Soup for Supper

So last night I made dinner.
I know... kind of a miracle.

For those of you who don't quite understand the latter statement I rarely cook. Seriously. If you asked me what I ate on a regular basis I'd probably furrow my brow, scratch my head and look up to the sky. It's kind of appalling. Especially considering that:
a) I'm a professional athlete who needs to take the utmost care of my body and
b) that I do love food, love to cook and am kind of a "foodie" if you will.
So I'll admit it is a bit strange that I have a hard time answering the question, "What do you usually eat?"
If protein bars and coffee were food groups I'd be doing really well.
Wow. That's kind of sick... Don't get me wrong I don't just eat those things, but they seem to be my go-to/common denominator foods. That is if you can call them "food."
But I will say it is hard as a busy single person to find the time, more importantly the desire, to cook for myself. By the time I figure out what I want to eat, go to the grocery store, buy the food, get home, prep it, and then finally cook it... Shoot! It's like 9pm and I'm not even hungry anymore. And I have a mountain of leftovers that just sits in my fridge and molds. I haven't done a cost-analysis but part of me wonders if it really is that much more economical to eat at home or just buy the PCC pre-made chicken ceasar salad.

But... I know it's better to eat real food versus preservative-laden bars. And someday I may actually have to cook for a family. Fancy that?! So I'd better at least get a little practice in. That might be good.

And I am a pretty good cook if I don't say so myself.

So this weekend Mom and Dad had been working really hard to get a rental unit of ours ready... I mean it was like Extreme Home Makeover, but Anspach family style. We're a little crazy. At any rate, they'd been busting their butts and were really tired. Dad usually cooks us a nice family Sunday dinner, but I took it upon myself to take charge in this kitchen this weekend. We'd planned on having a nice yummy pot roast, but by the time I got home it was too late to get that going. So I just scoured our fridge and pantry for ingredients to throw into my Le Crueset Dutch oven for a yummy soup. It was a challenge.
No chicken broth. No meat or sausage that wasn't frozen except a package of bacon. No canned tomatoes. Just 5 strips of bacon, one can of white beans, one potato, an onion, some carrots and garlic, white wine and rosemary. But that's all I needed.

In the end I created a version of a soup that strangely reminded me of a childhood favorite: Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup.
My mom used to make that for us all the time. It was a staple, much like fish sticks, canned peas and Oreida Oven fries, or toasted PB & J. Breakfast for dinner was always a hit too. And we did like toasted English Muffins with tunafish and sliced apples. Mom was quite the gourmet! Haha!

But this soup I made last night was anything but Campbell's. It was quite tasty if I don't say so myself. And I didn't spend a dime! Maybe I'll have to try this challenge more often... Hmm... I guess we'll see.