you can find the recipe here.  

But as our regular readers know, we're trying to clean up Lee's cooking and Margy's eating.  That brought us to our next step in slimming up our Super Bowl!  

Lee whipped up No Fear Beer Cheese Soup. Now, I'm a sucker for a good beer cheese soup and this one was no joke! It's a little thinner than your traditional beer cheese soup, and I thought that was actually a good thing.  In the original soup, the carrots got lost, you kind of wondered if they were there or if Lee used them just to make the ingredient picture look better.  In this soup, they're front and center, giving a delightful burst of flavor.

If you're ready to make it, here's what you need:

3 Carrots (peeled and diced)

1 White Onion (diced)

3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1 Shallot (diced)

2 Jalapenos (deseeded, diced)

2 bunches of Green Onions (sliced)

1 Stick of Butter

1 can of Beer (we live in St. Louis, so a Bud product was a must... sorry Milwaukee!) 

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock (We made our own and used no salt)

4 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

2 Cups Gruyere Cheese (shredded)

3 Cups Half and Half 

2 Cups Flour

Resolution Jalapeno Poppers

So Jalapeno Poppers have become Lee's signature party take along.  Our favorite recipe is probably not the healthiest thing around with all the cheesy bacony goodness.  If you're throwing caution to the wind this year, you can check out the original recipe here.

We've been doing pretty good the last few weeks, moderating our calories and logging on My Fitness Pal (feel free to friend us over there!)  However, something was hovering in the distance that was sure to derail our resolve if we didn't plan ahead.  We knew we had to do something to slim up the Super Bowl!

Lee took a stab at the jalapeno poppers.  This might bring a tear to your eye... no bacon.  But they're still really delicious!!

He beefed up the filling with mushrooms and onions and covered them in panko bread crumbs to bring in just a little crunch.  If you're looking for something to slim up your Super Bowl, these are it!!

First, you'll need:

1 Package Mushrooms (Chopped)

1 Bunch Green Onions (Chopped)

1 Package Light Cream Cheese (Softened)

½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ Cup Shredded Italian Cheese

6 Large Jalapenos (Cored, Deseeded and Cut in Half)

2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

Seasoning Salt to taste (I used a Salt Free Variety)

1 egg white/water mixture

Lighter Jambalaya

It's the new year and time to get back on track. Lee whipped up a little comfort food to warm our bones as the Polar Vortex was on it's way out.  

Part of this year’s  blog is going to be focused on healthier foods and our spin on making dishes healthier.  

We're cutting back on our sodium, so premade jambalaya seasoning was out for sure. Lee used a variety of the seasonings we had on hand to make it delicious!  It still has quite a bit of sodium, mostly because of the Old Bay Seasoning.   

To lighten it up a little further, Lee used brown rice for a healthier option along with the use of fresh vegetables and quality meats with no filler.  It's a meaty dish for sure, but if you stick to the serving size of 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of Jambalaya it’s still really filling.  

Ingredients:

Instant Brown Rice

1 can Tomato Sauce

3 cups Chicken Stock

3 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

5 tablespoons Paprika

1 tablespoon Thyme

a pinch of Salt (I used Spanish Infused Sea Salt)

1 Red Onion (Chopped)

1 bunch of Scallions (Chopped)

2 Jalapenos (Chopped)

3 cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

2 Tomatoes (Diced)

1 bag Jumbo Raw Peeled and Deveined Shrimp

1 pack Chorizo Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Andouille Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Cut into small pieces) 

1 small Lean Pork Roast (Cut into small pieces)

3 tablespoon Olive Oil