minestrone

Before I post this recipe, I'd just like to say that today when I was getting dressed, I was standing in my closet looking at my clothes, wondering what to wear. I spied a pair of capris I haven't been able to wear in awhile, so I tried them on. And they fit! I danced all around the house in them and examined myself in the full length mirror. But it's way too hot to wear capris, so I decided I'd try on a pair of shorts from 2004, just to see. I tried them about a month ago and couldn't quite get them buttoned. And guess what! THEY FIT AND I'M WEARING THEM RIGHT NOW!!!! :-)

No, I don't know if I've lost any more weight. I haven't been to the doctor and I don't have a scale here that works. I'm going to call the doctor and see if I can run in and weigh myself sometime next week. All I know for now is that I've been feeling great. I've slacked slightly on the exercise due to extreme heat! It's just unbearable out there most of the time! Yesterday I did the Biggest Loser DVD (it's hard!) and about 20 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution. DDR has a workout mode and I haven't played it in awhile, at least a year and a half. You enter your weight and it tells you how many calories you're burning. I was pleased to see that my weight now is 10 pounds less than the last time I played! I enjoy walking outside most, though, so I've been trying to do it earlier in the day or after dark, when it's slightly cooler. Which means my tan is fading a little. :-(

OK, so I'm addicted to Olive Garden's minestrone soup. It's YUMMY. I can't get enough of it. I could eat it every day and not get tired of it. And I've tried many recipes for minestrone, trying to replicate OG's recipe. I've never gotten near it. I even tried a "copycat" recipe that wasn't that good. Brian and I have actually sat at the OG, staring at our soup and trying to identify everything in it. All to no avail.

Well, a few weeks ago, I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked pretty good. I doctored it up a bit and changed a few things, and it turned out pretty good. It's no OG, but it's a delicious and hearty (and very healthy!) soup, so I thought I'd share it.

Kerri's minestrone

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, chopped (I used Vidalia)
2 large carrots, sliced (or 12 baby carrots, sliced)
2 cans chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans, drained
2 cans water (use one of the empty cans)
1 zucchini, sliced
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
pinch of dried basil
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves (take them out before serving, DO NOT eat them)
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
12-16 oz. pasta (I used rotini)

In large saucepan (4-5 qt.) or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Mix in garlic, onion, and carrots; saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, broth, water, and zucchini. Add seasonings. Stir well. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 min. While soup is simmering, cook pasta as directed on box. Drain, rinse, and add to soup (after it has simmered for 20 min.) Simmer all together for another 10 min.

Serve with fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and a crusty bread (whole grain at my house). Enjoy! Makes about 6-8 servings, maybe more.

Mmmm, now that I've posted this, I'm gonna make it this weekend! :-) It's great left over, too.