Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ever heard SOUP is liquid Comfort? 

On those cold days a bowl of soup sure does warm my soul!! 

Soups can be quite involved though when making from scratch although that won't stop me! Some though for the time involved it will stop them from making homemade soups and instead they will opt for the store bought canned varieties. I use to eat those too until I looked at the ingredients and realized there is a whole lot more JUNK in there than I would prefer and the canned varieties are a TON more expensive!! So to lessen the amount of processed food I eat and save some money I now make my own SOUP!!

I am here today to help you do the same!
One of the all time favorite soups is Chicken Noodle!!
It is also the #1 go to soup when you or others are sick!!

A while back I came upon a chicken noodle soup recipe that you could make in the crock pot.
Well if you are short on time the Crock pot by far is a great kitchen tool that can help save you time!!
The recipe though when I tried it didn't taste quite right so I have been working on it and the recipe I made last night was spot on DELICIOUS!!

This recipe is super easy to make, you can prep all the ingredients the night before, and all you need to do is remember to turn on the crock pot before you leave the house in the morning!

Simple enough right!!
Oh and don't forget this will save you money too by making your own SOUP!!

Another WIN in my book!!

So here it goes....

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients...
2 pounds raw cut up boneless, skinless chicken (choose your size, I like smaller pieces but some prefer larger)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
1 tablespoon 21 day Fix All-Purpose Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti cooked
Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions...
Add chicken to bottom of crock pot
Add celery, carrots, garlic, onion on top
Sprinkle with 21 day fix all-purpose seasoning, parsley, sea salt, & black pepper
Add olive oil over top
Add chicken broth
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high
Right before you serve the soup add in the cooked spaghetti (I did this as I will filling everyone's drink glasses)
Serve with optional parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and last but not least
Enjoy!!

This recipe makes ~ 6-8 servings.
If you follow proper portion size then you should measure out 1 1/2 cups (not including broth) for an adult serving.
If you follow the 21 day fix Nutrition plan then this would equal 1/2 Green, 1 Red, and 1 Yellow
(if adding parmesan cheese add in 1 Blue).

My family normally finishes this meal within a day or two but if you don't like leftovers this recipe after made can be frozen as well. This is a great way to fill that freezer with healthy meals so when in a pinch you can always defrost and enjoy the yummy goodness of homemade soup!!

I love sharing healthy recipes with you and I hope you enjoy them too!! If you have a family favorite meal that you need help making healthier let me know! I will be happy to help!!

Until then, enjoy a bowl of nice warm soup!!

xoxo,

My Baby Steps with FOOD

I've been all about taking baby steps when doing most things in my life. I have never been one to jump in with both feet and be successful. When I have jumped in with both feet - one it doesn't feel right and two whatever I am attempting to do either does not last or I fail miserably. Failing is not always a bad thing I get that. We need to fail in order to succeed. I have seen many others jump in with both feet and be successful. I have tried it over and over again and yet failure is always my outcome. What I have learned is stick with what has worked best throughout my life and where I have learned the most - Baby Steps!!

A few months back a friend of mine introduced me to a woman named the FLYLADY!! (if you have not heard of the FLYLADY I highly recommend checking her out and following her ASAP!! www.flylady.net)

She had mentioned her to me before but I never looked into who this person was. Well one day I was so fed up with not making progress I decided to check out the FLYLADY. Her first task was to shine my sink. WHAT?!?! I have a messy house including a sink full of dishes and you want me to shine my sink? YES, that was the first task. Being that I was at a loss for any further steps in life I decided to do it...I shined my sink!! It was from that moment on I started to understand the FLYLADY.  I continued on with the tasks, routines, and I read her book. Let me tell you I have started MANY books over the past years and very few I have finished - SINK REFLECTIONS I finished!! I feel one of the many reasons why I connected with the FLYLADY was because she too believes in Baby Steps. Take those BABY STEPS and they will lead to those bigger accomplishments without the overwhelming feeling.

As I continue to follow the FLYLADY's system and incorporate it into my own life I realized something very critical to my success. For quite some time now I have been trying to be like other people. I have been doing what they are doing to be successful, I have be
en drinking their kool aid, I have been keeping up with the Joneses. Well guess what all of this is not true to who I am. How did I let myself fall into this? I saw their shiny success and I wanted it for my own. How they got there though was their journey not mine. I have finally come to an understanding of this!!

Back to babysteps....
when I first started a life change a few years ago I took on learning how to lose baby weight after my second child was born. That led to learning how to eat healthier, incorporating exercise into my daily life, and best of all being happier. I lost the weight, I got fit, I got healthy, and got happy...FINALLY!! RIGHT?!?! Well when I came the realization I was back to being a person that wasn't happy (the keeping up with the Joneses person) I reflected back to what I did in the beginning that helped me progress...FOOD!!

