Chicken Noodle Soup

Well hello there! It's been far too long since my last post.

So first, a little update about the blog. As you may have noticed under the recipes section of my site there appears to be no recipes! I just about flipped when I saw this, with thoughts running through my head thinking, "how long has my website been like this?", and "why is this happening, why is there a blank page where all my recipes should reside in one big collection?". Well it turns out the culprit was the implementation of SSL to make my site more secure. Without getting too technical, it basically decided that the bit of code I use to load and log all my recipes from a website called ReciPage was insecure and it is now blocking it from loading. 

This has been a huge headache for me, I even received a nasty email from someone telling me that my site was horrible. Ugh. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has been, but please be kind. This is my own little corner of the internet and sometimes things go wrong when it comes to technology. 

I'm working diligently on collecting, categorizing, and rebuilding all my recipes on a new dedicated Recipes section for the blog. It wont be fast, but it will be reliable. And in the meantime you can go to the current recipes section and get the recipes to show by clicking on the green lock in the upper left corner of your browser right beside the url bar. A small window will open that looks like this:

Once you have that showing you then click on the little arrow you can see to the far right of that small window. Next you want to click on the button that says, "Disable Protection For Now". This should allow you to view my recipes while I work on getting the page up and running. Of course you can also use the search bar in the right sidebar at the top of every page.

Thank you so much for all patience. If you ever have any questions or suggestions please contact me. Your support means a lot to me! You guys are what helps me keep this blog going. 

Now let's get down to the goods.

This soup. It was so good!!!

Fall and wintry foods have really been speaking to me lately. They're so comforting, easy to prepare, and simple.

This chicken noodle soup is no exception either.

Whether its a case of the sniffles or just another weekday night, there's something magical about chicken soup.

There are so many variations on chicken soup: white chicken chilli, spicy chicken gumbo, chicken minestrone. But a good classic chicken noodle is my favourite. It's perfect for these cold winter months and it comes together quickly. It would be great idea to make it ahead of time and freeze some for busy or lazy weeknights.

This hearty soup is practically a meal in itself.

Chicken Noodle Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cups no-salt added chicken broth
• 2 cups diced russet or baking potato, about 1 large
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 8 ounces cooked chicken, sliced
• 2 ounces uncooked large egg noodles

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic clove; sauté 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle oregano and thyme over vegetables, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, potato, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 25 minutes or until potato is tender.
3. Add cooked chicken and egg noodles, and cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Nutrition Facts

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups approx.): 208 calories, 1.2g of fat, 0.1g saturated fat, 25.5g of carbs, 4.5g fiber, 4.6g sugar, 463mg sodium, 22.5g of protein

Bonus Nutritional Benefits: Vitamin A 47.5%, Vitamin C 28%, Iron 9.4%

Percentage values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Happy New Year everyone!

Mint Chocolate Protein Bars

So I may have just created my most favourite protein bar (sorry don't tell the other protein bars here). As some of you may already know my love for all things mint chocolate runs deep. Almost as deep as my love for chocolate and peanut butter. Are there any other mint chocolate fans out there? Come on, show me your hands!

The best part about these bars is how they really aren't as indulgent as they sound. I used a handful of ingredients including quick oats, medjool dates, a touch of maple syrup, and chocolate whey protein isolate + some mint and caramel extract. That's the main make up of the bars, plus a bit of water to bring the bars together. No added sugars except the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup...you know how I roll.

One thing you will notice is that they have 20 grams of sugar, but that is due to the medjool dates (a fruit). So I wouldn't get too worried about it. Just think of these as a treat or healthy dessert with some added protein. Not an everyday thing.

These are so soft and chewy and UGH so good. You'll want to keep some stashed in the fridge for "emergencies". The actual bars come together quite quickly, they just need a little time to set up in the fridge and then you can cut them.

Then it's time to dunk them in melted dark chocolate with a dash of mint extract. However if you prefer them aú natural I would totally understand. No judging here ;)

Now go make them!

Mint Chocolate Protein Bars

(makes 6 bars)

Ingredients:

Filling

• 2 cups (160g) quick oats
• 9 medjool dates (about 156g with pits removed)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 1/2 tsp caramel extract
• 1/4cup (31g) North Coast Naturals chocolate iso whey protein powder

Coating

• 100g 70% dark chocolate
• 1/4 tsp peppermint oil*

Directions:

1. In a food processor, mix together all filling ingredients (from dates to chocolate protein powder), stopping as needed to scrape down the sides.
2. Transfer the dough into a small rectangular baking dish lined with parchment paper (I used a 7x5 baking dish). Anything of a similar size like a plastic storage container will also work. Press the dough down firmly to shape for cutting into bars. Place the dish in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer to let them firm up.
3. Cut the block of bars into 6 and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. When ready to coat melt the dark chocolate in a small heat proof bowl set over a pot of water on low heat; make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Once the chocolate is melted stir the peppermint oil in until smooth.  
5. Dunk each bar into the melted chocolate with tongs or two forks, let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl then set back on lined baking tray. To add a special touch, drizzle the top of each bar with a bit of the remaining chocolate.
6. Place the tray in the fridge until chocolate is fully set.
7. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Notes:

*Do not try to stir peppermint extract into your melted chocolate or it will clump together. It is the alcohol in the extract that makes this happen. This is why I used peppermint oil instead. You can find peppermint oil at any baking store like the Bulk Barn and even Walmart. 

Nutrition Facts

For one bar: 285 calories, 7.5g of fat, 3.7g saturated fat, 46g of carbs, 5g fiber, 23g sugar, 23mg sodium, 9g of protein