My stomach has been rebelling against me for the past few days, most likely as a result of the consumption of one or two alcoholic beverages this weekend. It's possible that the 4 chocolate chip cookies, 1 donut, 1 mini package of Cheez-its, and leftover guacamole and chips that I ate yesterday also contributed to the raging heartburn and stomach pain, but it's hard to be sure. (So I had the munchies at work yesterday. It happens to the best of us.)
Anyway, I decided that something easy on the stomach was in order for dinner tonight. And although it was 80 degrees and humid today, (Seriously, October?? I had high hopes for you.) I still felt like making something warm and comforting.
Easy Weeknight Chicken Soup
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 boxes chicken broth (64 oz.)
1/4 box whole wheat penne
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
Grape tomatoes, halved
Baby spinach, 2 handfuls
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Basil
Dash of salt and pepper
Garlic salt (for chicken)
- Combine chicken broth, pasta, carrots, celery, onions, and spices in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Boil for about 15 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
- Season chicken pieces with garlic salt and pepper.
- Saute chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Chicken should be browned but slightly undercooked.
- Add tomatoes to chicken broth and continue to boil for 5 minutes, then turn to low heat.
- Add chicken and spinach to pot and stir until spinach is wilted. Chicken should finish cooking in the broth.
- Top with some tasty shredded cheddar cheese! What else??
Tummy-healing goodness. Plus cheese.
Not bad for a quick weeknight soup! I do have a top secret "homemade, from-scratch" chicken soup recipe that I developed in my tiny Hilltop Apartment kitchen, but that takes at least 2 hours to make, and will have to wait for another night! (Just a quick caveat: check the sodium content of your chicken broth. One thing I hate is super salty soup! Add less, or no salt if needed.) Also, watch out for the tomatoes. They are little exploding bombs of hotness.
Nothing else exciting here. The biggest part of my night was taking the trash out. Sounds pretty easy. Well, not when your yard has been taken over by giant spiders. And I mean seriously, seriously large spiders. I am NOT a fan of them. Or any spiders, no matter the size. Our trash cans are behind the garage, which is not attached to the house. And it was dark out. THEY COULD SNEAK UP ON ME. I almost took a web AND spider to the face the other day when I went in the garage. The big bugger decided to make its home across the entire door way. So. Gross.
Things I needed to prepare for my trash excursion:
- 1 lamp post light: ON
- 1 front door light: ON
- 2 garage lights: ON
- 2 back deck lights: ON (Gotta make sure I won't be walking into any webs)
- 1 mini LED lantern: ON
- 1 medium-sized white boxer, preferably one that glows in the dark (For moral support)
Luckily I made it back without any spider encounters, and hopefully made RoomDog feel guilty for NEVER taking the trash out. I'm not holding my breath on that one though...
We (BearFace, Murph, and I) are making the trek back to Connecticut for the weekend tomorrow night after work. Must say, I'm pretty excited to see my parents and hopefully a few friends too. That is, if Drew and I manage to survive 4 hours in an enclosed vehicle with a gassy boxer...
Can you guys crack a window? It smells kinda funky back here.
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