Soup's On!

I love me some soup.
And why not?
Healthy, check.
Easy, check.
Crowd pleaser, check.
Inexpensive, check.
Freezes well, check.
Kid pleaser, check.
And the options are endless...vegetable, noodle, tomato, creamy, lasagna, meaty, brothy, spicy, pizza, cold, hot...

I could really go on about the virtues of soup for quite a while.
But I won't.(Maybe I already did?)
Because we need to get on with the making, so we can get on with the eating.

This is my own chicken noodle soup recipe. 
I add two secret ingredients to make this soup extra special.  

I'm going to use the chicken stock I made in my crock pot using the leftovers from my whole chicken recipe. 
If you don't have homemade chicken stock, and aren't inclined to make any(I've had those days too!) use the store bought variety that comes in the carton. 
The same goes for the chicken. I'm using leftover chicken from the whole chicken in the crockpot recipe. If you don't have any leftover chicken, a store bought rotisserie chicken will work very well.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
8 cups of chicken stock
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced**secret ingredient**
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 package egg noodles, make it more or less noodley depending on your taste
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
Juice of 1 lemon**secret ingredient**
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add chopped celery, carrot and onion. Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in a separate pot according to package instructions.
6. 10 minutes before serving, add chicken, cooked noodles and the lemon juice. Heat through and enjoy!

Chicken, Of Course!

When faced with the age old question, "what's for dinner," chicken, of course can become a pretty reliable answer. 

I don't know about you, but I get really bored with the old standby; boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
I know that they're healthy, but truthfully rather bland. 
And the other parts of a chicken are great too, and equally as healthy and much tastier!

A little comparison to put your mind at ease...

Chicken Breast  
156 calories, 7 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein 

Chicken Leg
183 calories, 10 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein

As you can see, all chicken is a relatively healthy choice. 

Cooking a whole chicken can seem a little intimidating, although it really shouldn't. It's actually a cost effective and delicious notion.

Do not be afraid.
Using the crock pot method is a no fail solution for cooking a tender, juicy, flavorful bird. 
It won't be dry or overcooked and it couldn't be easier.

Try to remember to take out the giblets that will be found in the cavity of your chicken. 
If I'm being honest, I forgot to do that once and it still turned out just fine.

One tip, try to find a locally raised, pastured bird. It really does make a huge difference in flavor as well as nutritional value. I will warn you that this type of chicken will cost more than the factory farm poultry found at the supermarket, but we are going to use every bit of this little chicky, so it will be money well spent. 

We have chickens on the farm, but I don't have the heart to use them for anything other than egg layers and pets. If you're local, you can find free range chicken at All Good Things Natural Market,  Tierra Verde Farms  .

Okay, let's get started. The following recipe will be to cook a whole chicken and it will be similar to a rotissire chicken when it's finished. We will then use all of the leftover bones, drippings, spices, etc. to make a flavorful stock right in the crock pot, perfectly suited for Chicken Noodle Soup. I certainly did not invent this method, but I have used it countless times and it's always great. 

Whole Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken, somewhere around 5 pounds
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Before

1 onion, loosely chopped

Method 

1. Combine spices in a small bowl.
2. Place the chopped onion in the bottom of the crock pot.
3. After removing giblets, rub spice mixture all over the chicken.
4. Place chicken on top of onions and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. There is no need to add additional liquid to the crockpot.
5. Save all leftover bones, skin, liquid and onion in crockpot to make chicken stock!

   

   After

It's January, Smile!

Today my 2 year old said to me, "Mommy, it's a good day. The sun is shining right in my eyes, and I'm happy." 

These words of wisdom snapped me out of my Blah, it's Wednesday and it's bitter cold, and the sun is reflecting off of this stinking snow and making me squint, which is probably giving me wrinkles kind of mood.  

January is tough.
At least for me. 
Maybe it's the calm after the storm of the holidays. Or the cold weather. Or the lack of sun. Or the fact that it's still quite a while until spring. It's probably a combination of all of that.

The good news is, this too shall pass. 

In the meantime, my January survival techniques include:

• Daily physical activity, because we know we feel better when we move
• Vitamin D supplements, because it might be May before we see the sun again
• Numerous daily Facebook chats with the funniest, most brilliant women I know, for sanity
• Cooking and eating lots of vegetables, because they're tasty and good for you!

So here's an easy winter vegetable recipe . I even added bacon, for health purposes. 
Don't be afraid. 
Brussel sprouts are delicious and one of the most undervalued veg around. 


Give it a try. 
It's January, whaddya got to lose?

Ingredients
2 pounds brussel sprouts, washed and halved
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

I forgot to take the pic until after we ate almost all of them!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine sprouts, bacon, olive oil salt and pepper. 
3. Dump sprout mixture onto prepared pan and spread evenly.
4. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.