One of the things I hate about this time of the year (other than the cold and snow - ha!), is this seems to be the time of the year everyone gets sick. As much as I try to keep my family healthy and away from germs, sometimes they still get sick. Unfortunately, having a large family often means that if one of us gets sick, all of us get sick. Definitely not good!
On a recent trip to Target, I stocked up on some winter necessities! I almost always have stuff on hand to make chicken and noodle soup or chicken and rice soup. I also grabbed a 4 pack box of Kleenex tissues. You never know when coughs, colds or even the flu is going to hit - and I like being prepared!
The weather has been super wacky here in Phoenix. We recently had 3 days of rain and from what I understand, it's not typical here - not even in the monsoon season. The temperatures took a major nose-dive as well.
Abby woke up sick the other night. It's so hard to watch your children suffer when you feel so helpless. There's just not much you can do for them. Thankfully, my kiddos don't get sick too often - I just prayed that no one else got what she had!
How many times have you heard that he best things for you when you're sick is to get plenty of rest and fluids? When I was growing up, my gramma and my mom always gave me chicken noodle soup. I'm not sure if there were magical powers in that soup, but it always comforted me and made me feel better. I was always given a box of Kleenex tissues, saltine crackers and all the 7-Up I could drink. Come to think of it, that's the only time I was ever given a free ticket to drink all the soda I wanted! Normally, soda was a very rare treat for us! They also made sure I had an empty trash can close by if I had the flu (in case I couldn't make it to the bathroom in time, of course!)
With my own children, I find myself giving them the same advice - plenty of rest and fluids. When Abby wasn't feeling well the other day, I made some chicken noodle soup (she just picked out the noodles and ate them!) - and she had some crackers and 7-Up - just like my gramma and mom gave me when I was little. We kept the Kleenex tissues close as we watched Nick Jr. most of the day and snuggled!
Thankfully, whatever she had seemed to be a 24-hour bug - and no one else got sick! Praise the Lord! Since the winter season is just beginning, I am so glad I have stocked up on stuff to make more chicken noodle soup, and I have 6 boxes total of Kleenex tissues in the pantry! Something tells me I may need them! We usually have 2 or 3 boxes around the house in the winter months!
I do my chicken noodle soup a little different than most. I like my noodles to stay more firm, so I cook them separately and add them to the bowls individually. You could totally just add them to the soup and save yourself that hassle - but if you prefer a more firm noodle in your soup, this is definitely the way to do it! ;) They don't get as mushy! I've also included the method to cook the noodles in the soup below!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Printable recipe
Yield: 8 servings
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 quarts (16 cups) chicken stock
16 oz. dried wide egg noodles, cooked according to pkg. directions, drained and tossed with 1 tbsp. butter
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrots. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Pour the chicken stock in and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chicken. Allow chicken to heat through. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve: scoop some of the noodles into individual bowls. Add some of the chicken, vegetables and broth over the top.
**NOTE: You can also cook the noodles directly in the soup - Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrots. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Pour the chicken stock in and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chicken. Allow chicken to heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
By the way, you can save $1 off Kleenex tissues 4-packs or larger by grabbing this Target coupon! It's great to have a few boxes on hand for cough, cold and flu season!
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