Soup's On!

No change on the scale this week, my friends, still 154.2. I'm sure part of that is the minimal exercise I've done, just haven't found the motivation to hop on the treadmill! No excuses, I know it's something I've got to do and feel so much better when I'm moving my body!

We are at the Ormond Beach house this weekend, actually drove up after work yesterday 'cause Beren has meetings up here today. He's already out the door..yawn...and here I sit, planning my day. Since he has the car, I'm pretty much housebound unless I want to put on my sneakers and use my own little feet to get somewhere. Hey, what a great idea! Once the sun comes up I'm gonna grab Loki's leash and take us both on a walk to the park!

In the meantime, I'm planning today's menu. A good friend of mine is feeling a bit under the weather and I told him I'd love to make him a pot of chicken soup..if only he didn't live hundreds of miles away! That got me craving chicken soup...hmm...I just happen to have all the ingredients to make this yummy-sounding recipe from Hungry Girl! Even though it's hot as heck here in the Sunshine State, you can never go wrong with a nice bowl of warm, comforting soup. Here's to you, my friend Franco; hope you're feeling better soon!

Hungry Chick Chunky Soup

PER SERVING (1/10th of recipe, about 1 cup): 150 calories, 1g fat, 570mg sodium, 15g carbs, 4.25g fiber, 5g sugars, 20.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 3 - 4 hours (high) or 7 - 8 hours (low)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups dry coleslaw mix
Two 14.5-oz. cans (about 3 1/2 cups) fat-free chicken broth
One 15-oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
One 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes (not drained)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Evenly season chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt and the pepper. Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the chicken and place in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot and stir into the soup.

Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Serve up and enjoy!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Have a Beauty-Full Day,