Soup sounds SO good to my tired, sick, stuffy-runny, coughing body right now! I started running out of broth and needed to find more flavor options, so I came up with this recipe. You can make it more Italian by adding the optional ingredients (and make it more nourishing!), but it's good without, too.
May it warm you body and soul!
Italian Chicken Soup
1 onion, diced small or sliced thin (diner's choice)
Butter
2-3 Chicken breasts
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato juice -or- 3 1/2 cups broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
Cooked rice or pasta or diced potatoes (about 1 cup)
Oregano, basil, dried kale (1-2 Tbsp)
1 head garlic, peeled and pressed
In large soup or stock pot, saute onions in butter until transluscent. Add chicken, tomatoes, and juice or broth (even water would work). Also add potatoes if using and not cooked yet. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and chop or shred. Return chicken to pot. Stir in rice or pasta, spices, and seasonings to taste.
A note on the garlic: Fresh garlic is NOT expensive, and when you're sick, TOTALLY worth the small amount of money. Garlic has fantastic immune boosting and sickness-fighting powers. The closer you eat it to raw, the better. However, I realize that might be too intense for some of my readers, and that's okay. So if you are really sensitive to flavor, add the garlic with the onion. Or you can add with chicken and tomatoes for a little more flavor. Personally, I like to stir it in at the end, though that is not for the faint of heart. Oh, and make sure your significant other has a little too, or they might not enjoy your company afterward. ;)
Bon appetit!
The Martin Multitude The more, the merrier!
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Surviving the Storehouse: Cream of Vegetable Soup
It's getting colder, or at least it's supposed to be. Sunlight goes away, kids bring home every virus and bacteria they can find. Winter is on the way! And there's nothing more comforting, warming, and nourishing than soup! This is one of my favorite ways to use the vegetables from the storehouse, because you can use practically anything, which helps for those mysterious in season vegetables you never know you're going to get until you get there (though there are some standards). You can serve soup with rolls or crackers if you have them, but it's not necessary at all to have a delicious, filling meal.
Here's my number one go-to soup recipe:
Cream of Vegetable Soup
3 cups vegetables of your choice (Good options in any combination: potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, onions, green beans, corn, and sweet potatoes/yams and canned pumpkin for the holiday season specials)
1-2 chicken breasts (optional, but helps with the flavor if you don't have broth)
4-6 cups water or turkey broth (see, it's going to come in handy!)
2 cups milk or evaporated milk (if not using, use more water)
1/4 cup butter (optional, but SO yummy)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, add vegetables, chicken and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.
Add some vegetables, 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, with enough cooking liquid to help the blender do its job. Continue to add more vegetables as the blender blends until all vegetables have been added (or your blender gets to full to do the job properly, then transfer to a bowl and start again with the rest of the veggies). Return puree to pot over medium heat. Add butter (if using) and enough water, broth, or milk to make it the consistency you desire. Heat through, but do not boil if you used milk. Season to taste. Serve hot.
If you happen to have leftovers, or you can tell this will make too much soup for your family to eat all at once, or you just want to store some extra for another rainy (or snowy) day, this freezes will prior to adding the milk. Freeze it without and add the milk when you reheat it.
More soup recipes to come! (We've had a run of colds this week, thank goodness we have the turkey broth!)
Bon appetit!
Here's my number one go-to soup recipe:
Cream of Vegetable Soup
3 cups vegetables of your choice (Good options in any combination: potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, onions, green beans, corn, and sweet potatoes/yams and canned pumpkin for the holiday season specials)
1-2 chicken breasts (optional, but helps with the flavor if you don't have broth)
4-6 cups water or turkey broth (see, it's going to come in handy!)
2 cups milk or evaporated milk (if not using, use more water)
1/4 cup butter (optional, but SO yummy)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, add vegetables, chicken and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.
Add some vegetables, 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, with enough cooking liquid to help the blender do its job. Continue to add more vegetables as the blender blends until all vegetables have been added (or your blender gets to full to do the job properly, then transfer to a bowl and start again with the rest of the veggies). Return puree to pot over medium heat. Add butter (if using) and enough water, broth, or milk to make it the consistency you desire. Heat through, but do not boil if you used milk. Season to taste. Serve hot.
If you happen to have leftovers, or you can tell this will make too much soup for your family to eat all at once, or you just want to store some extra for another rainy (or snowy) day, this freezes will prior to adding the milk. Freeze it without and add the milk when you reheat it.
More soup recipes to come! (We've had a run of colds this week, thank goodness we have the turkey broth!)
Bon appetit!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Surviving the Storehouse: Sauerkraut
Cabbage is delicious! I hope you're starting to feel that way now, at least. One fabulous way to preserve and eat this under-appreciated veggie is to ferment it. Fermented cabbage is called sauerkraut.
Oh, and don't turn up your nose if the only kind you've ever tried is the canned stuff from the store. Homemade is a totally different animal! Also, fermented is good for your gut, you know, helps your digestion processes... Ahem. And your gut will need the help after you eat all of your kids' Halloween candy.
Sauerkraut
1 head cabbage
2-3 Tbsp salt (your favorite kind)
Optional:
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
You'll also need:
Wide mouth Mason jars with lids and rings (old are fine)
Shred cabbage finely. In large bowl layer cabbage and salt. If using other vegetables, layer those in, too. Using a meat tenderizer, thick handled ice cream scoop, plastic wrapped can, or your husband's hammer, pound away on that sucker for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is limp and has released most of its juice. Spoon into jars, pounding down as you go. You should have enough to fill 2 quart size jars to full, and maybe have some left over, all depending on the size of the cabbage. Press the cabbage down until it is all under the juice. Add a little extra water if necessary. Secure lid firmly, and place in a warm spot away from sunlight for 3-7 days. You'll have to experiment with how fermented you want your sauerkraut. The uninitiated will probably want to stick with 3 days.
After the fermentation period, store in the fridge. The rumor is it will last in the fridge 3-6 months, unopened, but I wouldn't know because it never lasts that long in my house! Serve it with any meat dish you prepare, though it seems tastiest with the heavier meats like beef and pork roasts. Also delightful on hot dogs, baked potatoes, or eggs.
Bon appetit!
Oh, and don't turn up your nose if the only kind you've ever tried is the canned stuff from the store. Homemade is a totally different animal! Also, fermented is good for your gut, you know, helps your digestion processes... Ahem. And your gut will need the help after you eat all of your kids' Halloween candy.
Sauerkraut
1 head cabbage
2-3 Tbsp salt (your favorite kind)
Optional:
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
You'll also need:
Wide mouth Mason jars with lids and rings (old are fine)
Shred cabbage finely. In large bowl layer cabbage and salt. If using other vegetables, layer those in, too. Using a meat tenderizer, thick handled ice cream scoop, plastic wrapped can, or your husband's hammer, pound away on that sucker for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is limp and has released most of its juice. Spoon into jars, pounding down as you go. You should have enough to fill 2 quart size jars to full, and maybe have some left over, all depending on the size of the cabbage. Press the cabbage down until it is all under the juice. Add a little extra water if necessary. Secure lid firmly, and place in a warm spot away from sunlight for 3-7 days. You'll have to experiment with how fermented you want your sauerkraut. The uninitiated will probably want to stick with 3 days.
After the fermentation period, store in the fridge. The rumor is it will last in the fridge 3-6 months, unopened, but I wouldn't know because it never lasts that long in my house! Serve it with any meat dish you prepare, though it seems tastiest with the heavier meats like beef and pork roasts. Also delightful on hot dogs, baked potatoes, or eggs.
Bon appetit!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Country Bunny and Her Brood
Easter Sunday, our Relief Society President gave a lesson based on this book:
She did a fabulous job of relating it to this life and the Atonement in honor of Easter.
That's not what I took away best from her lesson, though. Sorry, Ashley!
The part that hit me most was where she teaches her little brood of 21 bunnies how to clean the house, cook, take care of themselves, and treat each other with respect. Here's one page:
I don't have 21 kids, but I want that kind of order! I pondered it the rest of the afternoon. By evening, I had a plan.
