Clean Eating - Heard Of It?

About a year ago, while waiting in the classic Superstore checkout line-up, this magazine caught my attention: 

Hello, beautiful magazine.  I know I love you and we haven't even met. 

This is what the Clean Eating Magazine website has to say for itself.....

"Clean Eating takes you beyond the food you eat, exploring the multitude of health and nutritional benefits that can be yours when you subscribe to a clean lifestyle. In every way, clean eating is all about consuming whole food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. Taking a creative yet doable approach to cooking, you’ll find it easy to enhance the natural flavors of any meal without compromising the integrity of your food. When it comes right down to it, Clean Eating is not a diet; it’s way of improving your life – one meal at a time."

Ah, isn't that beautiful?  It resonates with me soooo much.

So much, that when I saw the magazine sitting in the rack, I grabbed it, and immediately began memorizing a recipe that looked good (my daughter was already perusing the Archie comics, so what else was there to do?  If I don't busy myself with a magazine, I usually tend to clue into the fact that I've picked the slowest checkout line....again.  In this case, ignorance is bliss). 

A few days later, I told my sister-in-law about the fantastic magazine I had discovered. Over the next several months, she bought me several issues, at random times.  Just for kicks.  Because she's nice like that.  And I accepted them with a grin, one after another.  Because I'm a mooch like that.

For Christmas, she gave me a subscription to Clean Eating!  And my first issue arrived on my birthday.  How cool is that?! I guess she figured that it'd be a better deal for her to get me a subscription than to buy me each magazine on the stand.  Smart girl.

A few days ago, I whipped up the Country-Style Beef and Green Pepper Soup, found in the February issue.  I doubled the recipe, because there is no point making six servings of soup in my house.  I chose this soup because I've been having a love affair with Balsamic Vinegar lately, and am making anything that lists Balsamic as an ingredient.  Yes, a crazed woman lives within the walls of our home.

2.5 tbsp olive oil, divided
12 oz extra lean ground beef
2 medium green bell peppers, diced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 lb fresh tomatoes, chopped (I cheated and used canned)
4 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and patted dry
2 cup coarsely chopped green cabbage
3 cup low sodium beef broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or a few twists of the 'ol pepper mill)

Heat 1 tsp oil in a dutch oven on medium-high coating bottom evenly. Add beef and cook for 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Drain beef on paper towels; set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in dutch oven on med-high heat. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 6 minutes or until edges begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add beef back to Dutch oven along with tomatoes, beans, corn, cabbage, broth and oregano. Bring mixture to boil over same heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until beans are tender crisp. Remove Dutch oven form heat, stir in remaining ingredients, including remaining oil, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Number of Servings: 6

I added shaved, fresh romano cheese, before serving.  Oh, and we also crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos on top. Because life is short, and a healthy lifestyle is all about balance, right?  Just don't tell the publishers of Clean Eating. I could be wrong, but I don't think the cheese on the Nachos is freshly made, locally produced and additive-free.