Chicken Soup Recipe

A Chicken Soup Recipe for the Runner’s Soul

It’s been nearly two months since my marathon. So far this spring has brought my family loads of illnesses and injuries, including a broken arm for my 7 year old daughter – which has kept us all indoors, and has kept me from hitting the pavement or treadmill. I’m finally back to running at least twice a week, although I’ve been focusing on speed work instead of distance running (partly because of my time limitations).

I’ve lost about 5 pounds since I stopped my marathon training. My body no longer needs to retain glycogen and fat stores, as it did when I was endurance training. And my appetite has noticeably decreased, so naturally I’m eating less. I’m pleased with the number on the scale, as it was a little hard adjusting to my weight gain. However, it’s just as important now to maintain a healthy diet – and if you’ve followed this column, you may recall that that’s been one of my biggest struggles.

Lately, my husband and I have been trying to shift our family’s eating habits away from highly processed foods with low nutritional value. So when I was given the opportunity to try a Family Meal Plan from eMeals, I selected the Clean Eating Family Plan. This plan uses natural, unprocessed ingredients to make simple meals – exactly what we were looking for.

Today I made eMeal’s Chicken Wild Rice Soup. Try this chicken soup recipe yourself and tell me what you think.

Marathon Mommy: Chicken Soup Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 1 stalk celery sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 6 skinless chicken thighs
  • 6 cups low-fat chicken broth
  • 1 cup wild rice mix
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven like this one (I received it as a wedding gift almost 10 years ago and love it).
  • Add onion, carrots, and celery. (No one in my family eats cooked celery, so I left this out.)
  • Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add chicken thighs and brown skin slightly, about 3 minutes.
  • Add chicken broth and rice. Cover and cook for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
  • When cool enough to touch, remove chicken and shred it.
  • Add chicken back to the soup mixture and heat thoroughly.
  • Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

This chicken soup turned out to be delicious – and healthy too! I think this is a good start to healthier eating habits for my whole family.

For more healthy ideas like this chicken soup recipe, and for more information about the Clean Eating Family Plan, visit eMeals.com.

p.s. Does anyone know a good way to chop onions without getting teary, burning eyes? If so, let me know in the comments below. Thanks, and enjoy the chicken soup recipe!

Topic: Chicken Soup Recipe