The Farm Stand: Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

For a Healthy New Year

By BeeWench Farm

Happy New Year. It’s time to create some goals and focus on the future. greater nutrition. Eating more fruits and veggies also increases the amount of fiber in your diet, which Personally, I come up with a few goals that I like to write down every year. I print them out and put them somewhere I can read them every morning. Focusing on those goals in the morning helps me work all day with them in mind.

One goal that I write down every year is to eat healthier. It’s reoccurring because I am always trying to get better at it. I know this is a common goal among many of us, but it can be difficult to stick to. After having this goal staring me in the face every morning for the past four years, I have improved my health immensely through better food choices. I have also experimented, learned a ton, and failed a bunch in the past four years, but I never gave up.

Did you know that most grocery produce loses a lot of nutrient density because it sits so long in boxes before getting to the shelf? Our local farmers usually harvest the produce they are selling to you that morning. This means that when you buy your fruits and veggies at a local market, you are already improving your health through helps you feel fuller and cleanses your gut. This month’s recipe may seem a little boring, but soup is one of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense foods that you can eat. It also has been proven to help people lose weight, help with several health issues, and can help heal their gut. It’s also great to help you overcome any illness and prevent them. It’s also souper versatile, and you can add in any veggies and flavors to make it taste great to you. I also highly recommend making your own chicken stock or broth. It’s super easy and will save you a ton of money. If you are interested in trying that, we have great recipes for stock and bone broth on our BeeWench Farm website. We also sell premade bone broth at our stand. This soup goes very well with a side salad. My favorite side salad is red romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, red onion, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, and avocado with a vinegar and olive oil dressing. I also love having fresh sourdough bread with soup and we have some amazing local bakers at the markets every week. CLASSIC CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion (diced) 2 stalks celery (diced) 1 ½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (we love Bren’s Poultry Seasoning) 2 teaspoons garlic powder 4 large carrots (peeled and sliced into ½” rounds) 8 cups of chicken stock or bone broth 2 cups noodles (we like Etto Pasta noodles, but egg noodles work well too) 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken (you can also use raw chicken, read note in directions)

Directions:

1. Add the olive oil, diced onions and celery to a large pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and garlic powder and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Stir frequently to prevent sticking. 2. Pour the chicken stock into the stockpot and add the sliced carrots.

Bring the chicken broth to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes to soften the carrots.

3. Add the noodles and shredded chicken to the pot. Bring the broth back up to a simmer and cook until the noodles are done and the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Note:

1. For raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast: Use 2 large chicken breast that have been cut in half to help it cook faster. Add the raw chicken to the stockpot in step 3 and allow the chicken to simmer in the broth for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and use two forks to shred the meat before adding it back into the pot along with the dry noodles.

Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until the noodles are done.

2. I like to make the noodles separate and add them in when I make up a bowl to eat. This way, you can freeze any leftover soup without the noodles. Cooked noodles never seem to thaw well. If you want to stay away from gluten, swap the noodles for rice. 3. For extra flavor, pick up some cheese from Vintage Cheese to grate over the top.