Happy November! It’s a chilly, gloomy day today in San Diego and I woke up feeling a little under the weather. The temps are dropping a bit, which really got me in the mood for something comforting and hearty. I love making soups because they do exactly that for me – they soothe and comfort me, while still provide me with essential nutrients and all the good feels I look for {especially when I’m not feeling my best}.

The extra benefit to making soup is that it lasts several days = less time for food prep with a busy schedule. I’m planning on having this yummy soup for lunch + dinner all week long to fortify, nourish + boost me back to feeling 100%.

This is such a simple + healthy recipe and is packed with flavor!

Ingredients:

• 32 ounces organic chicken bone broth (I love The Brothery’s bone broth – found it at Jimbos, here in San Diego)

• 4 organic celery stalks, chopped

• 1/2 large organic sweet onion, chopped

• 6 organic carrots, chopped (I used the multi-colored ones for extra color)

• 1 head of organic kale, finely chopped (including the stems)

• 1 organic chicken breast, sliced into strips

• 1/2 cup organic cooked quinoa (optional)

• 3 pinches sea salt

• 3 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon organic crushed garlic

• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional – for a little kick)

• 1 pinch ground turmeric (optional)

• 1 teaspoon organic raw honey (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients (except the kale) in a large pot and cook for about 45 minutes – or until chicken is fully cooked.

2. Once the chicken is cooked, you will be able to shred it with a fork into strips.

3. Stir in the kale and cooked quinoa (optional).

4. Serve hot and enjoy!

Bone broth is different to stock or broth that you are used to seeing  in stores for soups, etc. Bone broth is generally made with bones and cartilage, and possibly a little meat.  Most times, bones are roasted first and then simmered for a long period of time (at least 24 hours). Bone broth is quite dense, packed with minerals, gelatin and collagen.  

Bone broth is soo good for you! It is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and trace minerals. The fats found in bone broth aid in restoring gut health (which also helps with absorption of minerals). As it is a great source of gelatin and collagen, bone broth supports connective tissue, hair and nail growth, and helps to keep joints healthy. It is also a great source of the amino acids glycine and proline, which are essential for healthy bones, skin, ligaments + tendons. Glycine helps to detoxify the liver, and produces the powerful antioxidant, Glutathione (which I’ve written about in a post before). Bone broth helps to fight inflammation and infection caused by cold + flu viruses and even helps to treat adrenal fatigue!

For this recipe, I added a few optional ingredients in – 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa {because I had it in the fridge, so why not??}, a bit of local, raw honey {to sweeten my dish up a bit + provide antibacterial properties}, ground cayenne pepper & turmeric {for a little spice kick + healing properties}. When making this for yourself, you can stick to the basics and opt out of adding the optional ingredients – it will taste just as yummy, I promise! But if you want to add in the extra lovin..you won’t regret it, I can promise you that as well 

I’m currently sipping on my honey ginger lemon tea from my last post and eating a bowl of this delicious, warming soup. The ultimate feel-better combination. What are some of your go-to comforting, feel-better remedies?

a healthier you is a happier you!

xo + live well, 

cara