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Veggie Soup, Spin, Grilled Salad & Socca

Soup 
I do want to thank everyone for their well wishes on a speedy recovery. I know that no one enjoys being sick and sidelined at all. I don't like feeling like I can't do anything. Kind of helpless. And rationally I know that rest is the best thing for me, but mentally it makes me feel like a slug.

Having Jason make soup for me last night was definitely a treat. I felt a bit spoiled. But, it's rare that I get sick to the point of spending all day on the couch and not able to make dinner. So, he stepped in and took care of me. Here is what I think the recipe was.

Get Well Veggie and Seitan Soup
Ingredients:
1- 1 1/2 package frozen Italian style vegetables
Handful frozen peas (because they were leftover)
1 package seitan, chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
2 not-chicken bouillon cubes
6 cups water
To taste: oregano basil & tomato spice blend, white pepper, red pepper, sea salt
3-4 oz whole-wheat rotini, cooked per package directions

Directions:
In large soup pot, saute onions until soft then add in remaining ingredients up to the pasta. Allow to simmer so flavors meld together. Towards the end, add in the pasta.


He also toasted up some of my homemade French bread that I keep stashed in the freezer. He topped it with some Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast flakes. It was the perfect addition to the soup.
 

This was a fairly brothy soup, which Jason tends to prefer. However, when you're under the weather, there is definitely something to be said for a brothy style soup. 

Spin?
I woke up today feeling slightly better than yesterday. But my head is so stuffed that I have a headache from hell that nothing will touch. I know it's the pressure and until that's gone, the headache stays. I ended up picking up some Mucinex D this morning. I had to face it, Zyrtec D wasn't working. So this is my last ditch effort before calling the doctor.

Gotta say, within about 15 minutes of taking the stuff, my nose started to clear. It was awesome. I'm still not perfect, but man is it nice to breathe again. So, this leads me to a confession:

Today I did something that was probably not the smartest thing I've done. I went to spin class. I know, I know. But before you jump my case, I will admit to going easy on the tension. I really do try to listen to my body, and I don't feel like I over did it.

My perceived exertion was definitely not in sync with my heart rate (I felt like I was working harder than my heart rate monitor suggested). So rather than pushing up the heart rate, I kept it steady. Even though I didn't push as hard as I normally would, it was still a good workout, and I didn't get on and off the bike or make any excuses (recall my annoyance at the chick who won't stay seated here).

Salad & Socca
Yesterday I started marinating tofu in a mix of OJ, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, and a tomato basil spice blend. Today, I used that tofu for a Grilled Veggie and Tofu Salad with Grilled Tomato Basil Socca on the side.

For the socca, I followed Sarena's (The Non-Dairy Queen) recent recipe measurements using equal parts water and chickpea flour, omitting any oil. I seasoned with salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes, and the tomato basil spice blend. I cooked both sides in a non-stick skillet, then finished toasting it up on the grill.

For the veggies, I trilled up sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, squash, red and green bell peppers. I used the leftover tofu marinade as the dressing. 
 

Jason might be getting tired of the grilled veggie salads, but I think I could live on them during the spring and summer. What is your favorite salad?

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