TOPIC: 

 CREATING & COOKING SOUP FROM SCRATCH

Thanks to the help of Mrs. R = who has given me some fabulous cooking tips continually thru emails as I had a TON of questions and she patiently answered each question and helped me overcome my laziness of cooking period and overcome my fear of cooking from scratch because lawrd knows I avoid the kitchen LOL.  Mrs. R just inspires me with all her baking and cooking and I knew one day I would be like her, smiles. 
   

Thanks to the help of Vandy = who has helped me with cooking information months ago about how to thicken soups and about avoiding broccoli due to overpowering taste in soups, and who so sweetly added veggies and fruits smileys at camp for our usage.

Thanks to the help of both girls and everyone at camp = for helping me GREATLY in reducing the sodium greatly out of my life by helping me get IN the kitchen and cook something. 
I actually LIKE COOKING NOW thanks to the help of my friends here, smiles.

I am HOOKED I tell ya!  LOL 

This is what I did on Saturday, August 15, 2009 cooking from scratch

                    I made steak soup and chicken soup      

Time began:  04:30am

Note:  For safety and health and just plain good habit reasons…..
Wash your hands several times while preparing and cooking and before touching anything.  Wash utensils after usage and wash utensils while doing other things with the same utensils.  Basically wash, wash, wash thru out the procedure and clean the kitchen counters and stove area as you go to continually work in a CLEAN workspace.  When you leave the kitchen like for a break or for whatever reason, wash  your hands upon your return… as bacteria is everywhere and the goal is to be continually clean and prevent cross contamination.  I know this may sound like I am OVER doing it… but I am a Safety girl and I have a clean thing about me, smiles. 

4:30am

• I boiled chicken breast in two pots in plain water on level 9 then an hour later, I lowered it to level 5.

7:20am

• Took the chicken breast out of the pots, rinsed them off really well several times, took off any excess, visible fat off the chicken breast, washed out the pots because I could smell the fat and see the fat on the sides of the pot. 
• NOTE:  I do not care how small the amount of fat is… I can still see it and smell it.  Especially since I quit smoking, my sense of smell is very keen.
• I put the clean pots back on the stove,
• I turned the stove on high, Level 9 on my electric stove.

7:30am

• I added 12 cups of water in EACH POT… there were 2 big pots on the stove.
• I added 1 can (1.5 cups) of Garbanzo Chick Peas in EACH pot
• I added 1 can (1.5 cups) of Pinto Beans in EACH pot
• I added 1 can (1.5 cups) of Black Beans in EACH pot

• NOTE:  Each can of beans are completely rinsed out 3 x BEFORE placing it in the pot to reduce the sodium content from the beans. ( I learned this trick from my WW teacher when she was encouraging people to eat veggies and if they were too busy to buy fresh or fearful of can veggies due to the sodium content, to rinse the veggies out in plain water to reduce the sodium content!)

8:00am

• I added another can of black beans to each pot
• Took out 8 cups of water from each pot because the pots were too full and saved it.
• I added 2 cans of Hot Chilli Beans to each pot, I did NOT rinse the beans out at all.
• Added 2/3 cup of Frozen Birds Eye Early Harvest Petite Peas no salt added to each pot.
• Added 2 cups of Frozen Birds Eye Kernel Corn to each pot
• Added 1 ounce of a fresh green bell pepper chopped up.

8:45am = Reduced the heat to simmer, level # 2

9:00am

• Washed my hands a few times and Cleaned chicken breast again of any visible fat, chopped it up and weighed it in 2 ounce servings into 21 (two-cup) plastic containers by Rubbermaid.

9:30am

• Began preparing the Chuck Tender Steak.
• Rinsed each piece of meat
• Then I used a meat tenderizer Hammer and hammered 10 to 15 times on each side of the meat and seasoned each piece of meat with Garlic Powder and Black pepper.
• Sprayed each cooking pan with Great Value cooking spray = 0 calories
• Placed the meats in each cooking pan and covered it.

9:40am

• I added 2 cups of seasoned water that I saved BACK into each pot.  There was room now because I think the beans were swelling and absorbing up the water.
• I added 2 tablespoons in EACH pot
• Kitchen is now completely cleaned up.

10:00am

• Turned off the heat on two pots of beans and vegetables

10:30am

• Steaks are done cooking

01:30pm

• When the soup was COOLED in temperature, I filled up 21 containers with 1 cup of soup plus the chopped up chicken breast that was already in the container
• and added ½ cup of seasoned water from the soup that I had saved earlier.
• Then placed those 21 completed chicken soup containers in the freezer.

