EASY JUICE-BASED MEALS

  This week I took lunch with me to work instead of eating out (in which cases I mostly eat plain salad with soy sauce and bread). I came up with a simple plan how to fix both breakfast and lunch simultaneously in two steps.

Cucumber-avocado soup with wholemeal spelt flatbread.

Step 1: The previous evening make two juices. One is fruit-based for breakfast the next morning, and the other veggie-based for lunch the next day. Store in air-tight glass jars in the fridge.

Step 2: In the morning Vitamix your fruit juice with a big bunch of green leaves until creamy and smooth. Voilá, your breakfast is ready!
            Now Vitamix your veggie juice with one ripe avocado until creamy and smooth. Voilá, your lunch is ready! Pour back in the glass jar and take to work.

The beauty in juicing is that you can combine nearly anything together, and still come up with a nice taste. Natural tastes of fruits and veggies are so subtle that they mix well. I usually buy whatever is in season in the grocery store, and either make single juices or combinations according to my imagination. It´s all good for me!

  Now that I´ve been juicing mostly every day for a month, I can honestly say I´m feeling the difference. It is simple to put it in a nutshell: I feel satisfied. Never did think a thin cup of liquid could fill me up, but it does! It is a different, new kind of fullness I can feel in my throat rather than stomach. When I´ve had enough, the thought of more food & juice starts to feel repulsive. And it takes a lot longer to feel hungry again than before. I´d like to think it is because of the abundant amount of nutrients I´m getting now. No matter what the reason, I feel better and stronger now.
  I´d had a juicer for  years and years, but never did I drink juices this much and regularly. The biggest reason for that was that my old juicer didn´t extract as much juice from the same amount of produce as my new one, making more go to waste.

This is apple juice blended with two leaves of kale. Kale makes a nice, thick froth.

3/4 cucumber juice, 1/4 apple juice blended with 1 small avocado. Needs no salt.

  I´m impressed by the power of juice!

TEATOX

  I don´t ever recall doing a detox in my life... (if a poor try on Master Cleanse twenty years ago does not count as a detox, it´s more like a fast). My outlook is merely a continuous overall healthy eating, not a diet or detox.

  BUT now I ran into this "teatox", which sounded so subtle and easy that I decided to give it a go. You know, just for fun and to see if it makes me feel any different. For a tea lover like me, a teatox sounds just perfect. =)

The duration is four weeks, during which you drink a refreshing cup of herbal tea right in the morning to kickstart your day, and another the last thing in the evening, every other night, to ease you into a good sleep.

The teabag fills up as it soaks in hot water, and there´s enough flavor to make two cups of tasty brew.

  If there´s any internal clarification or soothing effect on the way from this teatox, I welcome it with open arms. If not, at least I´ve been able to enjoy numerous cups of delicious tea!

QUICK & EASY MACROBIOTIC BREAKFAST

  On busy mornings I don´t want to put any more time into making breakfast than is necessary. This meal follows the macrobiotic food recommendations, therefore being super healthy, but takes hardly any time to fix.

Big rice cakes topped with miso, cucumbers, nori sprinkle, and yeast flakes (my personal favorite, which tastes like cheese and contains lots of B vitamins) accompanied by 2 cups of bancha tea with soymilk.

  That´s a lot to eat but contains little calories. I can´t seem to cut down portion sizes, I rather cut down on calorie density. =)

BROWN RICE WITH TOFU AND TOMATO SAUCE

  This dish is so simple, yet tasty and satisfying. It´s a genuine grab-what-you-have-in-the-fridge meal I conjured up. Healthy, lean, and provides lots of good carbs and protein, so you can eat as much as you like without getting fat. Is that perfect or what?  =)

Brown rice, skillet-fried tofu, and chunky vegetable-tomato sauce topped with yeast flakes.

  The recipe (serves 2 generously):

Rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 3/4 cups water
+ Rinse the rice first with cold water, then with hot, to remove excess starch. Place in a pot with the water and cook until the water is absorbed. Place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot, and let sit for at least 15 min before giving it a fluff with a fork (a neat trick I learned from "It´s All Good").

Tomato sauce:
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup (2,5dl) of canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp honey
basil
oregano
cayenne pepper
ground dried paprika
sea salt
2 Tbsp corn flour+some water
+ Sauté the carrots, celery, and bell pepper in olive oil until the veggies soften a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer until the vegetables are al dente.
  (In place of the specific veggies listed above you can use pretty much any you happen to have, but hold on to the tomato part.)

