SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Hi everyone,

I've been doing really well on my journey into eating gluten free and eating real food.  The GAPS diet has been a really good, extremely healing diet for my ulcerative proctitis. Ulcerative proctitis is a minor form of colitis, which is an auto-immune condition.  I'm going to try and make Thursdays the day I talk about healthy eating, my weight-loss journey and anything else related to those two things :) So, pray for me, because this is something that I really believe in. It's been very healing for my body...and I hope, that in some small measure, sharing my story with all it's ups and downs, will encourage you all in some way :) :)

I'm now on Phase 4 of the Intro Diet for GAPS.  I'm feeling better all the time, although I do still struggle with coffee. It is an addiction for me...a happy one, but one that is not at all good for my body. So I'm still struggling with that, but let me tell you about something totally yummy and delicious. 

Homemade chicken broth/soup with vegetables is really easy to make.  Prior to starting the GAPS diet, I usually avoided the kitchen. Thanks to GAPS, I've had to spend more time in the kitchen, learning how to cook real food on my own. This is how I made my yummy soup:

THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE VEGGIES I USED IN MY CHICKEN SOUP.   THIS ISN'T THE BEGINNING OF THE RECIPE. I JUST LIKE THIS PHOTO BECAUSE IT IS FULL OF COLOR.

FIRST, YOU GET A SWEET, OLD DOG TO HELP SUPERVISE ALL THE MEAL PREPARATIONS. IN THIS CASE, ROSIE "HELPED" ME.  THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AFTER THE CHICKEN WAS FINISHED IN THE SLOW-COOKER. EVEN ROSIE KNOWS REAL GOOD FOOD WHEN SHE SMELLS IT :)  SHE HAS ARTHRITIS, SO SHE SITS A LOT. ROSIE ALSO EATS A LOT,BUT THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH HER DOGGIE ARTHRITIS.

FIRST, YOU NEED A WHOLE CHICKEN.  I USE A WHOLE, ORGANIC CHICKEN FROM TRADER JOE'S.  IT REALLY IS UP TO YOU WHAT KIND OF MEAT YOU CAN AFFORD, BUT FOR ME IT IS SIMPLE.  YOU ARE WHAT YOUR ANIMALS EAT, SO I CHOOSE TO SPEND A LITTLE EXTRA FOR A NICE, ORGANIC CHICKEN.  IT COMES WITH GIBLETS.

Now my chicken came wrapped in plastic. Inside, it has what looks like a chicken maxi pad covering the "butt" area to catch all the chicken juices.  The giblets will be inside the bird, in a closed paper bag.  Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. You will include the giblets when making your broth. The giblets have lots of good stuff for the body, plus it helps the broth to form a nice gelatin when  you put it in the refrigerator.

So once you've removed the chicken and giblets from their packaging, place all of it in your slow cooker.  Now add some water to the slow-cooker. You have some options here.  I added six cups of purified water to the chicken in the slow-cooker. It's up to you. You can adjust the water, more or less, according to your needs and what you like :) :) I add lots of water, because it helps stretch this out for many, many meals :)

Also, add one teaspoon of either Celtic seal salt or pink Himalayan salt.

Slow-cook the chicken on "low" for 7 - 8 hours.  I let my chicken slow-cook for a full 8 hours. About an hour before your chicken is finished, add some fresh, chopped garlic to taste. I add four cloves of fresh, chopped garlic. However, this time, I forgot, so I added the garlic after I had cooked the chicken and vegetables.

AFTER YOUR CHICKEN IS FINISHED COOKING IN THE SLOW-COOKER, IT SHOULD LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS.  OH, YEAH, YOU CAN'T TELL HERE, BUT IT SMELLS SO G-O-O-D IN HERE.

NEXT, PREPARE YOUR FAVORITE VEGETABLES TO ADD TO YOUR SOUP.

While my chicken is in the slow-cooker, I like to prepare my vegetables.  About 30 minutes to an hour before your chicken is done, gather your vegetables. For this particular batch of soup I used fresh, organic red onions, rainbow carrots and organic broccolo florets. Chop them up and put them in the steamer.  Steam your veggies until they are nice and soft.  With my steamer, I find that 35 minutes is a good amount of time. They veggies are nice and soft.

ONCE THE VEGGIES ARE DONE STEAMING, PLACE THEM IN A NICE STOCKPOT OR SOUP POT.

When the vegetables are done steaming, I put them in a nice, large pot perfect for soups or stews.  I also added four cloves of fresh, chopped organic garlic.  This should have been added when the chicken was in the slow-cooker...but I forgot.  You can add the garlic whenever you like. Garlic adds a nice aroma and flavor to your cooking.