I thought up 4 Helper jobs, one of which I can split up into three jobs for when all the kids are here; I came up with a list of things they should each do on their own every day; and I created a list of things that needed doing on a weekly basis. I cut up one of those flexible fridge magnets that we get from every business ever created and glued each child's name on one piece. Then I made a sign. It looks like this:
<--personal day="" done="" every="" jobs="" p="">
<--important p="" question="">
<--weekly add="" chores="" everyone="" i="" may="" more.="" need="" one.="" p="" picks="" think="" to=""><--place current="" for="" in="" names="" not="" p="" rotation.="" the="">
Here's a description of each Helper's responsibilities:
Kitchen Helper: Empties dishwasher, fills it back up again.
Meal Helper: Sets table, clears serving dishes, wipes down table (all three meals).
Laundry Helper: Does one load of laundry, start to finish, from washing to putting away.
Bathroom Helper: Swish the toilet (no cleaner), clear and swipe the counters, clear the floor.
Kitchen Helper is for all three meals when I have just four kids, and split up into three meals when I have more.
Part of getting dressed for bed is picking out clothes to wear for the next day. They then place those clothes against the wall behind the dining room table so the clothes are accessible when the kids wake up in the morning. To facilitate this, I made name plaques (marker on 8"x11" white paper in a sheet protector) for each child and posted them on the designated wall.
There were also some rules I established that aren't listed here, but I plan on posting them elsewhere soon. Those rules are:
1) NO blankies, pillows, or animals out of the bedroom after breakfast.
2) Rooms must be clean before each meal.
3) Everybody helps clean up everything, without regard to ownership or who was playing with it.
I am also working on a set of chores that they can do for money, like sort the sock bag and clean the patio door.
This week we had all the kids for Spring Break! A perfect time to try my *evil* plan...Bwa ha ha ha...
Ahem.
Anyway, it started out great! I introduced the plan to the kids on Monday at Family Home Evening. There was no initial complaining. I thought that showed promise.
I won't lie. There was some grumbling on the first day of actually DOING the chores, but I think it helped that I was there doing it with them, and that almost everyone had a chore to do. (I only have 6 helper jobs at most, so two kids get a "weekend" from chores.)
I was actually surprised by how many of them were excited to do their chores! I'm not kidding! "I love to do laundry!" came out of at least two mouths, and "Hooray, I'm the meal helper!" was almost universal. They took pride in their responsibilities!
Happy side effects: One-on-one time with each child. Cleaner house. They made less mess to begin with. There was less complaining because it was right there, on the list (I wasn't 'picking' on someone all the time).
They learn responsibility and important life skills. I have more sanity and time for other projects, me time, and spouse time. Win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win. And the baby will have a system to grow up in. Add another win there in a few months.
Happy mom, that's me!
She did a fabulous job of relating it to this life and the Atonement in honor of Easter.
That's not what I took away best from her lesson, though. Sorry, Ashley!
The part that hit me most was where she teaches her little brood of 21 bunnies how to clean the house, cook, take care of themselves, and treat each other with respect. Here's one page:
I don't have 21 kids, but I want that kind of order! I pondered it the rest of the afternoon. By evening, I had a plan.
I thought up 4 Helper jobs, one of which I can split up into three jobs for when all the kids are here; I came up with a list of things they should each do on their own every day; and I created a list of things that needed doing on a weekly basis. I cut up one of those flexible fridge magnets that we get from every business ever created and glued each child's name on one piece. Then I made a sign. It looks like this:
 |
| What it looks like when everyone is here |
 |
| What it looks like most of the time |
<--personal day="" done="" every="" jobs="" p="">
<--important p="" question="">
<--weekly add="" chores="" everyone="" i="" may="" more.="" need="" one.="" p="" picks="" think="" to=""><--place current="" for="" in="" names="" not="" p="" rotation.="" the="">
Here's a description of each Helper's responsibilities:
Kitchen Helper: Empties dishwasher, fills it back up again.
Meal Helper: Sets table, clears serving dishes, wipes down table (all three meals).
Laundry Helper: Does one load of laundry, start to finish, from washing to putting away.
Bathroom Helper: Swish the toilet (no cleaner), clear and swipe the counters, clear the floor.
Kitchen Helper is for all three meals when I have just four kids, and split up into three meals when I have more.
Part of getting dressed for bed is picking out clothes to wear for the next day. They then place those clothes against the wall behind the dining room table so the clothes are accessible when the kids wake up in the morning. To facilitate this, I made name plaques (marker on 8"x11" white paper in a sheet protector) for each child and posted them on the designated wall.