Tofu:
7 oz. (200g) firm tofu
1 Tbsp olive oil
soy sauce
Herbamare
+ Slice the tofu and fry in skillet in olive oil until crispy and golden. Season to your liking with soy and herbal salt.

  Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with dried yeast flakes to give a cheesy flavor.

  I made this for lunch, but also ate it for dinner, and the rest for breakfast the next morning. =) Really good stuff!

MISO SOUP

  It is so much fun trying out new recipes! I´m exploring the macrobiotic way of eating now, and today made miso soup for breakfast. It takes a bit of getting used to, eating soup in the morning, but it tasted good and was warm and comforting, not to mention healthy.

Tofu and zucchini in miso-nori broth. (Seaweed is something I´ve never liked. I´ve tried it several times, and it usually makes me gag. BUT now I found untoasted green nori flakes, which are fine. I sprinkle them on almost anything, and when kept in small amounts, I don´t mind the taste. Cool!)

  The recipe (serves 1):

3 oz. (100g) tofu, cubed
1/2 zucchini (or any veggie you have in the fridge, like cabbage or carrots,) chopped roughly
1/2 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp dried green nori flakes
1 tsp dark brown rice miso
soy sauce, to your liking
water

+ Place zucchini and some water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and let warm for another minute or two.
  Serve with plain green tea and rice cakes.

  I´m used to eating sweet breakfasts rather than savory, so for me this is quite different. Not weird, but different. It feels like in the morning anything goes, as opposed to the evening when I seem to need sweet foods. Savory just does not satisfy in the evening, but for breakfast it´s a great alternative!

ENJOYING CHOCOLATE - THE HEALTHY WAY

  Hello, I´m Nella, and I´m a chocoholic. For me Yule is all about eating chocolate, no other goodie compares. But instead of gulping down milk and sugar loaded unhealthy pralines day in day out, I try to tame my taste buds with healthier options of the dark brown gold.

One example is this home made chocolate ice cream. Simple and cheap to make, is totally good for you being raw and sugar-free, and is amazingly like the real deal. Check out all three of my favorite pre-Christmas chocolate treats and recipes on my column Nelland Living!

KALE & CRANBERRY SALAD

  This is a super delicious, and healthy, kale salad I had today for lunch:

Cranberries and orange rule the taste, followed by garlic and kale. I never imagined plain kale could be this delicious in a salad!

The recipe (serves 1):

First make the dressing by whisking together:
1/2 orange, juiced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 small clove garlic, minced
pinch salt
pepper to taste
dash of soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil

Then pour half of it over:
100g kale, destemmed and finely chopped. Mix and squeeze the kale with your hands for a while to make it softer. (This is when I started drooling... =)

Finally add and toss in the rest of the ingredients:
1/2 orange, peeled and cubed
a snug 1/2 cup (1dl) dried cranberries
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced finely
1/2 parsnip, grated
1/2 shallot onion, finely sliced
3/4 cup cottage cheese

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.

This recipe is a slight variation to Mimi Kirk´s "Upscale Kale Salad" from her book. I basically just replaced nuts with cottage cheese and left out additional sweetener (agave or dates). That lady can make some darn tasty raw food dishes, and look fantastic doing so at 75!

PARSNIP COUSCOUS

  This is so good! The taste is mild but so satisfying, and it leaves me full but energetic. One of my favorite lunch finds recently.

Raw couscous made with parsnip and avocado! No nuts or seeds, so my stomach adores it too.

The recipe (serves 1):

1 small parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
a drizzle of lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 oz. (35g) rucola
1 pear, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, cubed

+ Run the parsnip in a food processor until the consistency reminds of rice. Pour into a bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Toss. Add the rucola, pear, and avocado, and mix well.

  The original recipe is from Erica Palmcrantz´s book, and it called for 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds instead of the avocado I used. Good either way, but my stomach does not agree with seeds right now. =)

TODAY´S GREEN SMOOTHIE

  This is the third day of gulping down masses of green smoothie. Here´s what nourished me today:

Looks delicious like this too, but I would not enjoy eating the greens whole. Blending magically makes the tough greens "disappear", and what´s left is a sweet fruity flavor.

A two-quart (liter) pitcher full of green gold... heavenly.

Here we go again! Yum!