FRESH CHICKEN STRAIGHT FROM THE SLOW-COOKER.

By the time your vegetables are fully cooked, your chicken should be ready.  I deboned the chicken and put all the good meat into the stock/soup pot.  I used a fork and knife to seperate the meat, because I wasn't interested in touching it with my hands :) :)  Rosie, the dog, made sure to catch anything that fell to the floor. Nothing fell to the floor, but I did give her two small pieces of chicken. She ate it up right away.

HERE I AM STRAINING THE BROTH BEFORE I ADD IT TO THE SOUP.

Once you have removed all the meat from the chicken, it is time to strain the broth.  I place a fine, mesh sieve over the soup/stock pot. Then I used a measuring cup and slowly strained the chicken broth. This allows you to get all that yummy, healthy chicken broth without all the extra gross bits like cartilage etc.  I also added the chicken liver to the soup as well. Just chop it up super fine. You don't taste it. The chicken liver is also really healthy and good for me, so in it goes.

HERE IS MY BOWL OF FRESH-MADE CHICKEN BROTH, WITH CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES. DOESN'T IT LOOK OH SO TASTY GOOD?


Now at this point, what you do, is up to you.  I placed some of that fresh made chicken/vegetable soup in a bowl. Sorry that my bowl is messy...but that's real life, folks. I don't have people to wipe it up neat for photos :)  You can heat everything through again if you want, too. However, it wasn't necessary, since the broth and the veggies were still hot.

What to do with the leftover soup? Well, that is also up to you. This is what I do and it works well for me.

I PUT THE LEFTOVER CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP IN CANNING JARS. THEN I PUT THOSE JARS IN THE REFRIGERATOR.


All I do is place the extra chicken/vegetable soup in canning jars.  Those jars I place in the refrigerator. I don't know how to can/put up stuff. Besides that, I eat a lot of this soup, so it doesn't last very long anyway. 

To make this soup even more tasty/healing for my body, I add two teaspoons of clarified butter (ghee) and a 1/3 of  a mashed avocado, and 1 tsp of sauerkraut. The avocado is something I'll usually add at dinnertime. I do the sauerkraut in every bowl of soup.


This soup is really easy to make. It's very healthy for you and it tastes super good :) :) 

Why do I add clarified butter to my soup?  It's a healthy fat that has all the casein elements removed.  My body doesn't tolerate regular dairy very well, so I make clarified butter, which give me the best parts of the butter without the casein bits that irritate my tummy.  I'll post on how to make clarified butter soon. It is really easy.


Why do I add avocado to my soup? It's another healthy fat :) :)  I use an organic avocado. 

Why do I add 1 tsp of sauerkraut to every bowl of soup?  It is a natural probiotic. 

I'm sure you all have some questions. I'm still on the learning process myself...but if you want to ask questions about why I decided to take this journey, feel free to leave questions here, as long as they're nice :)  I'm not a doctor, so I cannot give medical advice.  This is a choice that I made for myself, after much thought, education and discussion. It's a plan that really works for me.  I would highly suggest talking with a naturopath or other medical person of your choice before embarking on any kind of new eating plan.


That's the news from California today. Love and hugs from the ocean shores, Heather :)


P.S. I'm linking up with the following blogs this week.  See below for details... Also check my right side-bar for blog buttons to their sites.

Thriving On Thursdays at Domesblissity

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Our Simple Country Life

Homemaker's Cottage

MY TEA THINGS FOR JANUARY 4th, 2012

Hi everyone, 
Let me share my latest teacup and saucer with you today. Before I do that, let me give you a short update on our "plumbing" problem here at the house.  YOu can click here to read the original post. We finally had the plumber out for a third time in a week. They ran a camera down the pipe and discovered that the pipe was an old "Orangeburg" (sp?) pipe that was installed when the house was originally built back in the 1940s/50s.  The pipe runs 24 inches below ground, underneath the garage. When my aunt had the house remodeled, they never found that pipe, because they never looked.  When they installed new water pipe, it was installed only 18 inches below ground..so they never discovered the old pipe. Basically, the old pipe is very small and is collapsing in on itself. It will need to be replaced, eventually...but for now, my dad and I can use the upstairs bathrooms just fine with no problem. So, we're okay for now :) :) That's is a total answer to prayer.

Okay, now for the fun stuff.  This teacup with matching saucer was given to me as a gift by my aunt's friend.  She had purchased it at an auction. My aunt's friend said that it was in a box full of junk. It was like finding a diamond in the rough.

