Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

My family doesn't eat much meat. It's not on purpose, we're just really not all that into it. But we do eat a decent amount of bacon, and then there's chicken. Chicken is one of my favorite foods - whether it's in an Italian, Chinese, Mexican or American dish. Chicken is just plain awesome. And it shows its flavor the best in one of the most classic recipes on Earth - chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup is the soup that soothes the soul, warms the body, and brings a family together. It's an unforgettable smell and flavor, and it heats up the whole house while it's cooking. And let me just say the canned stuff doesn't do this - the home cooked kind - justice.


For the best soup, use high quality ingredients with superb flavor. The broth is going to be the most important part, so don't skimp on it. If you can, make your own. If you can't, buy the best you can. But even if you only have access to the bare minimum, a little broth, chicken, noodles and salt still makes a superb soup. So give it a try.

I can promise you this is going to be delicious. :)

Serves 8

You Will Need:

• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
• 4 cups broth (use chicken for best flavor, but beef, turkey, vegetarian and pork also work)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, sliced (optional - I don't like celery so I don't add this)
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced or minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz pasta
• 1-2 handfuls dark greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc.)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In the bottom of your soup pot add olive oil. Over medium heat, saute onion and chicken until cooked and lightly browned. Add broth, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves and dried thyme. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Uncover and return to medium heat. Add in pasta and dark greens. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Cook until pasta is fully cooked (about 15 minutes). Add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve and enjoy. :) This is a great dish to cook on cold nights, because it fills the house with warmth and yummy smells. For a complete meal, serve with these teff dinner rolls.

High-Protein, Low-Calorie Oatmeal

I made this this morning as part of my new diet. I'm trying to cut back significantly on calories, but increase my protein intake. After some experimentation, I perfected this delicious recipe. It's kid-aproved! The munchkins enjoyed it garnished with sliced banana and raisins (for an extra 100 calories, but hey, they're kids). But it's equally delicious plain

Serves 3, 1-cup servings. Each serving has only 113 calories, and 9 grams of protein, and it's packed with healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids), so it keeps you full for a nice, long time.

Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal

You Will Need:
1 cups rolled oats, 166 calories, 6 g protein
1 tbsp wheat germ, 25 calories, 1 1/2 g protein
1 tbsp ground flax, 30 calories, 1 1/2 g protein
2 tbsp brown sugar, 104 calories
1 tbsp maple syrup, 13 calories
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water 

In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, combine water, rolled oats, wheat germ, ground flax and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until oats are soft (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low and add cinnamon, brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir, cooking over low heat for another five minutes or until oatmeal has thickened. Serve hot and enjoy!

Note: For cinnamon raisin oatmeal at 114 calories a servings increase cinnamon to 1 tbsp and replace brown sugar and maple syrup with 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tbsp stevia sweetener. Cook as directed.