The recipe for "Tummy Settler" by Victoria Boutenko (makes 2 quarts/liters):

3 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup parsley
3 cups pineapple chunks
2 bananas
3 cups water

+ Blend all until smooth.

CRAZY GOOD CARROT SOUP

  Don´t let the rawness of this soup fool you, it is delicious! And suits the Halloween table well.

Dreamy and creamy, absolutely suitable for non-raw-foodists too.

No clumps or bumps, only smooth and fluffy delight. No salt is needed in the making, this is a naturally sweet soup.

  The recipe (for 1):

1 lb (500g) carrots
1 avocado
1/2 inch (1 cm) piece of fresh ginger
fresh basil

+ Juice the carrots (makes about a cup). In a high-speed blender blend the juice, avocado, and ginger until creamy smooth. Sprinkle generously with chopped basil.

  The first time I ever made this soup I was lazy and skipped the juicing part. Well, it was edible but far from the deliciousness of this one. Juicing is definitely worth the extra dishes!

EATING PLAN FOR SAMHAIN

 My stomach has gotten picky lately, so I´ll have to make some changes to my usual eating habits. It is unhappy with cooked vegetables, nuts and seeds (much fat in any form), and legumes. I don´t know why, and how long it´ll last, but for now I need to replace those foods with something else.
  So here is a brand new, healthy and slimming, eating plan for Samhain, with a new perspective. It now includes some organic dairy and even fish once a week.

 9.00am Breakfast:
 a cup of green tea
 a green pudding made with leafy greens, fruit, and vegetables

Green pudding made with dinosaur kale, zucchini, banana, and water.

1.00pm Lunch:
a cup of water + 20 drops of Echinacea extract
raw-food meal + an avocado, or 3.5 oz. (100g) cold smoked salmon (once a week), or 7 oz.(200 g) cottage cheese

A sample lunch of veggie dip, the sauce made with either avocado or organic sour cream.

4.00pm Tea:
a cup of green tea
a generous cup of flavored yogurt

Yes, dinner is really this simple, a bowl of yogurt. This one is apple & cinnamon flavored. It provides some fat, protein, and good bacteria for the gut, and acts as dessert for the day. Going cold turkey with sugar does not work for me. This much I allow myself.

7.00pm Snack:
a cup of green tea
1-2 apples

9.00pm Nightcap:
a cup of herbal infusion + soymilk
(and raw vegetables if hungry)

Saturdays: feel free to eat your favorite foods!

  This plan bases on one I created when I was sixteen, and lost nearly twenty pounds with it. I was way too skinny then, but luckily soon I left for the U.S. for a year as an exchange student, which fixed the problem more than enough. =)
  I use Erica Palmcrantz-Aziz´s book to guide me with the daily lunches. It keeps the menus varied and interesting without having to think for myself. =)

  I hope my stomach will agree with this plan, as it did twenty years ago. Wow.

MOVING IT

  As much as I resent exercise, I have stuck with my workout plan. But since the weather got cold again, I did some changes to it. No longer do I only go jogging and walking, I added a trampoline to the schedule too.

  Cold weather makes my lungs hurt when breathing heavily, so jogging outside does not feel good anymore. Instead, I walk briskly (and still jog down the hills to keep the heart rate up) to achieve that same approx. 130 kcal I did when jogging. This I try to do three times a week.

The weather outside these days rather draws energy than gives it to me. Not tempting at all.

   In place of jogging I now jump on my mini trampoline. It really saves me. Now I can still get a good workout, but in warm air, and I don´t even have to get a babysitter to do it!
  What I like to do is get up an hour before my daughter wakes up, jump up and down like crazy for half an hour, take a shower and get the whole biz of exercise out of the way before the day actually begins.

I set up the trampoline in our bathroom along with a laptop and get going. I enjoy watching clips on YouTube, which is something I otherwise never have time for.

  Up and down, up and down! This is more fun than running in the cold, dark rain. I have picked up some moves online to keep the half an hour more interesting.

  Three times a week is what I try to do with this one too. I can mostly get there.

  For someone who has never exercised in her life I consider this a major change in lifestyle. From zero to six times a week, plus Pilates once. Well enough for me!

ELIXIR OF YOUTH

  A couple of weeks ago I bought a few cans of mild cider at a grocery store, and the cashier lady asked me for id. Me! You need to be 18 here to buy it, and I´ll be 37 next month! Yipee! I thanked the nice lady and told her how she had just made my day. =)

  Every now and then I hear people say how I look younger than my age, including a top photographer (in which case I lost a photo shoot because of looking so young =(, and the head of my modeling agency). My age is not yet an issue to me. 36 is totally young these days. After all, fifty is the new thirty now!

