Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

January is National Soup Month. I had no idea of it when I decided to make this recipe, but I was glad to hear that it's a good time to give soup a shout-out.  This is a really hearty soup for not a lot of calories, and I used even more veggies than the recipe calls for - it just depends on how brothy or chunky you like your soups. You can also use different kinds of pasta and veggies to shake it up. It is really delicious - way better than the canned kind, if I do say so myself!

Healthy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

modified from here

serves 6 generously

12 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

6 cups (1 quart) chicken stock

20 sliced baby carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 medium chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 oz uncooked orzo pasta (or small pasta of choice)

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Start by trimming any fat off the chicken breasts, then place in a crock pot with about a ½ cup of lightly salted water on high for about 3 hours, until just cooked through (don’t let it overcook, or it will be really tough!). When done, cut the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces or shred.

In a large stock pot, bring chicken broth to a low boil and add the carrots, celery, onion, oregano, salt, black pepper, parsley, and thyme. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add the chicken meat and stir to combine. Simmer an additional 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook pasta to al dente.
 
Stir in cooked pasta and peas. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Three Bean, Vegetable, and Turkey Chili

I posted this awhile ago on my personal blog as part of my 30 Healthiest Foods Challenge, but thought I'd do another re-post here because I'm eating the leftovers this week! Some work is being done in our building and for some reason it's super cold in the office this week (I'm currently wrapped up in a blanket, jacket, and scarf in my office, despite the hot weather outside) so I was really excited to defrost my lunch and dig in to a hot meal! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the chili freezes really well.

This recipe is time consuming at the beginning if you don't have pre-chopped veggies, but it's also full of a a lot of stuff that you probably already have in your pantry. I usually have ground turkey in the freezer and I always keep bell peppers on hand because I LOVE them. It is a nice, thick chili that is super filling, healthy, and delicious.

Three Bean, Vegetable, and Turkey Chili

Serves 8 with 1 1/2 cup serving

Cooking spray

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium bell peppers (colors of your choice - I used red and orange), chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp paprika

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, no sodium added

1 3/4 cup chicken broth, fat-free and low sodium

Coat a large sauté pan with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Brown turkey, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes; drain and set aside.

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; set over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add bell peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano; stir for 1 minute.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, all beans and turkey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, about 35 minutes total. Yields about 1 1/2 cups chili per serving.

Normally I'd add more tomatoes and omit the kidney beans because I'm not a huge fan, but they're on the 30 Healthiest Foods list so I figured they'd be the least offending in a big pot of chili. Ultimately, I was pretty happy with my creation!
 

Enjoy!

Spinach and Chicken Tortellini Soup

Once you have everything ready toss in, this soup takes surprisingly little time to make, and you can freeze some of it for leftovers. I modified it from a Pillsbury "Fast & Healthy" cookbook, which has some great quick and healthy (as the title implies) recipes.

I LOVED this soup. Seriously. Loved it.

Spinach and Chicken Tortellini Soup

 
2 cans (14 oz each) fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated tortellini
2 cups chopped fresh spinach

In a 3-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat broth, water, onions, basil and garlic to boiling. Stir in chicken and tortellini. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered about 4 minutes.

Add spinach; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, tortellini is tender, and chicken is cooked through. If desired, season to taste with pepper.

Makes 6 (1 1/2 cup) or 8 (1 cup) servings.

 
Enjoy!

Chunky Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I rarely eat cauliflower. Not because I dislike it, but rather because I have a hard time choosing it over the vibrant vegetables that just scream out "I'm good for you!" in a much more obvious way. 

But when you get two full heads in your produce basket for the week, you need to be more creative than steaming it every night. 

So, after looking at a few different recipes, I threw together a concoction that I was pretty happy with.
 

Chunky Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Servings:  4

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp minced fresh garlic, about 2 small cloves

1/3 cup white or yellow onion, chopped

3 medium stalks celery, chopped

8-10 baby carrots, chopped

2-3 cups cauliflower florets

2 ¼ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup shredded cheese

1 oz fat-free or Neufchatel cream cheese  

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the broth and cauliflower; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, about 30 minutes. You should be able to mash it slightly with your spoon. Stir in the cheeses until melted.

Remove the soup from the heat. In a food processor or blender, puree about half the mixture* until smooth, then add back to pot. Return the soup to the saucepan, reheat thoroughly, and serve! Yields 1 cup per serving.

*You can puree the whole thing if you want - I just enjoy a few chunks in my soup. Either way, it's delicious!