A recipe for health. Sort of. And a few secrets...

Quite often when the sickies come to stay at our house, I make a big pot of soup.  We've been sick so often this season that if I had done that, we'd have eaten nothing but!  This time around it's strep throat, AGAIN, mixed most probably with the common cold.  Somehow I have escaped the strep and hope to stay that way.

Anyway.

Undeniably the worst part of soup for me is handling raw meat.  (A side effect that never went away with my first pregnancy).  Thankfully, today an epiphany came to me.  And so, I give you this home made recipe:

Momma K's Quick Soup
1 large onion
4 carrots
3 stalks celery
1/2+ c. rice (I used par boiled today, but any kind will do)
8 - 10 cups of your favorite broth (I used chicken)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme (I mashed mine in a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp. minced garlic
Garlic powder, to taste
Thick sliced luncheon meat.  I used Costco's roasted turkey lunch meat.  Thick and yummy.

I think that this is all I used.  I rarely use a recipe, I just throw things in as I go. 

First, slice up the onion into very small square-lets.  I suppose this would be called mincing them. 
Saute in oil.
Throw in the rice.
Cut carrots, throw in, cut celery (including leaves), throw in. 
Add broth, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and sprinkle the top with garlic powder, to taste. 

When the rice is nearly done (check cooking times on the package.  Different types cook for different amounts of time) chop up as much lunch meat as you want and throw it in.

Voila!

I added lime juice to ours, and I served with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Another soup secret, if it's too hot, just sprinkle with a frozen vegetable such as peas or corn.  This works well with chili, too.

And one more secret.  We wash out glass containers (such as jelly, etc) with screw on lids and use them to put leftovers, such as soup, in.  They are also handy when we make soup for others.  No worrying about having to return anything!

And, for desert we had fruit salad.  I just chopped up strawberries, bananas and apples, squeezed lime juice over it, and sprinkled with sugar.  Stir and serve.  (You can add any fruit you want, of course).

My wonderful vising teachers dropped off a sickness survival bag with all kinds of wonderful things, including Emergen-C.  So, hopefully we'll be all recovered in no time!