What's in the fridge?

I used to be the person who would shop for fruit and veggies and once home.. place them in the bottom drawer to never be touched again for two weeks. At that point, they weren't fresh any longer and I had wasted money. So to stop my habit, I changed the placement of items in my fridge. The foods that we have that aren't on the healthier side, now sit in that often-forgotten drawer. The fruit and veggies sit in plain sight, this way it will be the first thing I see. I washed, cut and bagged/contained, making everything easier to grab and go.. You can even see four prepared lunches in the middle, chicken and brown rice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't get me wrong, I also have some "sweet" items too! Weight watcher ice cream bars and Fiber One chocolate chip cookies, for when I'm craving chocolate.


With the snuggle weather upon us here in Northern Nevada, I decided a crockpot meal was a must today. I made Zesty Garden Zuppa using the book mentioned below, Hungry Girl- To The Max, which I got for Christmas one year (Thanks mom!). Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana is a-ma-zzzzzing, yet this is a healthier version in my opinion. I just need to remember to double the batch next time, because I can eat it for days!



RECIPE FOR ZESTY GARDEN ZUPPA

Ingredients:
12 ounces red potatoes, halved and sliced
4 cups (32 ounces) fat-free chicken broth
3 cups chopped kale leaves
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 links uncooked sweet Italian turkey-sausage
   with 10g fat or less each
1/2 cup fat-free half & half (Walmart was out at the time, so I got regular- boo!)

Directions:
Place all ingredients except sausage and half & half in a crock pot and stir well.
Remove and discard sausage casings, and cut sausage into bite-size pieces.
Evenly top contents of the crock pot with sausage pieces.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until veggies are soft and sausage is fully cooked.
Stir in half & half. Enjoy!

Makes 8 cups
per 1 cup:
135 calories, 3.5g fat, 645mg sodium, 16.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g sugars, 9g protein