Cook on Sunday, Eat All Week

I am SUCH a fan of Sunday afternoon cooking. I love going food shopping in the morning, and then making something out-of-my-norm that afternoon, whether its for dinner that evening or for later in the week.

We started our office Weight Watchers program today, complete with the "official" first weigh-in. I've been following WW for the past 2 weeks, since I like to revert to WW for a kick-start whenever I am feeling less-than-toned. So today's weigh-in wasn't surprising for me, and was actually pretty motivating because I have seen weight loss already!

But something I know about myself is that I can not sustain myself on Lean Cuisines and Special K alone. I hate "diets." I must have well-rounded, filling meals. That's where the power of soup comes in, and it fits in perfectly with my love of Sunday cooking. Soup is also incredibly cost-efficient, most of the time costing less than $10 for a whole big pot.

Yesterday I made this yummy Taco Soup, a well-known WW staple but one that I bet you will never recognize as being "health food." Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

Taco Soup
Makes 12 1-cup servings, 2 points per serving

1 lb. ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pkg. Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning mix
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Chile Hot Beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican flavor)
1 can stewed tomatoes (any flavor)

Brown meat and onions, drain. Mix ranch and taco seasoning mixes into meat. Then, without draining, add all of the other ingredients. Simmer 1 hour. Great for lunches during the week with a little shredded cheese, sour cream, or some tortilla strips. Also great to freeze for later.