HERE IS A VIEW OF MY LOVELY PINK ROSE TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER, AS SEEN FROM THE TOP. IT IS A LOVELY SHADE OF PALE PINK, WITH BEAUTIFUL CHUBBY, RED ROSES AND OUTLINED IN DELICATE GOLD

WHEN YOU SEE THE NEXT PHOTOS, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY I TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM THE TOP VIEW.

THIS IS MY TEACUP AND SAUCER AS SEEN FROM THE SIDE VIEW.  YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TEACUP ITSELF IS A SIMPLE, PLAIN WHITE WITH A DELICATE GOLD STRIPE RUNNING AROUND THE CENTER OF THE CUP. ALL OF THE DETAIL IS ON THE INSIDE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE TEACUP. IT SAYS "BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN - CHINA POTTERS - PARAGON - FINE BONE CHINA - ENGLAND REGD"  THERE IS ALSO THE LETTER "P" ON THE CUP.  I'M NOT SURE IF THAT IS SIGNIFICANT OR NOT. IT DOES ADD A BIT OF MYSTERY TO MY TEACUP.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SAUCER. IT IS REALLY LOVELY.  I THINK PINK IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC AND VERY FEMININE COLOR. IT ADDS A TOUCH OF BEAUTY TO THE EVERY DAY THINGS OF OUR LIVES.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER. IT IS THE SAME AS THE ONE ON THE TEACUP. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL MARKINGS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM OR THEIR MEANING. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT COULD BE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.


Thank you for joining me for tea today. I love having visitors. Your comments also make me smile :) :) 

Oh, as most of you know, I live by the ocean. This is what the waves looked liked yesterday (Tuesday). Isn't it just dreamy?

I NEVER GET TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE OCEAN OR TAKING PHOTOS.

AT ONE POINT, THE WAVES WERE GETTING SO BIG AND SO FAST, THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE WAVES CRASHING AT THE SAME TIME. 


That is the news from California today. Love and hugs from the ocean shores, Heather 

TINY PRAYER REQUEST

UPDATE at 12:29 p.m.

Well, the plumber came out again and used the metal pipe snake.  Everything is fixed ....again...for now. However, they will come back Thursday to put a camera down the pipe to see how our water pipe was connected to the city pipe when the house was remodeled about 13 years ago.  So we'll have to pay for that. So I'm just not going to worry and trust God that He'll fix it ;) :)

Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)

Hi everyone,

Just a quick prayer request. The water pipe to our house is clogging...AGAIN. We thought it was "fixed" a few days ago. Everything seemed fine and we were glad to have the money to pay for the repair. Now it's clogged again. My dad is trying to run a pipe snake through the pipe to see if it will fix the problem.  We do NOT have the money to pay someone to look at it again. 

I know it's a small request compared to some of the others out there right now..but this is going to really hurt us financially, if we can't get this fixed on our own. Pray that this problem will resolve itself!!!

Love andhugs, Heather :)

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since my last post. I'm so sorry.  I've been really busy.  I'm doing really well on my weight loss/healthy living journey.  As of last Tuesday, I had lost just over 48 pounds. About two weeks ago, I started the GAPS diet.  You can click here to learn more information.  It's a really super healthy program that is not just for people with mood disorders...but also for people like ME, who have auto-immune conditions. In my case, I have ulcerative proctitis, a minor form of colitis. Anyways, here are the materials that I work with...I'll blog more about them later.  My main reason for posting today is tell you my easy recipe for chicken vegetable soup.

THESE ARE THE MATERIALS THAT I WORK WITH. MY NATUROPATH IS A CERTIFIED GAPS PRACTIONER, AS WELl. I HAVE A WORKBOOK WHERE I RECORD EVERYTHING I EAT AND DRINK, THERE'S A BOOK, A WONDERFUL COOKBOOK AND A DVD WHICH DEMONSTRATES HOW TO MAKE THE VARIOUS RECIPES.

Now I have a super easy recipe for chicken and vegetable soup.  I will be posting about this again, because I forgot to take a lot of pictures when I made this soup.

First, I place a whole, organic chicken in a slow-cooker and add about 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of Celtic salt.  My slow cooker is really small, so I can only make one chicken at a time. Also, if it comes with giblets, make sure to include those in the slow-cooker. It really enhances the flavor.

Set the slow-cooker on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Once your chicken is done  cooking, pull apart all the meat from the chicken and place in a big stock pot.  Optional is to include the giblets such as liver and gizzards...chopped up really fine, they're good for you...extremely good for you, and you won't taste it in the soup.

