A Retro Meal

Read the prior post to learn the wherefore for this one.

All week my concentration has been on uncluttering my home. It is exhilerating manual labor. I have become obsessed with this project to the extent that my real estate business is an intrusion on my mission even though it is how I make a living. Some days the work work was so intense I forgot about food altogether. I didn't diet, but I still ate sensibly. I didn't pig out on any of my favorite ice cream treats, although for breakfast one morning I had a cinnamon roll covered with gooey icing that a neighbor brought to me after she devoured two of them herself. I got out and walked enjoying the mildly brisk spring mornings that set the tone for the day. Without dieting, I weighed in at 163 pounds this morning. Whoopee!!!

My journey to a simpler life waxed nostalgic. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich came to mind. That's retro. It's also a simple, nutritious, low-calorie meal. A cup of Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup made with skim milk (actually 10-3/4 ozs.) is approximately 175 calories. The grilled cheese sandwich consists of:

2 slices whole wheat light bread (40 calories each)
2 slices 2% American processed cheese (50 calories each)
Olive oil spray
Lawry's Coarse-Ground Garlic Salt with Parsley

Spray one side of each bread slice with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Place cheese slices between bread on the unsprayed side. Place sandwich sprayed side down in a teflon skillet sprayed with olive oil spray or on a broiler pan under the broiler. Cook til golden; turn over and cook the other side til golden.

Voila! You have a retro treat with around 180 calories for a total of approximately 355 calories for soup and sandwich.

There is definitely something to be said for simplicity.

NOTE: Look for olive oil spray that is made without alcohol. I use Trader Joe's brand, but I believe Bertolli also makes their spray sans alcohol.

Ciao fo now.