Not Yo Momma's Chicken Noodle Soup

 

 

 

It's that time of the year again.  The time of year that as a momma, I just dread.  The boxes of tissues, the sniffles, vaporizers and essential oils coming out the wazoo.  I think we can all agree...mommas don't get sick days. Am I right?  Unless you're lucky enough for your significant other to work from home or make his own schedule, sick days are generally the hardest days. 

 

Whether it's momma who is under the weather or the babies or both.  Oh, I just cringe at that last scenario. 

 

I'm so proud of this homemade chicken noodle soup recipe.  It's one I've been working on and perfecting for the past year.  It's simple and filling and is a perfect quick meal on a sick day when no one wants to run to the store for a can of Campbell's. 

 

 

Start by sautéing the celery and onion in some butter.  Once the veggies are pale, add in the flour to create a thickening agent.

 

 

This recipe is great because it can be made gluten free by using brown rice flour and gluten free noodles and it still tastes amazing. If gluten free isn't your choice then feel free to use the all purpose flour and noodles of your choice!

 

Add in your chicken broth and spices and then bring to a boil.

 

 

 

Let your broth simmer on low for 10 minutes or so and then add in your carrots and cooked chicken.  I like to use dark meat chicken for extra flavor but white meat tastes great too.

 

 

Lastly, add in your noodles.  The key to this step is making sure you only cook your noodles to el dente.  Your noodles will continue to cook once you take them off the stove so make sure you catch the noodles before they are over cooked and soggy. 

 

 

 

Can I make a suggestion?  Plan ahead and have these ingredients on hand and frozen in pre-portioned bags so that for the days when someone is under the weather, all you have to do is pull them out of the freezer. Your day will be made so much easier with a warm, comfort food meal without having to do all the work. 

 

 

Lastly, season with some extra salt & pepper and serve to the people you love.  This soup is so perfect on sick day or a snow day.  It's my "go to" recipe for the days that we are home in our jammies with no where to be.  Enjoy!

 

 

XOXO, Mack & Levi

One of the things that I love so much about my girl is her love for all things holiday.  She is so much like her momma in that way.  My girl, the girl who has to wear cute boots and eat pumpkin pancakes and shop for candles on "Happy Fall Day" even though she's only 5 years old.  That's Mack for you.

 

Well, true to her sweet little self, she's been begging me to make gluten free Valentine's Day Cookies for weeks and today we finally did it.  While "bro bro" (as she calls him) napped, we had Mommy & Mack time.  I love the intensity that she brings to the table every single time we take on a project.

 

 

Without a doubt one of my all time favorite pictures of her.  Her smile just lights up a room.

 

 

 

Bro Bro finally emerged from his 3.5 hour slumber (Don't be jealous-- this is not the norm!)

 

I recently read somewhere that our children will not remember how clean or how messy the house was while they were growing up.  But they will remember how stressed mom was because of how clean or how messy the house was.  Such a simple statement but so much truth packed into it. 

 

On a day like today, there was flour all over my kitchen, cookie cutters littering the ground, dough balls fallen to the floor and then trampled around our house by little feet.  We had dishes in the sink, eggs dropped on the floor.  You name it. It was a total disaster zone. 

 

But I'm so incredibly thankful that I've grown to this place as a momma where the messes no longer matter.  The smiles in these pictures are what hold a magnitude of importance.  There will be more dishes in the sink tomorrow and the next day and the one after that. I could drive myself (and my kids) absolutely crazy with a need for control and cleanliness.  But what fun would that be?

 

So today, we played in the messes and we giggled and ate raw cookie dough.  And I'm certain that those moments from today will have a stamped place in our memory far longer than the dishes piled high on the counter. 

 

 

 

Mack & Levi,

You have my whole heart for my whole life. 

I love you my sweet babies,

Momma

"M" is for "Mack" and "Muffins"

Today "M" and I made  Martha's Banana Muffins.

Because why wouldn't you want to make banana muffins on Labor Day?

Ingredients

• 4 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) ripe bananas, plus 1 for garnish (more if making mini muffins)
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan, regular or mini, with paper liners.
2. Peel four bananas, and place them in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until mashed, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar, oil, and egg; beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until combined.
   
   
   

   

   
   

   *In our family, we believe everything is better with chocolate chips.  If you want to make them extra special add "chippies" (any kind of chips will do) ...we're using dark chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter chips.
   
   
   

   
3. Fill muffin liners three-quarters full. Slice remaining banana into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; place a slice on each muffin. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes for regular muffins and 20 for mini, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store, covered, at room temperature.
   Now go make some too!