Crock Pot Recipe - Chicken Soup

Before there was soup, there was broth, which people used to pour over a piece of bread in a bowl. That bread was known as "sop." From sop came the word used for today's winter favorite, soup.

Is chicken soup, in and of itself, really a "medicine" of sorts? Does it actually possess healing capabilities, or is its magic all in our heads? Many doctors say that chicken soup to help alleviate a cold is an old wive's tale. Old wive's tale or not, I have found that when I cover my head, ears, neck, and limbs and bless my body with a large bowl of hot chicken soup, then curl up in my bed under the covers, my cold symptoms almost immediately subsides.

"Chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, a substance released when you make the soup. This amino acid is similar to the drug acetylcysteine, which is prescribed by doctors to patients with bronchitis. It thins the mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough out. And hot chicken vapors have been proven more effective than hot water vapors in clearing out the cold in your nose." http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/12/14/does_chicken_soup_have_healing_powers_004.htm

Combined with a plethroa of healing and healthy vegetables, such as garlic, onions, carrots, celery, parley, and others, no wonder my body thinks chicken soup is a great 'medicine' for my cold.

This is what you will need to get your pot of winter cold medicine brewing in your crock pot:

4 cups of fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
3 large cut up carrots
3 stalks of celery
A bunch of chopped parsley
2 parsnips cut up
A turnip or two
2 large chopped onions
5-6 large gloves of chopped garlic
2 cubed wash chicken breast ( I always parboil the blood and fat out of my chicken before use)
An array of chicken parts (washed and parboiled)
1/2 cup of uncooked noodles
Salt and pepper

This is what you need to do:

Place all the ingredients except chicken and noodles in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for up 4 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and noodles and cook on low for another hour. This is 'medicine' that is good for the soul. If you like it hot add a few hot chile peppers or cayenne pepper to taste.

Eating soups can help you stay on track with your weight loss. Many nutritionists suggest that one should chase it with a nutritious and filling meal. A recent study found that people ate 20 percent fewer calories overall when they started lunch or dinner with a bowl of vegetable soup. Experts suggest that one should limit themselves about 1 cup of soup before a healthy meal and make sure it's broth based. It seems creamy soups are pack with hidden fat and salt that will sabotage the shedding tactics.

When you want to make soup your meal, add your favorite bean, eat a little more than a cup, add a fresh salad, a few crackers, or cut up pita bread. Then you have yourself a nice healthy meal useful for shedding extra pounds. Soup made from scratch and including a variety of fresh vegetables is low in calories. Enjoy!