This week in our house hold everyone has had a little bit of the Fall Crud. That icky sinus, cough, scratchy throat thing that goes around when the seasons change. That inspired me to make my daughters favorite chicken and rice soup. My three year old has some serious sensory issues with food so any way I can sneak veggies into his meals is always a win. Today he helped me chop carrots, slice scallions, pinch in spices and stir it all together. Getting your kids involved in cooking with an age appropriate tasking helps them feel pride in what goes in to their bodies. It teaches lessons that will last their life time and raises awareness about ingredients and what they are actually consuming. Feed them the rainbow, teach them to love all the foods you do! When my picky eater feels ownership for a meal he is 10x's more likely to eat it.
So- first- the shopping list
_ 1 rotisserie chicken (if you have one that you ate this week and picked clean save the bones in a bag in the freezer and just buy some chicken tenderloins)
_ carrots, celery whatever other veggies you like in your soup, zucchini, squash, lima beans etc
(I used 4 regular sized carrots, 1/2 and onion and 4 celery stalks)
_ my two secret ingredients mini peppers, I used about 7 (or a large green bell pepper) and green onions, I used two long stalks
_ 1/2 a cup of white rice
32 oz of chicken stock in a carton like Swanson's
2 cups of water
1/2 a lemon juiced
salt, pepper, and dried basil to taste
(This is a set it and forget it type of meal, you only have to check in on it a few times and add the rice at the very end)
Start by pouring water and chicken stock into a very large stock pot. make sure your chicken is submerged. If not add a little more water (you got yourself a HULK). Start the pot on medium heat, covered, until it boils. Then reduce the heat to simmer, still bubbling a bit, for 4-5 hours. For anyone who has never boiled broth from chicken bones let me assure you it is full of amazing nutrients and flavor, and it helps tremendously with colds, and general crabbiness. After the hours have passed your chicken should be falling apart into pieces. Pull out the chicken with tongs, a strainer, or a slotted spoon. Place all the chicken pieces you can find in a large bowl to cool off.
Next, start chopping your veggies into bite sized chunks and add them to your broth. The peppers and green onions go too. Then add the spices and your lemon juice. Once your chicken has cooled enough- prepare to get messy! Use your fingers to sort out the meat from the bones. The chicken will be extra soft and juicey so it should just fall apart and separate very easily. Throw all the meat bits back into the pot with the veggies. Now cover it back up and let it start to bubble on low again for another couple of hours.
Then, about 20-30 minutes before you want to eat add in your 1/2 a cup of rice. Stir it for about a minute then cover it back up and let the rice cook until it is done. Take it off the heat and serve.
ENJOY you just made Campbell's your Witch :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment