Kitchen Happiness Continues

As Rest Week continues, I am stoked to keep finding little changes to incorporate into our world in the kitchen! This is particularly important to me right now not because I have a New Year's resolution with which to torture myself, but it's because when the calendar page turns, I have 15 weeks to be ready for the Half Marathon! There is no doubt I will be ready, but I really want to make this one my best so far. Now that I get the logistics of these runs and what to expect, I really want to pour myself into it physically more so than I have yet. I have no delusions of elite-athlete status, but I do know how it feels to rock a run by my own definition, and that is what I plan to do on April 15! My two previous Half Marathon goals have been to finish. This time, I want to take it on!

This goal has been looming in my head since crossing the finish of September's Half, and I knew that part of my plan had to be continue to tweak in the kitchen! Here's what I stumbled upon yesterday:

I really hope you didn't think I found something
out of the ordinary and earth shattering, or you're
really disappointed right now ... It's not as fancy
as something made with Jerusalem artichoke flour,
I'll give you that ...!

From the recipes I've shared, you can tell I'm a fan of soup as an easy, go-to meal or side. However, I never, ever go down the soup aisle of the grocery store. I was so fixated on only getting the soup I had when I was young (oh, noodle-o's ... memories ...) that I had it in my head that that's the only kind to buy. However, I started reading the ingredients including how much sodium is in canned soup, and that was that. I banned myself from the aisle. I didn't even look anywhere else for an alternative. Nothing like blind stubbornness!

After so many homemade successes lately, I really craved some soup yesterday especially after holiday indulgences. However, we had none made, and I wasn't going to make any. (Did I mention I can be stubborn? It's that stubbonness that gets me across the finish line sometimes, though, so I do know how to use that power for good, too ...) I made myself focus and read some labels, and this little gem won me over:

I had to enlarge this so you can hopefull see the quote.
In case you can't, it reads: "Real ingredients" are
ingredients you can understand. In case you didn't know.
HA! I can get on board with a food that is good for you
and has a little sass!

You know, when the first five ingredients (which is what we're taught to look at first, right? I think that's right. That's what I remember at least ... and, no, I'm not looking that up, either ...) are real ingredients, this girl is going to keep reading! Campbell's even defined some of the other ingredients if you keep reading. That's just outstanding.

Here's the other part:

I'm a big fan of looking at the sodium when I can so I don't have to think about it too much when I don't have direct access to that specific information. The sodium in this can is half of their regular soup. Half! Awesome! (Just like running a Half marathon vs. a full ... Okay, it's absolutely nothing like that.) Anyway, I do know our recommended daily allowance of sodium is in the 2200 mg ballpark, so this fits in well. And, my heart says "thank you". Hooray! (Like I'm going to run 'til my legs hate me only to slam my heart with too much salt? Not purposely I'm not!)

Am I saying this is the perfect food? Nope, I'm not qualified to do so. And, it's in a can ... do perfect foods come in cans? Probably not. BUT this was super good and really yummy!! Could I tell there was lower sodium? You bet, but not only was it still super good, that's a trade I'm willing to make.

So, there's another option in our kitchen repertoire! I had no idea there were so many great options out there in the world of soup ... and I had no idea I was willing to pay for them (In my defense, a lot of the soup progress happened when I was a broke, just-out-of-college gal ... a lovely can of soup was a luxury item then!)!

Take a peek at something you've avoided ... see if it's changed for the better and if it fits into your world! This soup option might only be new to me, but I'm betting you have your own "soup story"! You already know that my out-of-the-kitchen story begins with, "Once upon a time, I was walking my dog. And, then, for some random reason, I started to run with her ..." It seems trying something that was once avoided might just become a little treasure in your world!

In the meantime, I can't help but share a treasure upon which we stumbled during an after-Christmas outing yesterday:

Between my new finds and my new Peanuts plates and glasses, this year is ending
in a completely fabulous fashion!