Chili Cheese Soup

Sorry I have been absent a bit this week. Hope you have been catching us over on Facebook. I post some photos of what we are eating over there. Mostly when the recipe is already in the e-book, and I have not much else to share. I have been really busy with school, and visits to my college kids out of town. I was gone every night last week, and will be this week too! When life gets crazy like this, as it seems to every spring for me, it is especially good to have the Diner system in place. I really appreciate it when I am away from my own Diner kitchen. It is just so much easier to eat healthy at home, and there are times when having all the prep work done is such a life saver.

This weekend we were in another state. Meal choices are not so easy when you low carb, especially if you want to take advantage of complimentary buffets, catered events, etc. We chose a Chinese buffet for one dinner, staying away from the rice and the sweet sauces, the egg rolls and wantons. We still got plenty to eat.I did gain a pound and a half over the weekend though, so something carby must have been hiding in those sauces!

We also ate a huge buffet. There was one section with Mexican food, and I made myself a wonderful taco salad with the taco beef, fajita chicken, lettuce, fire roasted peppers, jalapenos, salsa verde and real sour cream. That was great, but it was really hard to skip the dessert bar. Really hard for me to pass up all those desserts just lined up and calling you. Instead, coffee can satisfy the sweet tooth and not blow the eating plan...especially if you can skip the powdered or non dairy creamers.

Back in town tonight,I guess I was still thinking about that salad. I made chili cheese soup for dinner. Being away, I haven't had time to do a normal prep day, but we will be alright. I just grabbed the Minute Beef from the freezer and added staples to it. This is delish!

Chili Cheese Soup

1 package Mexican Minute Beef (about 2 cups cooked)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup frozen pepper and onion blend
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
6 ounces cream cheese

Dump the first four ingredients into a large sauce pan. Let simmer until veggies are tender. Add in cream cheese, cubed. Let the cream cheese soften for five minutes, then stir to blend. Add a little hot sauce if you like more heat.

This is wonderful and rich. You will not need a big bowl. Ours will have leftovers that will be great for a soup and salad lunch later this week. When I find time to get to the grocery store for some lettuce, that is.