6 Ways To Spice Up Split Pea Soup
One of my favorite dishes to prepare in bulk and have around for a quick, hearty lunch or dinner is split pea soup. Especially during the cold winter months, there’s nothing like a steaming bowl of soup to warm the bones. I prefer my split pea soup thick, like a stew. I don’t follow a set recipe, but it usually goes something like this:
- 2 pounds dried split peas
- 12 cups of water
- 1 large chopped onion
- 3 large chopped carrots
- 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into eighths
- 2 russet potatoes, chopped into eighths
- 10-12 mushrooms, sliced
- 3 sticks of chopped celery
- 4 table spoons of butter
- thyme
- salt
- pepper
Melt the butter in the bottom of a BIG pot. Chop up the onion and drop it in. Stir occasionally until the onions start to go translucent. Chop up the carrots and drop them in. Stir in some salt and the thyme. Chop up the mushrooms, drop those in. Then chop up the celery and toss that in too. Stir fry in the butter until the mushrooms start to give up lots of water.
Toss in the potatoes and split peas. Then add water. Bring to boil then reduce to vigorous simmer. Cover. Check back occasionally to stir and check to see if the peas have gone soft. Usually takes about 45 minutes. You want the peas to be mush.
This makes a very thick split pea soup, which is how I like it. It’s a big batch so you can store lots in Tupperware in the refrigerator, or freeze some for longer term storage. It’s a snap to scoop some of this lovely green mush into a small pot, heat it over a low heat with some stirs and you have an immediate hot and healthy lunch. After a couple of bowls though, you might get bored. Here’s some ways I spice it up a bit:
- Spices - This one’s a no brainer, but it will change up the dish enough to give it a fresh taste. A few dashes of spices, herbs, more salt, or cayenne pepper will go a long way.
- Feta & Pine Nuts – This one is both tasty and festive. While the soup is warming, brown some pine nuts in butter (I like mine quite dark to get that toasty flavor.) Crumble some feta and when you bowl the soup
- Sausage – Cut up some sausage and brown it in a little olive oil (sparing!) Then just as it’s done, toss it into the warming soup and give it a few stirs. Serve with crackers!
- Make it a side – Instead of making the soup a main dish, use it as a side for a main course. This is a hearty and warming comfort dish, so it would be a good compliment to something else hearty like a small steak, or nice piece of fish.
- Salad – Ok, not in the soup. Along side it. Basically you are making a meal out of two side dishes. Great way to up the veggie count.
- Sammich! – Make a sandwich to go with your soup. I like to try and make it firm enough to dip, like perhaps a grilled cheese. BLT’s are good too.
That’s my six ideas. How would you guys spice up your soup?
Using Video Games To Enhance Your Fitness Regime
Personally, I don’t. But, there’s a great article over at the Escapist for those of you who do, or are interested in doing so. Check it out, Gamer-size Me. Their current issue is all about the cross-over between the gamer lifestyle and the healthy lifestyle. Enjoy!
My favorite bit:
I’ve not exactly being pushed to my limits, so in the interests of my bold journalistic endeavor, I select a “surprise” My Health Coach challenge: “Complete 15,000 steps in 24 hours,” the stick-man happily chirps.
One hour later, I find myself over a mile from my house, not even halfway to my target. As I walk home, zig-zagging across the road like a remarkably methodical drunk in order to push my step count that bit higher, it suddenly hits me why exercise and videogames are a perfect match …
… I’m grinding. I’m repeating the same mechanical task over and over again in the distant hope that I might one day accrue enough experience points to equip a six-pack.
And it’s boring in real life, too.
Life As A Tube
Currently being forced to take a break from workouts due to a nasty (and persistent) head cold. So, I’m spending some time introspecting on the path that got me to the point where I would even contemplate doing a 100 push up challenge.
I was reflecting on what it was like to be morbidly obese. I was trying to get a feel for what it felt like to be nearly 400 pounds. I was surprised to realize that the more I thought about how my body felt back then, the less I could recall. It was very difficult to bring up any body-sensations from that point in my life.
Thinking more abut my routines from those days it hit me. I pretty much lived my life from the jaw up, and disregarded the rest of my body. My life was a routing of TV watching, eating, sleeping, eating, day dreaming, eating, being shuttled to the game store for role-playing game playing, and more eating. I was fundamentally only aware of the sensations that occurred in my brain and on the front of my face. My body had essentially been forgotten. The only things that got through were aches and pains, and even those were mostly suppressed.
Even hunger was a stranger as I had become habituated to eating whenever I was bored or idle. When friends would ask if I was hungry, I really didn’t know based on how my body felt. I had to calculate in my mind vaguely how much time had passed since my last feeding, and pretty much always gave up in favor for saying, “Yes.”
Over the years as I exercised I became more aware of my body, again mostly as a consequence of aches and pains, but this time from strain due to exercise rather than couch sores. Through the practice of T’ai Chi I was required to become more mindful of my body. The whole process was fairly sub-conscious. Being mindful of my body kind of snuck up on me as a result of moving it more.
Today I make a mindful body-scan a regular habit. When the question come up of whether I am hungry (from an external source or internal) I actually take a moment to check in. I also have a routine of 10 minutes of stretching exercises every morning to warm up before I meditate and this allows me to take stock of my physical condition and anything I need to look out for for the day.
Slowly I have grown from being a feeding tube which spoke to a whole body which speaks. 
I cannot tell how much a conscious practice of body mindfulness would have benefited me from the get go in my battle with morbid obesity, but I have a strong suspicion that it would have proven very useful, even while being emotionally challenging. (After all, there were deep core emotional reasons for why I denied the existence of my body in the first place.) It’s somewhat poetic that the very thing that drove me to ignore my own body made it large enough that other people would have a hard time ignoring it. In retrospect I can see that I was calling for attention to my body from the outside while denying myself that luxury.
Looking back at where I was, where I am now, and what it took in between I would not hesitate a second to recommend a simple mindfulness practice to anyone dealing with a physical ailment.
Peace!
100 Push Ups Week 6, Day 2
Week 6, Day 2:
Instructed -
- Set 1: 22 reps
- Set 2: 22 reps
- Set 3: 30 reps
- Set 4: 30 reps
- Set 5: 24 reps
- Set 6: 24reps
- Set 7: 18 reps
- Set 8: 18 reps
- Set 9: 58 reps (minimum) to failure
45 seconds rest between sets.
Achieved-
- Set 1: 22 reps
- Set 2: 22 reps
- Set 3: 30 reps
- Set 4: 30 reps
- Set 5: 24 reps
- Set 6: 24 reps
- Set 7: 18 reps
- Set 8: 18 reps
- Set 8: 60 reps
Back to the endurance sets. Did better at the finish today, although for the last 10, or so reps I forgot to keep breathing and a vein on the back of my head almost popped out. Risks of being pretty, I suppose.
How you guys doing out there?
Horseradish Cole Slaw Tiger-style
Sadly I do not have pictures this time because I was in a rush, but the recipe came out great! It was also my first time trying to make cole slaw.
I searched on the internet for some ideas and found this one as a starting point – CAPE COD COLESLAW
Being that I can’t help but get creative in the kitchen I added a couple of things:
- 1/2 head of red cabbage
- a good squirt of spicy mustard
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3 small fuji apples sliced into thin wedges
Basically you chop everything that needs chopping, grate everything that needs grating, and throw it all in a bowl to toss. Then spoon (or shake) on the rest of the ingredients and toss again. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and toss again before serving.
I was making this as my contribution to a meal to share with a dojo-mate while we watched Babylon 5. This slaw made a great counterpoint to the main dish which was crock-pot beef stew with potatoes onions and carrots served over savory fresh grilled waffles. Yum!
100 Push Ups Week 6, Day 1
That time again.
Week 6, Day 1:
Instructed -
- Set 1: 55 reps
- Set 2: 45 reps
- Set 3: 35 reps
- Set 4: 30 reps
- Set 5: 55 reps (minimum) to failure
60 seconds rest between sets.
Achieved-
- Set 1: 55 reps
- Set 2: 45 reps
- Set 3: 35 reps
- Set 4: 30 reps
- Set 5: 55 reps
That was rough! 225 total for the session. The last 20 were very shaky, and I fully admit my form suffered. I think it’s more important to get the volume out though, when that is the goal. And, today boy was it a volume day!
Thanks for your attention. I hope your fitness goals are going well!
100 Push Ups Week 5 – End Of Week Test
*drum roll!*
75!
*rim-shot!*
Awwww, yeah, baby! Heh. I never thought I had that many in me in one go. This simple program is doing wonders for me. I am looking forward to the 200 Sit Ups challenge next, and with much trepidation to the 100 Pull Ups challenge after that (since in my best shape I have only ever been able to do 3 Pull Ups in a row.)
How’s it going out there?
And no, that’s not me in the picture.
100 Push Ups Week 5, Day 3
Week 5, Day 3:
Instructed -
- Set 1: 20 reps
- Set 2: 20 reps
- Set 3: 24 reps
- Set 4: 24 reps
- Set 5: 20 reps
- Set 6: 20reps
- Set 7: 22 reps
- Set 8: 5o reps (minimum) to failure
45 seconds rest between sets.
Achieved-
- Set 1: 20 reps
- Set 2: 20 reps
- Set 3: 24 reps
- Set 4: 24 reps
- Set 5: 20 reps
- Set 6: 20 reps
- Set 7: 22 reps
- Set 8: 50 reps
Total of 200 push ups today. Took a few days off because of a day long seminar with Tim Freke on Saturday and a weekend of helping Daisy with her Open Studio.
Test coming up again in a couple of days. Cheers!
100 Push Ups Week 5, Day 2
Week 5, Day 2:
Instructed -
- Set 1: 19 reps
- Set 2: 19 reps
- Set 3: 22 reps
- Set 4: 22 reps
- Set 5: 18 reps
- Set 6: 18 reps
- Set 7: 22 reps
- Set 8: 45 reps (minimum) to failure
45 seconds rest between sets.
Achieved-
- Set 1: 19 reps
- Set 2: 19 reps
- Set 3: 22 reps
- Set 4: 22 reps
- Set 5: 18 reps
- Set 6: 18 reps
- Set 7: 22 reps
- Set 8: 45 reps
As you can see things have changed a bit. More sets of smaller rep count plus a reduced rest allowance. Looks like we have entered the endurance phase of the program. Overall volume is up, total of 185 today.
Cookin’ with Gas!
100 Push Ups Week 5, Day 1
Week 5, Day 1:
Instructed -
- Set 1: 26 reps
- Set 2: 40 reps
- Set 3: 30 reps
- Set 4: 24 resp
- Set 5: 40 reps minimum (to failure)
60 seconds rest between sets.
Achieved-
- Set 1: 36 reps
- Set 2: 40 rep
- Set 3: 30 reps
- Set 4: 24 reps
- Set 5: 40 reps
Ok, I admit it: Today was tough! I think it was a combo of my recent failure test, the hard workout I did during Aikido last night for the last class of a very treasured dojo-mate (Cielo Oreste) who is moving back to Boston, and being more strict with my form.
In any event, I am going to be feeling this tomorrow!
(But, it’s a good pain! )