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Monday, November 3, 2014

Chicken and Barley CROCKPOT Soup... and a book recommendation!

Good day everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and you come back re-energized and ready to keep walking through this life in a worshipful attitude....

And talking about worship, tomorrow is the last day of Ladies Bible Study this fall! I can't believe it... that was so fast! We studied the Bible focusing on worship with the help of Lorraine Hill and her book: "Deepening Your Worship" I hope you take a look at it... it's been convicting, edifying and really a good read! It does take you all over Scripture... so get ready to get to the "cleanest pages in your Bible"

And now... to the soup...

If you are a "Trim Healthy Mama" you've probably realized that there's a lot of freedom when it comes to food... but I've found that for some reason it seems that we get a little stuck eating "S" meals and we can't seem to be able to make the healthy switch between S and E meals... I get it... don't think I don't... S meals are soooo delicious, creamy or cheesy, full of yummy/healthy fats, etc... but... if we remember, the healthiest approach to this method is to keep things moving and changing... we do have to incorporate good healthy carbs, meals with a higher carb count that will boost our energy and will keep our system on its toes.... if you didn't know this, mixing healthy carbs into your diet tell your system "it's ok", carbs help our metabolism "calm down" and the cortisol levels decrease (which helps our adrenal glands and of course helps the "fat go away")... a higher carb meal is like a "massage"... of course we shouldn't overdo them... but we should definitely include them... carbs keep things moving and provide the very necessary dietary fiber so we can be heathy and happy....

So... please remember to welcome "E" meals in your Trim Healthy Mama Menu.... Fall is here and its beautiful colors as well! We start craving soups and of course we start seeing all the amazingly delicious creamy soups appear and fill our Pinterest Boards but what about "E" soups? I do love a great turkey chili as well... but... there's more than that! The possibilities are endless... Today I am sharing one of my very favorites, this one I ended up making one day when I actually ended up ruining a whole meal when my crockpot lid chipped on one end and I ended up with tiny pieces of glass in my food, I thought it was a tragedy (it really was though!) but blessings can come out of bad things and this soup was created when I put together the only ingredients I had left for a soup.... The result was a successful, yummy "E" soup that hubby and my girls love and enjoy so much they actually get excited when they know I am making it... so here it goes:


Chicken and Barley Soup with vegetables
Yield: 4 very generous servings

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts (Depending on the size)
  • 3/4 - 1 cup of raw pearl barley (I love Bob's Red Mill - Pearl Barley)
  • 3 stalks of celery (chopped)
  • 1/3 cup chopped white onion
  • 2 medium carrots (chopped)
  • 32 oz. chicken broth (fat free and preferably organic)
  • about 1 cup of water
  • 1 tsp. crushed dry bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed dry oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • sea salt to taste (be generous, about 2 teaspoons, add more if needed before serving)

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your crock pot (preferably thawed but it's ok if they're frozen),  add the rest of the ingredients on top, cover and cook in low for about 4-6 hours, remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks, gently stir to incorporate and if you need more liquid add a bit more hot chicken broth, taste and more of salt if needed. Serve immediately. Enjoy!!!

Preparing my soup in my new very much needed crockpot



If you try it... please let me know how you liked it! ;)


Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, the product recommendations are entirely my personal opinion, I have not been paid or compensated in any way to recommend them.


© Paloma K.

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