Once you've pulled apart all of the meat, you strain the broth into that same stock pot using a fine mesh strainer.  This lets you keep all those yummy chicken juices and healthy fats without adding all the gross bits like tissue and bones :) :)

Okay...so when my chicken is about 30 minutes from being finished in the slow cooker, I add chopped broccoli, purple onions and rainbow carrots to my steamer. You can add whatever veggies you like. I like a lot of color ;) :)

When that's done, add those steamed veggies to the stockpot with the chicken broth and meat.  Put that on the burner on medium heat and  heat it through to your liking.. :) :) 

This is what my soup looked like last night.

THIS SOUP TASTES AWESOME AND IS TOTALLY GOOD FOR YOU.  I USED ALL-ORGANIC INGREDIENTS. YOU CAN USE WHAT YOU LIKE.

I also added three little "fingers" of fresh, organic and chopped garlic. So good and the house smells awesome :) :)

Well, that is my simple recipe for chicken and vegetable soup. I eat this quite a bit as part of my diet. It's healthy and the fats and veggies are good for the gut, they help add healthy bacteria to the gut.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :)

p.s. I also added a tablespoon of bacon fat to my bowl of soup and one egg yolk....from an organic egg.  It won't work with regular eggs....but that's a story for another time.  I am also making yogurt from fresh, raw cow's milk. That will be ready sometime this afternoon.

MY TEA TIME TUESDAY AND TEACUP & TEA THINGS TUESDAY FOR DECEMBER 1st.

Hi everyone,

Okay, here is my tea post for this week.  I tried to get it up yesterday and totally forget.  Here is the last of my tea things that I purchased at auction a few weeks ago.  The cup and the saucer are from the same designer. The plate is from a different designer.  However,  the patterns are so similar, they fit together nicely :)

THIS IS THE TEACUP, SAUCER AND PLATE THAT I PURCHASED AT THAT AUCTION A FEW WEEKS AGO.

HERE IS THE PLATE.  IT IS REALLY INTERESTING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SCALLOPED DETAIL ALL THE WAY AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PLATE. NOTICE THE PRECIOUS LITTLE ROSEBUD IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SCALLOPED ROSES PLATE.

NEXT, I PLACED THE SAUCER ON TOP OF THE PLATE. DO YOU NOTICE HOW WELL THE ROSES ON BOTH ITEMS FIT TOGETHER? IT IS REALLY AMAZING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER.

THIS IS THE FLORAL MOTIF ON ONE SIDE OF THE TEACUP. IT HAS A VERY SIMPLE GOLD DETAIL ON THE HANDLE.

THIS IS THE SMALLER FLORAL MOTIF ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TEACUP.


I really enjoyed sharing some more of my tea things with you.  Now the trick is to find a way to display them beautifull in my home. Right now, it's just random placement wherever there is space in my room :) :) :)

Oh,  Friday I'll be sharing some vintage finds that I found this week. You'll have to tune in Friday for that.  I've really committed to buying things at thrift shops and antique shops, when I can afford it.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to visit. I LOVE visitors and comments :) :) That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hi everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans ;) :) :) Enjoy your day today :) :)

My dad and I took my aunt's dog for a walk this morning. Then we took a scenic drive along the ocean. Afterwards, we stopped at Whole Foods, so I could buy some coffee. Now we're home making breakfast.  We'll be cooking the turkey later today.

We got our turkey dinner from Whole Foods this year.  Believe it or not, this will be the first time that Dad and I have cooked a turkey ourselves. It should be easy. It's an organic turkey that's already fully cooked. We just have to heat and serve it, but still.... :) :) :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

GIVEAWAY WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone,

Okay, we have a winner for my first ever giveaway.  Here's how I picked the winner.  I couldn't figure out the Random.org site, so I just wrote out a paper slip for each individual entry on my giveaway post. It was easy since there were only five entries.  All the slips of paper were the same size, and had each comment's name written on a seperate slip of paper. I folded them over, so I couldn't see the names.  This morning I grabbed those slips of paper, closed my eyes, and just shuffled for a couple of minutes. Then I picked one...and the winner is?

Wanda Lee :) :)

She has two blogs. Click here or here if you'd like to visit. She hosts some awesome tea parties every Tuesday...real tea with beautiful china :)

Here's what she said about the giveaway:
"What an amazing contest with this fabulous software. I would love to win this also!.., I am a follower as well."

Wanda Lee, please send me a private email.  I'll make sure you get the code to download your free copy of this software ;) :) It's a lot of fun :)

Thanks EVERYONE for participating in my giveaway :) :)  It was fun.  I think I've caught the "give-away" bug now...so I'll see about hosting some more of these giveaways :) :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of the California coast for today.  Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)