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!

Shepherd's Pie with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Well hello February. Where did you come from?

Can you believe January has already come and gone?

I sure can't. Sometimes it's just scary how fast time moves.

Having said that, I hope everyone is still on track with their 2015 goals. I've definitely been focusing on digging in, staying focused and keeping the momentum rolling. Coming up with new recipes and challenging myself with ideas. It's not always easy getting into that creative zone. Do you know what I mean? Some days I will stare at the blank page of a new post and nothing comes to me.  But I'm taking things one day at a time and not worrying about the little things that don't get done or if they're not as perfect as I'd like them to be done.

Sometimes I find that all I need is some good music to bring on the inspiration or an ass-kicking workout will always do the trick. 

But before I start ranting let's get to this clean recipe for shepherd's pie.

I've eaten this shepherd's pie twice already this week. All I can say is, thank goodness for leftovers!

I'm all about keeping this stocked in my fridge or freezer 24/7 so it's ready to go when I am.

Shepherd's pie has always been a favourite of mine. I really wanted to make a healthy version that's as good as the one's my mum and grandma used to make. I have to say this was just as good as the one's I remember eating growing up. Even my dad loved it. He actually had no idea it was healthy! That was pretty amazing to hear.

This shepherd's pie uses lean ground turkey and topped off with the most incredible buttermilk mashed potatoes.

And did I mention it's gluten-free and low in fat?

So seriously. Go make this for dinner now. You'll thank me for the leftovers ;)

Shepherd's Pie with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

by Jennifer Trennum

Prep Time: 30-40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake saute entree main dish gluten-free grain-free protein soy-free turkey potatoes carrots

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Ingredients (6-8 servings)

• 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (russets are also nice)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
• Sea salt, to taste
• Pinch white pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped small
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and mash well. Add buttermilk, roasted garlic powder, sea salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until they begin to take on colour, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add ground turkey and cook, stirring often, until meat is no longer pink.

Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, and a pinch of salt and black pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Transfer mixture to a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes spreading evenly with a fork. Place in oven and bake until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size: (1 1/2 cups Shepherd’s Pie) Calories: 308 Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 0.5g Carbohydrates: 10g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 5g Protein: 25g Cholesterol: 40mg Sodium: 160mg

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