Comforting Healthy Turkey Rice Soup

I haven’t posted in a long time. I started college, and school took up so much of my time. But now that exams are all over (yay!!) I think its time to get back to blogging. I love cooking, and I will have more time now that everything is finished for school.

After thanksgiving, we had a lot of leftover turkey. I decided to make soup, because soup is fabulous and healthy and is perfect for wintertime. I made a turkey and rice soup, with lots of carrots onions and celery. It was so easy to make, and I froze it in freezer-safe mason jars to enjoy in the next month.

The turkey stock: The base I  used for the soup was made by boiling the bones of the turkey in a large pot the day before, with an onion, garlic clove, bay leaf and a carrot. After the broth boiled, I reduced the heat down to a simmer, and let the stock simmer for 3 hours. I removed the turkey bones and vegetables, and skimmed the fat off the top of the pot. I placed the pot in the refrigerator until the next day, when I made the turkey soup. The next day, I was able to skim off even more of the solidified fat since the stock had cooled completely

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 whole onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of celery, chopped

1 cup of carrots, peeled and chopped,

8 cups turkey stock (recipe above) you can change the amount of stock, depending on how much broth you like in your soup

2 cups cooked turkey (can be a combination of white and dark meat), shredded

1 cup rice ( I used brown, but you can use whatever kind you prefer)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped sage (optional I just had some leftover from holiday cooking)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

garlic powder (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion, cook until the onion begins to soften

2. Add the carrots and celery, and cook 6-8 minutes

3. In a separate pot, add 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water. Bring to boil, cover, and turn down heat to simmer for about 30 minutes

4. When the vegetables have cooked, add the turkey broth and bring to a boil

5. Simmer, and add cooked rice, turkey, and spices

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot

 

This soup freezes really well, and is so comforting in the wintertime. What are some of your favorite healthy winter comfort foods?

xo,

Alyssa

 

Coco’s 4-ingredient peanut butter dog cookies

Breakfast Improv

When I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, My “go-to” breakfast is siggi’s yogurt and fresh fruit. It is absolutely deliecious, filling, and prepares me for my day! The other thing I always have to have is fresh, piping hot coffee with one sugar and a splash of organic cream. Yummm. A few days ago, when I went to push the “on” button on the coffee maker, and it wouldn’t start. Panic! I didn’t have time to go get coffee before school, and I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, I rememberd the FRENCH PRESS my mother bought me for christmas last year. I googled how to use it, found it was pretty simple, and heated up four cups of water in my electric kettle. I poured the coffee in, waited four minutes, and pressed. The result? The best coffee ever! It was so smooth, and just the perfect amount. Now I use my french press every day. Sometimes when things don’t go your way, it is time to try something new. 

Our new puppy

This is Coco! She is our brand new Yorkshire Terrier.This picture was taken a few weeks ago, she is ten weeks old now.
Let me just say, puppies are absolutely adorable, but they are little balls of energy that never stop!

Spring is here! ( plus salad recipe)

It finally feels like spring. As i was walking to my car this morning, it was so beautiful outside. I always feel so good when it is warm outside and the sun is shining. In the springtime, for me, it is all about salads!  I usually make a salad with whatever kinds of vegetables we have in the house. The salad I made today was really simple, but delicious. 

Today I packed for lunch a salad made with:

1 head romaine lettuce (washed and chopped)

1 orange bell pepper 

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1 medium sized tomato

1 oz feta cheese

A handfull of basil leaves

Vinegarette: 

2 tbsp Williams Sonoma White balsamic vinegar

2 tsp organic olive oil

Salt 

Pepper 

Garlic Powder 

 

And Voila! You have yourself a super simple and healthy lunch! 

 

It’s almost Valentine’s day

I really don’t like Valentine’s day. It’s not that I don’t like the flowers and the chocolate and the expensive dinner reservations, but the day is complicated in my family. My mother owns and runs her own flower shop, and it is the biggest flower buying holiday of the year. This basically means we don’t sleep for a week. I love to see the smiles on the happy customers’ faces as they leave, full of joy and excitement at the thought of surprising their loved one. What I don’t love is the hours of preparation, wondering if we ordered enough flowers, writing the card messages, crunching the numbers, trying to stay organized. The day is basically chaos, and I am skipping school to be the cashier. But at the same time, I love the feeling of working for my own family. For doing something to benefit myself, and to help out my mother and grandmother. In a way, I treasure those stressed moments where we are all there together, because I know they will not always be present. I’m taking it in one day at a time, breathing in my grandmother’s scent, listening to her laugh, engraining it into my memory. So Valentine’s day is complicated. But really, what isn’t? 

Must make this weekend!

Must make this weekend!

I’m hoping to make these this weekend! I’m always looking for healthy versions of my favorite treats, and I loving taking my latest creations to lunch. These peanut butter and jelly cookies look absolutely perfect and easy to make! Skinnytaste is an amazing website for healthy recipes. 

Thank you, books

Dear books, novels, litterature, magazines, and blogs,

I just want to take a moment to whisper a quiet “thank you”. I honestly do not know what I would do without your presence in my life. You have taken me far far away from everything and everyone, to places I can only begin to imagine. You have lent me a space in your humble margins to crawl and hibernate to wait for the storm to pass. You have inspired me to look at the world around me with wonder and awe. You have reminded me of the complexity of people and emitions, and showed me a glimpse into the lives of others. And for that, I am grateful. 

Alyssa

Relaxing

After a day running errands in the snow, and praying we wouldn’t be hit by reckless drivers skidding on the ice, it is finally time to relax

Snow Day

Snow. 

Is it still okay to be continually excited about white flurries dusting the world in beauty? And wake up early to make hot cocoa and dance around in pajamas? I hope so. 

I think it’s still okay to act like a little kid every once in awhile. It is probably good for you. Sometimes I feel so distracted by the stressors of everyday life I forget to sit back and enjoy.

 

So today, I am going to wear my hot pink fuzzy socks and snuggle up with a good book and a warm blanket. And soak up the peace.

 

xo