There were also some rules I established that aren't listed here, but I plan on posting them elsewhere soon. Those rules are:
1) NO blankies, pillows, or animals out of the bedroom after breakfast.
2) Rooms must be clean before each meal.
3) Everybody helps clean up everything, without regard to ownership or who was playing with it.
I am also working on a set of chores that they can do for money, like sort the sock bag and clean the patio door.
This week we had all the kids for Spring Break! A perfect time to try my *evil* plan...Bwa ha ha ha...
Ahem.
Anyway, it started out great! I introduced the plan to the kids on Monday at Family Home Evening. There was no initial complaining. I thought that showed promise.
I won't lie. There was some grumbling on the first day of actually DOING the chores, but I think it helped that I was there doing it with them, and that almost everyone had a chore to do. (I only have 6 helper jobs at most, so two kids get a "weekend" from chores.)
I was actually surprised by how many of them were excited to do their chores! I'm not kidding! "I love to do laundry!" came out of at least two mouths, and "Hooray, I'm the meal helper!" was almost universal. They took pride in their responsibilities!
Happy side effects: One-on-one time with each child. Cleaner house. They made less mess to begin with. There was less complaining because it was right there, on the list (I wasn't 'picking' on someone all the time).
They learn responsibility and important life skills. I have more sanity and time for other projects, me time, and spouse time. Win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win. And the baby will have a system to grow up in. Add another win there in a few months.
Happy mom, that's me!
Monday, December 17, 2012
To Donate or Not to Donate, That is the Question.
Hold on.
Hear me out.
Imagine with me for a minute...
It's that time again: Christmas, birthday, spring cleaning, your closet is overflowing, you can't afford the storage unit anymore or find yourself contemplating a bigger one. You've decided it's time to get rid of some stuff.
You unlock the lock, throw open the doors and behold: the Mountain of Stuff. Boxes and boxes of it. Some of it is from last week, some from last year, some from 30 years ago, some from the Mesozoic Era. Plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, metal boxes. Some black or silver or white garbage bags. You well and truly don't even know what's there exactly. What are you going to do with it? Toss. Keep. Donate.
You think to yourself as you open each box, Oh, I remember this! What a great time we had together. I guess I don't need it anymore. But it must still be useful! I'll donate it. Someone will want it.
Stop. Hold it right there.
What are you holding? Clothing? An old toy? A book? A piece of furniture? An 8-track player? A holey (that is NOT misspelled) shoe? A sock with no mate? An archaic piece of technology?
Is it REALLY going to help someone in need? Or is it just going to get some treasure-to-you-trash-to-everyone-else guilt off your chest? Will it help someone survive or live better, or will it just add to a pile of useless junk in someone else's closet or even the store because no one will pay money for it??
What brought this on? It is natural to wonder. I'll tell you.
My kids' toys.
It happens naturally enough. They get a toy from a friend or family member. They love it for a few hours, days, months, or the lucky toys even get a few years. Inevitably, the toys lose their appeal and drift to sundry bedroom corners or sink to the bottom of the toy box. Vital pieces go missing (or are eaten, ha).
"But!" you say. "We have memories here! I can't just throw our memories in the trash! If this such-and-such is used by someone else, our memories will be preserved, honored, remembered!"
Um. Yeah. No. Not really.
They won't have your memories. Your memories belong to you. They're pretty much meaningless to most everyone else, and that's fine.
You know what that stuff is doing in your house, to your house? To your psyche? To your soul??
Who has heard the backpack/rocks/sin parable? Raise of hands? Great! Well, it doesn't just pertain to sin.
The stuff we accumulate weighs on our minds. It stops us in our tracks physically and emotionally and spiritually. The more you have to keep track of, the less brainpower you have to dedicate to other (some would say more important) things or people.
So I'm going to get rid of these extra toys that the kids don't even ask about anymore, that don't have all their pieces, and even some that require batteries that I don't feel like spending the money to replace. And seeing as how most of it got to us because someone else didn't want it either, I'm going to toss it in the trash and not feel even one tiny inkling of guilt about it.
Because sometimes, your trash is everybody else's trash too.
