My moms homemade chicken soup

I'm not going to lie, this soup requires a little bit of effort. It is SO worth it. The smell of this soup making me think of childhood. I love making it. It makes a lot, you will have a lot of left overs.

• 1 whole chicken, 5-6 lbs (giblets removed)
  
• 1 lb carrots, peeled
• 1 lb parsnips, peeled
• 1 lb turnips, peeled
• 2-3 celery stalks
• 1/2 a large white onion
• 2-3 cloves finely chopped garlic
• a handful of fresh dill (must be fresh)
• 2 bay leaves (remove before eating)
• salt and pepper to taste, I use a lot of pepper
  
• 3 chicken bullion cubes
• a large soup pot
• enough water to cover chicken and veggies
• Parmesan cheese for the top of the soup, this is pretty much a must

Add chicken and peeled veggies, herbs, bullion and spices to a large pot. Add water to cover all ingredients. Bring to boil, then turn down to medium simmer. Simmer for 1-2 hours or until chicken is cooked and falling apart. Take chicken and whole veggies out of the pot and let cool, but keep the liquid simmering. Take skin off chicken, then pick all the meat off of the chicken (told you this took a little effort), add chicken back to the pot. Chop of veggies, add back to the pot. Cook on low for an additional 3-4 hours. I usually make this one day, refrigerate and reheat the next day. You must must must add parm cheese on top. No excuses! Enjoy!!

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup

I am Italian and have never had a really decent Italian wedding soup unless it was homemade. Usually it has noddles in them, but you really don't need them, and really with this recipe you wont need them.

for the little meatballs

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon parsley
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
  
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Mix together in a bowl. Roll into little meatballs (about a 1/2 an inch). Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

In the crock pot add 8 cups of chicken broth. Add in--

• 1 chopped white onion
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 small zucchini chopped
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 Roma tomato seeded and chopped
• a pinch of salt
• teaspoon black pepper

When the meatballs are done add them to the crock pot. Simmer on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. About 30 minutes before eating, mix together 1 egg with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix together and swirl into soup. This soup is SO yummy.

Crock Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup

It is a cold, snowy winter this season. New Jersey has never seen this much snow in one winter. In fact this is the 3rd blizzard we've had in 3 months. So while I was snowed in today I decided to make some broccoli and cheese soup. It was so easy! Next time I think I'm going to add some shredded carrots in too.

• 3 cans cheddar cheese condensed soup




• 3 cans fat free evaporated milk




• 1 tablespoon onion powder




• 2 tablespoons Mrs. dash original seasoning




• 1 teaspoon black pepper




• 1 teaspoon garlic powder




• 1 teaspoon paprika




• 32 oz frozen broccoli




• shredded sharp cheddar for topping after soup is cooked

Add all ingredients in the crock pot, except the shredded cheddar. Mix and cook on low for about 5-6 hours. About a half an hour before you want to eat it, take half the soup, put it in the blender and blend until the broccoli is liquidy and then dump it back in crock pot, this makes it creamier. Or you can use an immersion blender in the crock pot. Top with shredded cheese. This makes about 5 servings. Enjoy!

Golden Lentil Soup- Crock Pot Edition

Soup's on! It's getting chilly here in New Jersey, actually at night it's down right cold! There is a restaurant near me called Atlanta Bread Company, and they have the most amazing Golden Lentil Soup. I've been all over every website looking for a copycat recipe. In fact, Atlanta Bread website doesn't even have the ingredients on their website. So I tried to replicate it. It is a vegetarian dish, but lentils are loaded with protein.

• 4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth for the vegetarian)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1lb dry lentils
• 1 regular sized yellow onion chopped fine
• 2 cups chopped and peeled carrots, chopped fine
• 3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cup canned, diced tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon saffron (or saffron powder)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• salt and black pepper to taste

This really couldn't be any easier. Rinse and pick through lentils. Add lentils, chicken broth and hot water to the crock pot. Chop onion and carrots small and add. Peel garlic, keep them whole, but smash them with the flat side of a knife. Add the garlic, they will melt right into the soup. Add in diced tomatoes. Add cumin, saffron, cayenne and salt and pepper. Stir. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours. About an hour before you want to eat, take about 1/4 of the soup, add to a blender or magic bullet and liquify. Add back into the soup. This makes it thicker and yummier lol. You can also use an immersion blender for the last part. This is sooo delicious, and good for all stages of post op!

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Even though summer is coming, this soup is good for all seasons! It's so easy, especially in the summer when you don't feel like cooking in a hot kitchen. I didn' t invent this recipe, I have seen several different recipes for this soup, but I like this one the best. It is full of protein.

• 1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken. (I used chicken today but usually use turkey)



• 1 envelope of your favorite taco seasoning



• 1 envelope of dry ranch seasoning (I used McCormick)



• 1 teaspoon chili powder



• 1 teaspoon ground cumin



• 2 cans corn, undrained



• 2 can diced tomatoes, undrained



• 1 can rotel, undrained



• 1 can kidney beans, drained



• 1 can pinto beans, drained



• 1/2 cup water (optional, if the soup is not liquidy enough for you)



• sour cream and cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)

Brown meat in a large skillet. Drain fat. Add to crock pot. Add taco seasoning, ranch reasoning, chili powder and cumin to meat and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients (except cheese and sour cream) to the pot. Make sure you ONLY drain the beans, all the other cans go in with the liquid. Stir well. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, on high for about 4-5.

Easy Crock Pot Veggie Soup

My husband and I are both sick, in May... What gives??? So one night I threw this together, and it is very good and low in fat and calories. Not a super amount of protein, but if you want something warm and light to fill you up, this is it.

• 1 can Campbell's low sodium condensed tomato soup


• 3 cups beef broth


• 1/2 cup water


• 1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions (undrained)


• 1 box frozen veggies (with corn, peas, greenbeans and carrots)


• I also added extra frozen veggies, like 1/2 a box frozen corn and 1/2 box frozen peas


• Garlic powder (a dash)


• 1 Tablespoon of Tabasco sauce (this changes the flavor dramatically, it's very good)


• 1/2 cup wheat pasta

Add all the ingredients, except the pasta, in the crock pot on low. Mix Well. Cook on low for about 4 hours, then about an hour before you want to serve, add the pasta. Cook for another hour. Eat. Yummy. I suppose you can add beans into this to make it more protein friendly. I liked it like this when I was sick.