Rag soup

Ahh...one down, 179 to go ! Today was our first day back to school, and once again I think i learn as much as Nick does in the process. Gotta love it !

Something new we are trying this year, as a result of a discovery over the weekend. It turns out Nick has been getting up in the middle of the night and snacking on spoonfuls of peanut butter, handfuls of nuts and fruit. Now while these are healthy snack alternatives, they are still snacks eaten at a time when your body is not at it's most efficient to digest, eaten mindlessly and more calories than are needed for your day. Worse is this seems to be a trend began when he had the terrible toothache, and my telling him the kitchen is off limits after diner or so forth is not working. He is Mister Literal, and numbers speak louder than mom does. One of his assignments is to keep a food log that includes calorie count for everything he eats. Instead of finding this to be a chore, he thinks it is a great toy at the moment. He actually loves typing in what he ate, going online to look up the calorie count and total it up for the end of the day. I am really encouraged because after all is said and done, he is going to have to take responsibility for his own health, body, weight loss and so much more. Very good things !

Meanwhile, we wound up not going out for dinner last night. Biggest reason is that we realized we would have to eat out tonight with grocery shopping, so better to stay at home and save the coins and calories. Nick and I made something called Strattchatelli soup- a simple soup made with chicken broth, orzo , eggs and parm cheese. The word strachatelli means stretched out rags. and that is what the soup looks like ( sorry- forgot to take a picture !)

Strachatelli Soup

6 cups fat free chicken stock
1/2 cup orzo
2 eggs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
nutmeg and pepper to taste

In a large pot bring the stock to a boil. Add the Orzo and cook 6 minutes, or till aldente. Meanwhile , break eggs into a bowl and whisk with the cheese and parsley. Pour into the boiling stock with a slow stirring motion to create strings of cooked egg. Let simmer for 3 minutes and serve. Good with a simple side salad