  Still taking care of oneself helps to keep the good looks, and makes you feel great. One of the secrets to a lively and healthy (a.k.a. youthful) appearance is raw leafy greens. The darker the better. I prefer fresh greens over dried superfood ones. Now kale is in season, so it is time to enjoy it.
  After getting a high-speed blender (Vitamix) for Christmas last year, I have been able to enjoy super smooth green juices. They say that when food is broken down to such tiny particles, your body can use it up better. So I figure blending raw leafy greens I get the most out of them. I prefer blending over juicing because then the juice still includes all the fiber too.

A fountain of youth, raw green juice with pulp.

    The recipe (for one):

5 leaves dinosaur kale (or any available raw leafy greens as much as your taste buds can tolerate)
4 sprigs of mint (or any fresh herb desired to taste)
20 drops of Echinacea (I use merely for taste, but possible health benefits are only a big bonus. My aunt has used it for decades, and swears on it´s cold-preventing properties.)
water

+ Blend the kale and mint in a high-speed blender with 1 1/2 cups water until all smooth. Add water enough to reach 2 cups. Pour into a glass and add the Echinacea drops. Stir and drink with your lunch for extra boost.
  Shine, radiate, and get ready for compliments!

RAW STIR-FRY

  This is a raw version of my long time favorite, vegetable stir-fry with brown rice. Raw foodists often substitute rice with finely chopped parsnip. I still like my cooked rice, so I made a compromise by mixing the two. The result is tastier and healthier than plain old brown rice. Yummy!

Vegetables soften without cooking too. Simply marinate them in olive oil and soy sauce. It is easy to prepare them, say the night before or in the morning, and they are ready to eat by lunch. Quick and easy.

Parsnip pulse-chopped in a food processor looks much like rice, and is nice and easy to eat.

Tuck in!

  The recipe (2 portions):

for the vegetables:
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 small bell pepper, thinly sliced (or 1 cup sliced mushrooms if you have any. I didn´t.)
1 cup broccoli, in small florets
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 Tbsp dried shredded coconut
1 Tbsp olive or sesame seed oil
soy sauce to taste

+ Combine all and let sit in the fridge for at least two hours to let the vegetables soften.

for the rice:
1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice

+  Pulse the parsnip in a food processor until the texture resembles rice. Stir in with the rice.

  Place half of the rice mixture on a plate and add a mound of vegetables on top. Serve and enjoy the good vibrations in your body!

RAW BROCCOLI SOUP

  Wednesdays have been my soup days lately. Today I made broccoli soup seasoned surprisingly with cumin.

The main ingredients.

Blender does the same trick as cooking; softening and breaking down particles to ease chewing and digestion. But blending also reserves all the  enzymes. The recipe is from the gorgeous evergreen miss Mimi Kirk´s, book Live Raw. Oh, how I wish to keep my looks the way she has at still way over seventy!

A smooth and velvety combination of broccoli, avocado, and soymilk seasoned with cumin.

  The recipe (for 2-3):

2 cups almond milk (I used soymilk)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 avocado, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon onion (I used chives)
1 clove garlic
1/2 stalk celery
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

+ Blend all in a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours to meld ingredients. Warm carefully until baby-bottle warm and serve.

  Two slices of wholemeal bread and 1/2 cup of chickpeas accompanied my meal.

BACK TO PRE-BABY WEIGHT?

  Okay, it´s settled. I will try to see if I can get back to my pre-baby weight after nearly eleven years!
  There is about seven pounds (3,5 kg) to drop, so it´s not that much really. But I guess mentally it makes a bigger difference. My BMI is now 21.0 and my goal is to drop it to 20.0. No more, I do not want to be skeletal.

  While getting ready for the lingerie photo shoot I came up with this plan for weightloss. It allows big portions of food, but restricts calorie dense foods to about 1200 kcal a day. Also apart from my usual lifestyle, I did some exercise. As a result I did see progress in less than two weeks!
  Here´s the plan:

Eating:
Include: grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, some eggs, berries, apples, and vegetables. Exclude: dairy, meats, seafood, sugar and fruit. Grains, eggs, and legumes cooked, everything else raw.

Apples grow here locally, and are now in season, so they are on my menu. Berries are the only other sweetish ingredient allowed, thanks to their locality. 