And you know what the kids are going to do? Mostly nothing. They won't even notice that stuff is gone. If they do notice, it will be in passing. I will answer honestly when they ask me if I know where it is, "No, I don't know exactly where it is." Then they will forget.
Oh, and they'll be running around the house with huge grins on their faces because, unbeknownst to them, they were weighed down by all the stuff they had to choose from to play with, and suddenly they feel much better. They won't know why, but they'll be happier. And I like happy children.
So next time you find yourself getting ready to donate something, please ask yourself if it is truly worth donating, or if it is more honorable to take a picture (with a camera or just your mind) and let it rest in peace.
Arienne
Hear me out.
Imagine with me for a minute...
It's that time again: Christmas, birthday, spring cleaning, your closet is overflowing, you can't afford the storage unit anymore or find yourself contemplating a bigger one. You've decided it's time to get rid of some stuff.
You unlock the lock, throw open the doors and behold: the Mountain of Stuff. Boxes and boxes of it. Some of it is from last week, some from last year, some from 30 years ago, some from the Mesozoic Era. Plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, metal boxes. Some black or silver or white garbage bags. You well and truly don't even know what's there exactly. What are you going to do with it? Toss. Keep. Donate.
You think to yourself as you open each box, Oh, I remember this! What a great time we had together. I guess I don't need it anymore. But it must still be useful! I'll donate it. Someone will want it.
Stop. Hold it right there.
What are you holding? Clothing? An old toy? A book? A piece of furniture? An 8-track player? A holey (that is NOT misspelled) shoe? A sock with no mate? An archaic piece of technology?
Is it REALLY going to help someone in need? Or is it just going to get some treasure-to-you-trash-to-everyone-else guilt off your chest? Will it help someone survive or live better, or will it just add to a pile of useless junk in someone else's closet or even the store because no one will pay money for it??
What brought this on? It is natural to wonder. I'll tell you.
My kids' toys.
It happens naturally enough. They get a toy from a friend or family member. They love it for a few hours, days, months, or the lucky toys even get a few years. Inevitably, the toys lose their appeal and drift to sundry bedroom corners or sink to the bottom of the toy box. Vital pieces go missing (or are eaten, ha).
"But!" you say. "We have memories here! I can't just throw our memories in the trash! If this such-and-such is used by someone else, our memories will be preserved, honored, remembered!"
Um. Yeah. No. Not really.
They won't have your memories. Your memories belong to you. They're pretty much meaningless to most everyone else, and that's fine.
You know what that stuff is doing in your house, to your house? To your psyche? To your soul??
Who has heard the backpack/rocks/sin parable? Raise of hands? Great! Well, it doesn't just pertain to sin.
The stuff we accumulate weighs on our minds. It stops us in our tracks physically and emotionally and spiritually. The more you have to keep track of, the less brainpower you have to dedicate to other (some would say more important) things or people.
So I'm going to get rid of these extra toys that the kids don't even ask about anymore, that don't have all their pieces, and even some that require batteries that I don't feel like spending the money to replace. And seeing as how most of it got to us because someone else didn't want it either, I'm going to toss it in the trash and not feel even one tiny inkling of guilt about it.
Because sometimes, your trash is everybody else's trash too.
And you know what the kids are going to do? Mostly nothing. They won't even notice that stuff is gone. If they do notice, it will be in passing. I will answer honestly when they ask me if I know where it is, "No, I don't know exactly where it is." Then they will forget.
Oh, and they'll be running around the house with huge grins on their faces because, unbeknownst to them, they were weighed down by all the stuff they had to choose from to play with, and suddenly they feel much better. They won't know why, but they'll be happier. And I like happy children.
So next time you find yourself getting ready to donate something, please ask yourself if it is truly worth donating, or if it is more honorable to take a picture (with a camera or just your mind) and let it rest in peace.
Arienne
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Guest Post for a Friend
My good friend Jenn Greenland has a blog all about essential oils and how awesome they are. However, she can't use anything with lavender so she asked me to write about the blend Past Tense. Check out my article and the others on her blog!
http://jenngreenlandoil.blogspot.com/2012/12/past-tense.html
Enjoy!
http://jenngreenlandoil.blogspot.com/2012/12/past-tense.html
Enjoy!
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