Grandma Brown's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

From the time I was literally a toddler, I remember watching my grandmother make this soup.  It is still my favorite meal EVER.  Whenever I make it, I eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it is gone!  It is great for colds, sore throats, and bad moods! I don't have an exact recipe because I just do it, so bare with me and feel free to ask any questions. 

Ingredients:
1 chicken (giblets included) - the fattier the chicken, the yummier the broth (in my opinion!)
Approximately half a bag of flour

1 Dozen Eggs

1/4 Cup Water

3-4 Bay Leaves

Salt

Pepper (Fresh ground is the best)

Put the chicken/giblets, salt, fresh ground pepper, and bay leaves in a large pot of water.  Bring to a boil.  Let it boil for approx. 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat down.  Place a lid on the pot.  Let it cook until the chicken is literally falling off the bones.  I usually keep it on the stove for about 4 hours. 

Meanwhile, crack 12 eggs into a kitchen aid or large bowl.  Stir them up so that there is no difference between the yolks and the whites.  Add 1/4 cup water and stir.  Turn on the kitchen aid (use the dough hook) and slowly add flour until the dough is slightly hard and not very sticky at all.  You will use a lot of flour!   If you are not using a kitchenaid, just knead it the old-fashioned way with your hands. 

Let the dough rest for about 5-10 minutes.

Separate the dough into fist-size balls.

 
Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough.  You will need to use a lot of flour here too.

Let the rolled-out dough get dry enough that it doesn't stick, but not so dry that it will break or crumble when you roll it.  This takes a while.  Then turn the rolled-out dough over to let the other side dry. 
Once the dough is "right", roll each circle like your rolling a cinnamon roll. Then, use the sharpest knife in your house to cut the noodles.  See photo below:

You will want to cut the noodles as thin as you can because they expand when cooked.  I learned this the hard way about a hundred times - haha! 
Once all the noodles are cut, muss them all up with your fingers, so that they actually unwind and look like noodles.

Let them sit out a while to dry even more. 

Once the chicken is done, hoist it out of the pot into another container.  Strain the broth so that you get all the "yuckies" out, aka the giblets.  (I wish I didn't have to use the giblets at all, but they add TONS of yummy flavor to the broth - I tried it without the giblets once and it just wasn't the same).  Now, this is where I hand pick out the pieces of chicken.  I just use my fingers to pick out the good pieces of chicken - light and dark, and I separate it into another container.  Then, I throw the rest of the chicken away.

Add the chicken back to the broth and let simmer. 

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add the noodles.  Cook the noodles until they are almost done and then transfer them to the broth/chicken pan.  Let them finish cooking in the broth.  Voila!!!  Yummy Soup!

Quick Toddler Lunch. Plus some for Mom.

I make a super quick Guacamole using two avocados and about a tablespoon of salsa, maybe two tablespoons. I don't really measure. Smush (that's a made up word) it all up with a fork. For us, one bell pepper (I used orange) was perfect to finish off this amount of Guacamole. If you wanted to, you could add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of mayo to make it creamier. Or, even better, if you're into soy, some silken tofu would do the creaminess trick (but you'd have to blend it in a food processor or blender). I find it plenty rich without either of those embellishments.

I then smeared two bananas with about a tablespoon of nut butter each, cut them into slices, and we went at it. It was the perfect amount of food for Ella and I to share, although I needed a little more lunch once she was napping.

Yum.

It is a little fatty-- but I'm breastfeeding and Ella's a two-year-old, so we're into (good) high fat foods these days.

Lisa's Favorite Green Smoothie

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 5 minutes


Ingredients:
1 apple*, cut into fourths
1 banana  (if you ant the smoothie to be colder, then freeze the banana)
1/2 avocado
4 pitted dates
5 ounces organic baby spinach
If you don't have a Vita-Mix, then you're going to have to add juice so that your blender doesn't burn up!


Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.


Note: *No need to peel apple if organic.
 
-In Dr. Fuhrman's Cookbook
-Created by Lisa Fuhrman
-Page 9 in Christina's Healthy Recipes Cookbook

Apple Pumpkin Soup

(A delicious way to get your spinach!)

Serves: 4 (large servings)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
3 cups water
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, or more to taste
1 15-ounce can easy pumpkin pie mix
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup soy milk
4 packed cups organic baby spinach


Instructions:
1) Saute water, onion, and ginger in medium saucepan until soft.

2) Add water, apples, curry, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover and simmer until apples are tender, 10-15 minutes.

3) Stir in pumpkin until smooth and heat another ten minutes.

4) In a blender, puree half of the mixture along with the cashews & spinach until smooth and return to the pan.

5) Stir in soy milk.

6) Garnish with apple slices sprinkled with nutmeg &/or cinnamon.  You can also put a spinach leaf in there to make it pretty!

Note: This is a light and rather elegant soup that makes a great fall dish & it makes you whole house smell so good!  It has a sweet, nutty taste to it that kids love.  Sophie couldn't get enough of it!
 

_____________________________________________________

 
-Modified from J. Myers' Recipe she posted on the Dr. Fuhrman Website


-Page 76 in Christina's "Healthy Recipes" Cookbook (please note that I've modified this recipe & it is different from the one in my cookbook).