01:45pm

• Preparing the soup pots for the steak portions now:
• I added 6 cups of water to the remaining soup pots and put the heat back on the soup pots
• I added 1 bag of frozen Great Value mixed vegetables
• I added 4 teaspoons of beef broth granules to each pot

03:00pm

• Heat is turned off on the soups giving them time to cool off.

04:00pm

• I cut up the steaks into 2 ounce servings and into 16 (2 cup) plastic containers.
• I placed 1 cup of soup into the same 16 containers
• Steak soups are now complete and ready and I placed 16 steak soups in the freezer

 NUTRITION FACTS FOR EACH FOOD ITEM: 


NOTE:     In order to calculate how much calories the soups are individually... I divided ALL the ingredients by 37 soup containers plus add the chicken breast/steak,  
and the totals for EACH 2 cup container of soup is as follows:

NOTE:  Each can of beans and chick peas are completely rinsed out 3 times BEFORE placing it in the pot
to reduce the sodium content from the beans.  (Except the hot chilli beans because I love those beans)

• Garbanzo Chick Peas by Great Value (1 serving is ½ cup x 3 servings = 1.5 cups)
• Calories: 330 for 1.5 cups ( 110 x 3 = 330 cal)
• Fat: 6 grams  ( 2 x 3 = 6 fats)
• Carbs  54 (18 x 3 = 54 carbs)
• Fiber 18 (6 x 3 = 18 fiber)
• Sugar 3 ( 1 x 3 = 3 sugars)
• Protein 18 ( 6 x 3 = 18 Proteins)

• Pinto Beans by Kuners (1 serving is ½ cup x 3 servings = 1.5 cups)
• Calories: 360 (120 x 3 = 360 calories)
• Fat: 3  (1 x 3 = 3 fats)
• Carbs: 66 (22 x 3 = 66 carbs)
• Fiber: 21 (7 x 3 = 21 fiber)
• Sugar: 3  (1 x 3 = 3 sugars)
• Protein: 18 (6 x 3 = 18)

• Hot Chilli Beans by Kuners: 1 serving is ½ cup, 6 servings per can
• Calories: 720  (120 x 6 servings = 720)
• Fat: 12  (2 x 6 = 12)
• Carb: 123  (21 x 6 = 123)
• Fiber: 30  (5 x 6 = 30)
• Sugar:  0
• Proteins: 36  (6 x 6 = 36)

• Frozen Vegetables by PictSweet, 1 bag of 28 oz.   8 servings per bag.
• Contains: Tomatoes, potatoes, corn, carrots, butter beans, okra, green beans, onions and celery.
• Calories:  320   (40 x 8 servings = 320 calories)
• Fat: 0
• Carbs: 72  ( 9 x 8 = 72)
• Fiber: 16  ( 2 fibers x 8 servings = 16 fibers)
• Sugar: 16 ( 2 x 8 = 16)
• Protein: 16 ( 2 x 8 = 16)

• Frozen Early Harvest Petite Peas No salt added by: Birds Eye  
• 1 servings = 2/3 cup is as follows for one servings:
• Calories 70
• Fat 0
• Carb: 12
• Fiber: 4
• Sugars: 4
• Protein 4

• Frozen Whole Kernel Golden Corn by Great Value
• This nutrition facts is for 2 cup servings is as follows:
• Calories: 160
• Fat 0
• Carbs: 38
• Fiber: 2
• Sugars: 16
• Protein: 6

• Frozen Mixed Vegetables by Great Value = 32 oz bag aka: 4 cups
• This is the nutrition facts for 4 cups:
• Calories 240
• Fat 0
• Carbs 44
• Fiber 8  (2 x 4 servings = 8)
• Sugar 16
• Protein 8
  
  
• Beef Broth Granules by Wylers = 1 teaspoon is 1 serving but I used 4 teaspoons
• 4 teaspoons are as follows:
• Calories 20
• Fat 0
• Carbs 4
• Proteins 0

      Chicken Breast by Tyson (1 serving is 4 oz but I had to reduce it to 2 oz)

• Serving size = 2 oz
• Calories: 60
• Fat: 2
• Carbs: 0
• Fiber: 0
• Sugar: 0
• Protein: 11.5

• Chuck Tender Steak by Steakhouse  (1 serving is 4 oz but I had to reduce it to 2 oz)
• Serving size = 2 oz.
• Calories: 60
• Fat: 1.75
•  Carbs: 0
• Fiber: 0
• Sugar: 0
• Protein: 10