Sick Days Call for Chicken Noodle Soup

Today I woke up to the beautiful sound of rain pattering outside my window and the occasional boom of thunder in the distance. I enjoyed laying in bed for a while, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the morning before getting on with the day. I am so grateful for having today off! Today is my school district’s fair day- woohoo! I hadn’t realized how much I needed a day to get homework done, to spend some time with the Lord and to simply rest and recuperate before starting my second rotation of the semester.

Mom and Rayen are home with me today sick with what we like to call “the crud”. I hate knowing they feel bad and I try to help them out as much as I can, even if it’s something as small as running errands, emptying the dishwasher or cooking them lunch.
Enter the soup.
I believe chicken noodle soup is not only a comfort food, but it also has magical healing properties. At least that’s what it felt like when I was little and my mom would make me some to make me feel better! Now I am blessed with the chance to make her some when I’m sick. Funny how the tables turn as we get older!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to tweak it to make it my own! I love adding my own touch to recipes. And this soup was so good and so easy to make! It only took about 45 minutes from start to finish, and that included cooking the chicken and prepping all the veggies. I am so glad we have plenty of leftovers to bring to school for lunches.

Ingredients: 
2 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped or sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
9 cups chicken broth or water with  bouillon cubes
5 cooked chicken thighs, shredded or diced
2 cups brown rice and quinoa pasta (I got mine at Trader Joe’s!)

In a large stock pot, cook the carrots, onion, garlic and bay leaves in the margarine and olive oil until soft.
Add the chicken broth and simmer for 10-20 minutes.
Stir in the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the pasta and simmer until cooked (about 10 minutes). Make sure to take the bay leaves out before serving!