Another wasted Weigh in Wednesday....

The scale remained the same this morning.  I don't want anyone to think that it is the fault of the eating plan which I am (supposed to be) on.  When I was true to the eating plan the scale went down faithfully.  I have been untrue to the plan so the scale is stagnant.  I am pretty happy that I haven't gained any weight.

I did pretty good Monday and was doing okay yesterday until dinner when I had pasta (which is fine for Phase1) with smoked salmon which isn't...but still would've been okay for Phase 3...if not for the butter and heavy cream....I did use brown rice pasta though so that should count for something.  Then I decided to have a glass of wine with dinner which led into 2 more glasses during the evening.

Today I did great for breakfast, my morning snack and lunch.I prepared dinner and put it in the crockpot. Then I went to work the Food Pantry. I went in, set up appointments and did the shopping. Then I got hungry and wasn't prepared.  Phase 2 is difficult for me snack wise.  The other Phases you can grab fruit or veggies or nuts and have them in your car or purse for when snack time hits.  Phase 2 requires a snack of meat.  It is hard to carry around meat in your purse or car.  The book recommends jerky....can I just say I HATE jerky.  All of this whining to try to justify that stop at McDonalds and a Big Mac Attack.  Even this delicious, Phase 2 soup that we had for dinner isn't going to make up for a Big Mac....sigh.....

And now I got an email that says I have to report to a courtroom tomorrow for jury duty.  I almost got away scott free and now on the second to last day I have to report.  I'm not taking meat in my purse for a snack so there goes Phase 2 again.....but I will take fruit and nuts so that at least I don't break down and have McDonalds!!

This soup recipe that I am sharing is adapted from The Fast Metabolism Cookbook and is supposed to be a stew but I didn't have  any arrowroot so hence instead of gravy I have broth.  It also called for stew  meat but when I went into the freezer I came across some beef shanks and so used those instead.  The beef shanks, while lean, still contain more fat than trimmed stew meat so keep that in mind if you are trying to be true blue.

Crockpot Beef Vegetable Soup

inspired by The Fast Metabolism Cookbook

2 c. napa cabbage, shredded

1/2 c. onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 c. green beans, cut into thirds

1 sprig thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 (32 oz) box beef broth

2 beef shanks or 2 lbs. beef stew meat

Place the cabbage, onion, celery, green beans and thyme into the crock of a slow cooker. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a large skillet over med high heat until browned.  Place on top of the vegetables in the crock.  Pour 1 c. of the broth into the skillet and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the skillet.  Pour this and the remaining broth from the box over the ingredients in the crock and cook on low for 7-8 hrs.  Remove the thyme stem and the shanks, if using.  Discard the stem and cut the shanks into bite size pieces, discarding any fat, gristle and bones. Return the meat to the crock and stir to combine.  Print Recipe