A few days ago I shared some ideas for beating the winter blues.
I’m trying hard to look at February differently this year.
But she ain’t making it easy…
We are on track to break the record for the coldest month EVER in our city’s history.
I know eating a little healthier helps because my real job is a health & wellness writer!
I write about nutrition and how it impacts our health every day.
So here are a few ways I’m practicing what I write and pumping up our nutrition this winter.
Chunky Chicken Soup
This recipe is actually a combination of different soups from a variety of healthy cookbooks…
Ingredients:
Couple of chicken breasts baked & shredded (I cooked mine in Paprika and Pepper)
4 medium red potatoes
Few drizzles of Smart Balance oil
2 cups of skim milk
3 -4 T. of flour
4 slices of pre-cooked Turkey bacon crumbled
Onion (I used dried because my stomach doesn’t like fresh! But you could use green onions for a more onion-y taste)
1/2 cup of low-fat sour cream
1 cup of shredded carrots cooked
1 can of white kidney beans
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth (I saved mine from baking the chicken and then added low-sodium chicken broth to it)
The Quick and Dirty Mash up:
1. Make some fork holes in the potatoes and stick them in the microwave. Mine took about 15 minutes to get tender. Once they are done, cut them in to wedges leaving the skin on. I also mash them ever so slightly. Cover and keep warm.
2. Drizzle the oil in the bottom of a soup pot and let it warm up.
3. Add the chicken broth and simmer.
4. Warm the kidney beans up in the microwave. Mine only took about a minute. Cover and keep warm.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and about 1/2 cup of the skim milk. Stir it in to the simmering broth.
6. Then stir in the remaining skim milk and keep stirring. Let it come to a boil for about a minute or so.
7. Remove from the burner and add in the sour cream. Stir well.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add potatoes, carrots, kidney beans, and bacon.
Ta-Da! You have a soup loaded with protein and fiber with a few veggies thrown in too.
I enjoyed mine with this yummo Cucumber Lemon Mint Water, a few Rosemary crackers and some red grapes.
I make it at night, cover it and stick it in the frig. By morning it tastes delicious!
Stop by later this week! I will be sharing my recipe for Hummus Pizzas and a few new Healthy Smoothies we tried and loved!
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