Did you see that one coming? Yep, I didn't either!! FOOD for so many of us is yes how we survive but to others FOOD can also be an ENEMY.  We eat food to make ourselves feel better, we eat food because of the chemicals that keep us coming back for more, we eat food socially....The food we eat can either help us or hurt us. I use to eat healthy but for one reason or another I got away from it. When I started my healthy lifestyle journey back in 2012 I had to deal with FOOD!! I read about clean eating, I read about what foods are good and bad to eat at certain times of days, I read about this that and the other. I have always LOVED learning. This time I was learning about FOOD is a different way. How the very foods I eat every day can either hurt or help me.

I learned when  I eat healthy foods I feel a thousand times better, happier!! I learned I have more energy when I eat healthy foods. I learned the pounds and inches fall off when I eat healthy foods. This all lead to my quest to find healthy meals that mimicked some of mine and my family's favorite meals. As I was searching for new recipes I came to another realization I was having fun COOKING!! UM, this was a surprise to me and even more of a surprise was the food I was making was so ridiculously yummy!! Yes, I am patting myself on the back here!! Not only was I enjoying it but also my family was too. As I realized how much fun I was having and the food was turning out well I decided to start sharing those recipes with others. I enjoyed this too!! A ton of the recipes I have tried and shared so many have loved. Not only have they loved them but these simple recipes we are all making in our homes have also helped many of us adopt healthier eating habits!! Win win for many of us and so after my LONG story today I am finally at the point of sharing, one of my baby steps I am getting back to is sharing recipes that my family and I try and enjoy with YOU!! My hope is for the same thing to happen as it did before - WE BOTH BENEFIT!

Eating healthy does not have to be a chore. Instead it can be great fun!
Ready to take Baby Steps with me?
Ready for some new recipes? I have a ton I can't wait to share with you!!
Be sure to check back later this week!! and please if you have a family favorite meal that you want to make healthier send it my way!! I would love to help you!!

XOXO, 

A New Month and working on a New ME...again!!

WELCOME BACK!!

I am saying this to YOU and to ME!!

It has been quite some time since I last wrote here...DID you miss me?

Well I am not sure if you gathered from previous posts during the end of summer up until my recent hiatus but I have been going through a tougher time in life. I won't get into all the details here yet but the short story is this - I felt like I have been in a life funk for quite a few months. It was like a roller coaster...things were good, things were bad, things were okay, things got worse. It took me quite some time to come to this realization and with professional help and the help of my dear friends and sister I finally found out what was going on and now I am on the road to making it all better!!

The question I keep asking myself is WHY did I let myself get into this funk and then why did I let myself stay in this funk? I often talk about taking the time for ourselves to exercise so why oh why would I not take the time to take care of myself in other ways as well? I don't know the answer to that question, all I do know if moving forward my mental and physical self are being taken care of!!

It is really hard for me to share my struggles publicly and I am doing so in the hopes that if there is someone out there going through a time of life like I am that I can be that helping hand!!

Helping others is something I have always done! Ask my friends from way back when and they will tell you the same. I have always been the listener, the advice giver, the shoulder to cry on, and I also like to think I have been there to give the needed boost so many of us need!!

An example of how I choose to help others is back in 2012 when I decided to become a beachbody coach. I went through a different struggle after my second child was born and through beachbody and the health and fitness groups (a.k.a challenge groups) I took part in I too was able to get myself back on track. Here's my story from then MY STORY...

I feel if we have struggles and we learn ways to get through them then we should share them with others.  Not everyone feels this way but I do and so I plan on sharing more of my continued journey through life.

Taking time away from certain activities in my life was a crucial step in my "recovery". I took time away from Facebook (except my personally run groups),

this was my FB profile pic while on my hiatus :)

growing my business, outside activities, and more. Where I focused my time was getting my life in order, spending quality time with my family, and focusing on my faith.  I got a lot of slack from others about doing this but I knew it was what needed to be done. One of the priests at my church said this quote one "It is none of my business what others think of me" and that quote has helped me through MANY tough times when people were doubting me or pushing me down in life!! I have been reminded that we are on this Earth for a reason and only a certain amount of time. WE should all be going forward knowing we have a specific purpose and it is up to us to carry it out. Making the most out of life is important and I don't know about you but I want to be my best self so those shiny gates of Heaven will be open for me. HIS thoughts matter!!

Going forward I have slowly started to integrate myself back into LIFE!!
I am back on facebook, I am hosting more groups, I am building my business, and this month I am back to blogging and focusing on my team. I took these baby steps because I knew jumping all in was not going to be the best decision. My head is more clear now and I can devote the time that is needed to each area of my life with greater focus. For this I am a stronger, more determined, and more wise person and leader!!

Welcome Back ME!!
Welcome Back YOU!!