Homemade Chicken Noodle O's

After eating my dinner this evening, which is not worthy of discussion, (it was an english muffin veggie burger...yuck) I looked at my options to see what I could prepare for tomorrow's lunch. Usually, my next day's lunch is left-overs from my cooked meals from the night before, but because my dinner tasted like a chewy cardboard sandwich with ketchup, I vowed never to repeat it...especially for leftovers! Normally, this step of thoughtfully looking for something to cook up comes before eating dinner, but after a long day and a long work-out, I don't think my brain was functioning properly and it just needed dinner fast.

I peered in the fridge at all of the sad, wilted veggies and thought they would be much happier in an afterlife of soup. Also, just hearing the talk of people being sick when it is cold and wet outside makes me want to make some good 'ol homemade chicken soup. Why didn't this idea come to me when I was making myself dinner? As I was preparing the ingredients for the chicken soup, I kept being reminded of my sad, sad veggie burger because I just couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. I guess I will just have to look forward to tomorrow's lunch of Homemade Chicken Noodle O's and I am not even sick, so it will taste even better!

First, I began boiling about 1 pound of chicken tenders to cook them through out. While they were boiling, I chopped up two celery stalks, leaves and all. I also chopped up one half of a yellow onion and two large carrots. The chicken began floating on the top of the water in the pot and this is how I knew they were done. I drained the water out and poured 4 cups of chicken broth right back in the pot and put the pot right back on the stove. I then added 2 more cups of water and kept the stove top temperature on high to bring the soup to a boil. I dropped in the veggies (celery, carrots, onions), bay leaf, salt, pepper, shredded the chicken and put that in the pot. I covered the pot and waited for the soup to boil. Once it began to boil, I lowered the heat to simmering and left it alone for about an hour. I am not able to comment on how the soup tasted because I will not taste it until tomorrow's lunch. I will keep you posted, though. But this may just be the go-to soup for when that winter cold comes a coughin'.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. shredded boiled chicken breast (shredded)

4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water

1/2 pound "O" shaped pasta (I forgot the name but any Italian market should have it)

2 chopped celery stalks

2 sliced carrots

1/2 chopped yellow onions

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Mangia!