Thyme and Again Chicken Soup

Despite the beautiful weather we’ve been having I found myself with the sniffles today. Nothing to slow me down any, in fact I did get some exercise running for a tissue more than once. Getting up at night to nurse the baby is definitely worth missing out on some sleep, but I guess it’s not as restorative and immune system boosting as a solid 8 hours. Not to mention that there might be a little stress from having a contractor do some work on the house, which we are putting on the market in five days (yikes!), and all the little things I need to do to have the house worthy to show to potential buyers, on top of the normal day to day activity that comes with a 3 year old and an 8 month old. Oh, did I mention that my husband has been out of the country and won’t be back until the day the house goes on the market? Yep, I can always count on the Marine Corps for the best timing.

Nevertheless, I woke up in a good mood and we baked some homemade wheat bread (which is delicious and so soft and really needs its own post one day) and then baked some butternut squash to use the next few days. So when 4 o’clock rolled around, I was seriously debated taking the girls to go grab something quick to eat. By then I had realized that my startling sneezes (yes, I made both girls jump with my sneezes) were more than just allergies. Then I decided that a little chicken soup might make me feel much better. So I pulled out a package of chicken breast from the freezer and surveyed the fridge to see what we had. Not much. Especially since I put off grocery shopping for another day. I swear I’m going tomorrow. But I like to keep things simple anyways, so I pulled together just a few ingredients, and, I’m not kidding you, this was the best chicken soup I’ve ever made. And it was easy, which is a must if I’m even entertaining the idea of cooking. I will be making this time and time again. Which is why I got cute and named it Thyme and Again Chicken Soup. I think I’m clever; you may call it something else.

I encourage you to keep this simple. The ingredients I have here are a great base, the seasoning was perfect. Add in whatever vegetables you have on hand. I really wanted to throw in some kale but I was out. This is definitely not a recipe to try to stick exactly to my measurements (to be honest I didn’t exactly measure everything out). The thyme is what gives this soup such great flavor; you won’t need more than a little salt and pepper in it. Now I’m sure I’ll be feeling so much better tomorrow because I ate two bowls of this. And maybe I’ll get some sleep. Or maybe not.

Thyme and Again Chicken Soup

32 ounces chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 onion
4 whole cloves garlic
2 cups carrots
1 tablespoon Thyme (more or less to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the broth into a large pot, bring to a boil and add chicken breast. Mine was still frozen, so I plopped it in whole. I peeled off the outer layer of the onion, cut it into four pieces and threw that in. No need to chop it up into little pieces, it cooked down so much that it wasn’t overpowering to get a large piece in a bite. Add the whole garlic cloves…again, you don’t need to waste time cutting and chopping when the flavor will come through just as well.

It’s all about saving time when you’ve got two little ones! Chop the carrots into large chunks and add to boiling pot. Add the seasoning and cover. When the chicken is fully cooked, take it out and cut into chunks if you haven’t already. Return to pot, turn heat to low and recover.

Let simmer for about 30 minutes and you’re ready to eat. So simple, so easy.

And I bet you’ll make this thyme and again. ;)

Simple Dinner (part 2)

Tonight I made a great tasting, and very healthy, dish. And it was so easy, I'm a little angry with myself for not throwing this together on a weekly basis a long time ago. I made a stir-fry, although next time I think I'm going to steam the veggies and throw the sauce on at the end. For the base, I used a short grain brown rice. That only took about 2 minutes to get together, but it does need to cook for about an hour so you'll have to start that before everything else. Just plan on that time.
I used what I had in my vegetable drawer, so bok choy and 2 carrots. Ok, you might be wondering what bok choy is and why I had is on hand. It's a Chinese cabbage, common enough that you should be able to find it in your regular grocery store. I tried it this summer, usually just juicing it with some oranges. So I decided to give it a try in a stir-fry.
I used Braggs Liquid Aminos in place of soy sauce. It contains 16 essential and non-essential amino acids and is a "live food" meaning it's an uncooked, plant-based food. It contains no chemicals, artificial coloring, alcohol, preservatives, gluten and is certified Non-GMO (a GMO is a genetically modified organism). It contains some sodium naturally so you won't need to add table salt. It has a great, strong flavor, very similar to soy sauce, so a little goes a long way. It is a healthy substitute for soy sauce.

Ingredients:
1 cup short grain brown rice (cooked with 2 cups water, for about 50 minutes)
1 tablespoon Smart Balance or butter
1 medium bok choy - remove the leafy part from the stalks, as the stalks take longer to cook
2 large carrots
oil for frying (or steam for a lower-fat meal)
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
**Use whatever vegetables you like and have on hand. I recommend experimenting with new veggies, so if you've never tried bok choy, give it a go.

Cook the rice according to package directions. Add the Smart Balance or butter after the rice is done cooking (optional). I stir-fried the carrots and stalks of the bok choy for about 5 minutes, then added the leafy green part for an additional 3-4 minutes. Use your judgement depending on your vegetables. I like mine to have just a little bit of crispness because I can't stand overcooked vegetables. I added the liquid aminos while cooking. Scoop rice into a bowl and topped with the veggies. I even cooked some shrimp for Matt, that he added to his bowl.
This was better tasting than I expected it to be, so don't be scared off! And let me know if you try it and what you think.

Simple Dinner

I love meals that incorporate many food groups into one dish. And the ones with just a few simple ingredients are my favorite. I made this pasta dish tonight and the whole thing was on the table in about 20 minutes. It tasted good and was healthy, that's about all I can ask for some days! So keep it simple, and use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge at the moment. Here's what I did.

1 package whole wheat penne pasta
about 2 cups baby spinach, chopped up
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil (I didn't measure, you might need more)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan for sprinkling

Cook the pasta according to the directions and prep the veggies you'll be adding. Chop up the fresh garlic and add it, along with some salt and pepper, to the olive oil. When the pasta is done, drain. Add the olive oil mixture until well coated, then add your fresh veggies. Add salt, pepper and Parmesan after serving.
I cut up a cucumber as a side dish, along with a loaf of whole wheat artisan bread. Keep it simple and enjoy!