- Breakfast choices:
1. Viking porridge
2. Yogurt

- Lunch choices:
1. 2-egg omelet + 5oz. (150g) corn + raw veggies on top of the cooked omelet
2.  a generous cup (3dl) cooked pasta + 1/2 avocado +  raw vegetable sauce
3. raw vegetable soup + 1/2 avocado + 3 slices of wholemeal bread
4. vegetable salad + 1/2 avocado + 3 slices of wholemeal bread
5. a snug cup (bulging 2dl) cooked brown rice + 1/2 avocado + raw stir fry
6. a home made scone (2oz. (60g) wholemeal flour + pinch of salt + 1/4 tsp baking powder + 1/2 cup (bulging 1dl) finely shredded zucchini/carrot etc. + water. Combine all, adding water enough to reach a thick batter. Form into a flat round on baking sheet and bake at 440F (225C) for 15-20 min.).
7. 1 lb (400g) cooked potatoes + mustard/margarine/soy sauce + raw vegetable pieces

- Dinner choices:
Make a double batch for lunch and eat the other half for dinner to save time in cooking.

- Supper choices:
The same as breakfast.

Salt is used sparingly, but herbs in abundance. Cayenne pepper sprinkled here and there.

  All the above meals contain about 350 kcal, and if extra hungry, it is possible to have a fifth meal per day without gaining weight.
  Saturdays are the days off of the plan. Then I can indulge in anything I have craved during the healthy week. I have a massive sweet tooth, and it is utopia to think I´ll never eat sweets again. One day a week for the sake of staying clean for the rest.  

  Exercise:

On rainy days I feel heavy and soaked like this bumblebee, but I will need to overcome the uninviting feeling for a greater cause...

  Inspired by this I will do some jogging 3-4 times a week plus 30 min. walking (or other light exercise) twice a week. While preparing for the shoot I did 5min. walking for warm up, then 1min. jogging + 1min. walking x 15, followed by another 5min. walking for cool down. It worked.
  Now I´m doing 2min. jogging + 1min. walking x 10. Next step will be 3min. jogging + 1min. walking. Minute by minute rising the amount of jogging, keeping the total in 30min. so it does not become too time-consuming.

Light and pretty as a butterfly in the end?

   I will try to follow the plan until my BMI is that set 20.0. I have no idea how long it will take, but the firmer I am able to stick with the plan, the sooner I will see results.

  If I ever reach the goal, my pre-baby weight, it will be interesting to see what it would take to stay there. But I´m not there yet, so I´ll worry about that later. =)
  Now I´m off to the new start!

POST-PHOTO SHOOT THOUGHTS

  The photo shoot yesterday went really well. Although the fact that the other woman I posed with in lingerie was seven years younger than me and a fitness model, did not exactly maximize my fabulousness, but I still felt good and beautiful. Do I really have that good of a self esteem? I´m surprised myself.  =)

  The results of the shoot will be seen in November, so there´s quite a waiting period. The publication is nationwide, so it is another nerve wrecking thing to look forward to. But the magazine is totally family friendly, and there are also evening wear pictures, so it is of good taste.

Here´s all the glamor that´s left of the shoot.

   While standing there on the set, nearly naked, next to a fitness girl, I blamed myself for not having exercised, ever. Perhaps it is time to start now, that I know my modeling agency obviously can assign me to do revealing shoots too. I always thought those were for young girls only. But hey, they did tell me I look much younger than my real age (soon 37), and that´s why they put me up for this gig too. The other models were 30-31 year olds. Well, what can one do for being fresh and fabulous by nature?!  =)

  But it did get me thinking about starting exercising. To burn the fat that´s still there. I like outdoors and fresh air, so I´m thinking jogging might be an easy way to start. Not miraculous equipment needed, only the time that it takes, and it can be done anywhere (except at our summer home, where there are no roads because the whole island is so tiny). Definitely no gym, that´s not for me. Fresh air in and out of my lungs is what I need in addition to burning the fat. Perhaps I´d finally reach my original, pre-baby weight, that I´ve never yet been able to get back to.

  The only trouble is that while our daughter is still so small, I always have to take into consideration my husband´s comings and goings to be able to go jogging. But I´m sure he would enjoy the results too, if there ever will be any...

Should I stay or should I go? I´ll think about it over the weekend.

