Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Easy Chicken and Kale Soup

With wedding and swimsuit seasons coming up, I've been trying to eat healthier and exercise more. I find making a big pot of healthy soup a great way to stay on the healthy path.

Over Easter weekend we went to Natchez, Mississippi for the Spring Pilgrimage. It was amazing! I loved touring the antebellum homes and antique shopping.



And of course I enjoyed plenty of good food, like the tamales at Fat Mama's.


(Hands down the BEST tamales I've ever eaten).

So when we returned home I knew I needed to get back on track. I decided to make a Chicken and Kale soup.

I started by cooking 3 large chicken breasts in my crock pot. I find this the easiest method to get juicy chicken that shreds perfectly. I just seasoned the chicken with salt, red pepper, garlic and onion powder and added a splash of water. I cooked the chicken on high for 4 hours.

When I got home from work, I sauteed an onion and some sliced carrots in a little olive oil. I seasoned the veggies with salt and pepper. After the veggies cooked for a few minutes, I added 3 cloves of minced garlic.

Once the veggies were tender, I added 2 boxes (about 10 cups) of chicken stock, the shredded chicken and my secret ingredient - a Parmesan cheese rind. I try to save cheese rinds for soups because they had a nice depth of flavor and saltiness to the soup.

I let the soup simmer for 30 mins while I worked out. (Multi-tasking!) Then I added about 2 cups of fresh cheese tortellini and let them cook for 2 minutes. Finally, I stirred in 2 cups of kale and turned off the heat. I tasted for seasoning and added a little more salt and pepper. 

The soup is delicious! It has about 7-8 servings with about 295 calories per serving.



Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Beautiful Secret Book Blitz!

Beautiful Secret
by Christina Lauren

Excerpt


A silence fell over the table as everyone turned to watch Ruby leave the bar and head upstairs to bed. She had been utterly charming throughout dinner, and the group had groaned in unison when she’d excused herself because of our early morning. I, too, had been quite sad to see her go.

“Well, well.”

I looked up to see my brother’s smug expression.

“Now that we’re alone,” Will began, “I think we can all agree to drop any pretense that we’re not ruined for civilized conversation, yes?” Each of them nodded in agreement and beside me, his glass now refilled, Will raised his tumbler to take a small swallow of scotch. “I also think we can all agree Bennett will be an important consultant on this case.”

Max snickered.

“The conference?” I asked, confused.

“It’s an all-too-common predicament,” Bennett added dryly. “Knockout intern. Boss in denial. I’ll draft up a step-by-step plan of containment.”

I blinked, swallowing thickly as I realized what they meant. “She’s not my intern. I have absolutely no say in her career.” I shook my head, frustrated because it was exactly the wrong thing to say. “I’m not . . . that is to say, she’s not interested. Nor I.”

All four men laughed.

“Niall,” Will said, leaning his elbows on his knees. “She nearly dropped her drink in your lap when George asked if she was interested in anyone.”

“Was going to say the same thing,” Bennett said.

“And something tells me she’d be first to volunteer to clean it up,” Will added.

“Well, maybe that’s because she’s interested in someone who works with us at R-C.”

“Yeah. You.” Max lifted his glass and finished the last of the amber liquid.

“Sincerely,” I said, fighting a smile. “She’s a fantastic girl, but she’s certainly not a romantic option for me.”

Tilting his head, Bennett asked, “What color are her eyes?”

Green, I didn’t say. I shook my head as if I didn’t know.

“What was she wearing?” Will asked.

A blue dress that hit just above her knee, I didn’t say. A delicate gold chain around her neck and a ring on her right ring finger that I had to resist asking her about until George bulldozed in and asked about a boyfriend.

I rolled my eyes, and my brother laughed again, this time pointing his drink at me. “Blokes don’t notice these things unless they’re interested.”

“Or George,” Will added, and George reached over to grab the back of his neck and try to pull him in for a kiss.

“Well, it’s apparent I needn’t think on this any further,”

I said. “You’ve all decided for me.”

“It’s what we do,” Will said, adjusting the skewed collar of his shirt as he settled back into his chair.

“It’s a sickness, we know.”

“I thought we’d lost that muscle, honestly,” George said.

“It’s a relief to know we still have it in us. The ladies will be so proud.” Max rapped his knuckles on the table as he made to stand. “Alas, I’d best be off. New routine: Sara gets the baby to sleep; I do the midnight bottle feeding.”

“Finally taking a bottle from you then? Guess you smell like a woman, too,” I said to Max, reminding him of the little dig he’d thrown my way on my last visit.

Max laughed and patted me on the back, and we all stood, a silent agreement in place that we were ready to call it a night. I watched my brother gather his things and say his goodbyes, feeling the same mix of pride and longing for what he was headed home to: a wife, a daughter. A proper home.

“Kiss the girls for me,” I requested as he made his way out of the bar. He waved a hand, retreating, and then disappeared from view.

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