What's for dinner, Mom?

Have you decided what to cook for dinner tonight? What about lunch tomorrow? You don't have to reach for any processed foods or drive through any McFat restaurant IF you have this quick, easy, and delicious soup on hand.

This is TJ's homemade chicken noodle soup. I made this one day because I believe I had a sick husband or child and I didn't have any canned soup in the house. So, I just used what I had in my freezer and pantry and...voila'!

My soup contains celery, carrots and onions. Celery has a high calcium content, thus it has a slight calming effect. It may help contol high blood pressure and arthritis as well. Carrots have an anti-aging and anti-cancer effect. Carrots also have been shown to improve vision and promote healthy teeth and gums. Onions are high in folic acid, B1, and K. They are also high in fiber.

My eight year old son is a fincky eater and I feel at times that I did a poor job of ensuring that he was eating healthy foods. But THIS soup is something he ASKS for now! Yeah!

I'd like to to share the recipe with you below. Now, I must warn you...I'm getting like my grandmother in that I don't do too much exact measuring when I cook!  So the amount of each ingredient is a pretty close estimate. Don't be afraid to play with this recipe and make it your own. Enjoy!

TJ's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:





3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed
5 whole carrots, washed and cut up
10 stalks of celery, washed and cut up
6 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
Handful of spaghetti noodles, broken in thirds
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Water

Get a large stock pot. Place on stove over medium heat. Pour in vegetable oil, put in whole chicken breasts, bay leaves, onion, carrots, and celery.

Fill stock pot about 3/4 of the way full with water. Season with sea salt (start with 2 tablespoons) and crushed red pepper. Cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken breast float.

Take the chicken breasts out of the pot and place on a cutting board. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Return chicken to pot. Add broken noodles to soup. Cook for about 10 minutes more. Turn the heat off.

As the noodles cook, they will swell so you may have to add more water to get the consistency you like. Make it your own.