Crockpot Chicken Kale Soup

Ingredients:

• 2lbs skinless chicken breasts
• ½ T. Sea Salt
• ¼ tsp. Pepper
• dash of thyme or 2 sprigs fresh
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 cups low sodium chicken bone broth
• 1lb carrots sliced or shredded
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cups packed Kale or shredded super food greens

Instructions: Place the chicken in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add thyme and garlic. Pour the broth over the chicken. Add the carrots, onion. Cook on high for 4 hours. Add the kale in the last half hour of cooking. Season to taste and break the chicken up with a fork as much or little as you like.  Serve and keep the leftovers for lunches or freeze for busy days later. This version fits a paleo diet but you could also add wild rice or serve over brown rice for a heartier meal.  If you’re sick this one is nice to have in the freezer. Add a sweet potato if you prefer it to gluten-free brown rice. For kids? Use gluten-free noodles. It’s that much more similar to the old standard they’re used to. Go easy on the kale and gradually increase it for those non-veggie overs when its so easily detected! Flip: I cheated and bought chopped onion, shredded carrots (and chopped celery) to do this once I was on my feet and able to make it to the store. This chicken soup went together super fast and I went back to reclining. Even the soothing smell of it cooking is somehow healing. Of course you can do anything in an Instant Pot but I love the slow cooking method for some things. Make it? I’d love to hear how it went.

Chicken Soup and Recovery

A study done by my alma mater decades ago revealed Chicken Soup was as good or better than many things for recovery “drink” from exercise. So if you’re getting after it and it’s hot, humid, replenishing the sodium lost in sweat can help! I definitely resort to chicken broth in the latter hours of Ironman -but even if you’re not doing that kind of distance, chicken broth and soup are oh, so good. Bone broth is a big part of the gut-healing benefits. Whether you’re recovering from a workout or the flu, chicken soup is a winner.

So Much Nutrition in a Bowl

You’ve got options with soup. It’s so easy to change this base of chicken soup (it’s from the Double Your Energy in 14 Days guide) depending on your need. More energy? A little more potato. Evening meal for boosting sleep? The potato or rice. Making it to that quota of veggies? Add not only the kale, (spinach will do), but broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots or mushrooms. P.S. I’m updating the DYE in 14 Days guide- if you’re seeing this in April ’19, come back in a week or two and get the up to date book!