LEMONY GINGER YOGURT

  The past ten days I have been getting ready for a photo shoot (which is tomorrow), in which I am to wear some evening wear and lingerie. I do occasional modeling, but never did I think I would be asked to do lingerie! It is both scary and an honor. And if I survive through it, my self esteem should rise up a few (hundred) notches.

  This yogurt has been one of my favorite breakfasts/suppers during my slim down era. It has no salt in it, so it does not retain water in my tissues. Viking porridge serves the same purpose, and has been on my daily menu too.

My whole breakfast today. Yogurt and green tea.

Plain soy yogurt flavored with lemon zest, fresh ginger, and lemon balm. Needs no sweetener.

  The recipe (for one):

2 cups plain soy yogurt
zest of 1/2 lemon, grated finely
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated finely
a sprig of lemon balm, leaves minced finely

+Mix all and feel good!
  This yogurt has helped me lose some flab in just ten days. It works.

  Sometimes I wonder why I have to challenge myself, push my limits, find new experiences, to broaden my mind. Beforehand it can be nerve wrecking, like right now. But by tomorrow at this time I will be one big experience richer and wiser. I would not have it any other way! Life is for living, to the fullest, exploring, and learning.

SUPER HEALTHY VIKING PORRIDGE

  Vikings were fierce and strong folk, who even sailed to America way before Columbus. One of their power meals was "the Viking porridge". A porridge made of grains and seeds.

  Here´s my version of their superfood, including no dried modern ingredients we know as "superfoods".  (I´m not a fan of such long shelf life products that we were perfectly happy without before, and which have not made the masses any slimmer and thus happier so far. Call me a sceptic in this matter if you will.  =)

Oatmeal with local berries and pumpkin seeds.

Gooseberries fresh from the garden, and rolled oats fresh from the local farmer. No sugar or salt.

 The recipe (for one):

1/2 cup (generous 1 dl) rolled oats
1 cup (2,5 dl) water
a splash of soymilk
1/2-1 cup (1-2 dl) seasonal berries
0.7 oz (20 grams) seeds/nuts

+ (I´m lazy and make mine in the microwave oven.) Mix the oats and water in a deep plate and pop it in the micro oven, full heat, for 3 min. Stir and let rest for some minutes. Stir again and add as much milk as you like (I like mine rather runny). Top with berries and seeds.
 The berries taste surprisingly sweet when there are no other strong flavors disturbing the taste buds.

  Without the seeds there are less calories, but also the lot will not keep you satisfied as long. This meal, a viking porridge, keeps me feeling calm but energetic and gets me going until the next meal easily.
  The calorie content is approx. 300. I don´t usually care about calories, but now I have a small project to get ready for. I do occasional modeling, and today my agency informed me that I was chosen to do a lingerie shoot next week. I have never done lingerie before, and that´s wrecking my nerves! So I want to look my best, or should I say do what I can during these few days before the shoot. This porridge is my staple breakfast now (I moved the original omelette for a lunch option).

SLIMMING SUMMER VEGGIE SOUP

  Recently I have strongly craved for vegetables. Cooked ones for a change. This is the latest form I have eaten them in:

This was actually my breakfast today. =) I made it yesterday for dinner, and it was simply the fastest grab this morning.

Packed with flavor and fiber, but low in calories. This soup can virtually be made with any vegetables in season, so it is a good choice around the year. Here I used carrots and  red bell pepper (which I happened to have in the fridge) as main ingredients soaked in tomato-based broth.

  The recipe:

a kettle full of seasonal vegetables, chopped into bite-size pieces
(carrots, red bell pepper, celery ribs, zucchini, and spring onion in mine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 quart/liter vegetable stock (I used 1 vegetable bouillon+water)
1 cup (2 dl) puréd canned tomatoes
fresh herbs (lovage and oregano in mine)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1-2 bay leaf(s)

+ Heat the oil in a big pan and lightly fry the vegetables in it, until just beginning to soften. Add the tomato puré and enough stock to cover the veggies. Stir in the bay leaf and cayenne pepper and let simmer until the veggies are al dente (a.k.a. nearly softened but still a bit crunchy). Remove from heat and add chopped fresh herbs.

  This summer veggie soup resembles the cabbage soup in cabbage soup diet in a way, that it can be eaten freely, as much as desired, all day long, without getting fat. But I went taste first, and the slimming effect was just a nice bonus to my soup. =)
  Makes a nice any-time-of-day meal with wholemeal bread, pasta, or brown rice!