CrockPot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Yes, this soup starts with a box mix. Don't stop reading just yet. I found it at Whole Foods in Alexandria and was sucked in by the big "GLUTEN FREE!" sign on the shelf. A packaged soup mix that is GF and low sodium? Must investigate!



I love that the ingredients list is so simple:



Really. Rice, veggies, spices (SALT-FREE, did you see that on the front?) and a bay leaf. A real, big whole bay leaf. I was impressed.

The only things I had to do in order to get this on its way was to put chicken breast in the crock, add some fresh chopped mushrooms (I used an 8oz package of button mushrooms, quartered), sprinkle the seasoning over all that, and add some broth and water. Brilliant.

This simmered away all afternoon, from about 2pm until we got home from running group to eat around 7:30.



After tasting the soup, I did add some sea salt based on my personal preference. I enjoyed mine with a few saltine crackers and some awesome dried apple slices from my mom. And then I had some Christmas cookies. :D I claim that *earned* those, after running the fastest 5 miles of my life--at an overall pace of 7:49/mile. For real, right?! It wasn't easy, but I'm thrilled that I could do it. The girl I ran with said she "had a goal for us." I was too scared to ask what it was.

This is some of my Garmin data:

Time:	00:39:16
Moving Time:	00:39:05
Elapsed Time:	00:39:28

Avg Speed:	7.7 mph
Avg Moving Speed:	7.7 mph
Max Speed:	9.8 mph

Avg Pace:	07:49 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace:	07:47 min/mi
Best Pace:	06:05 min/mi

ANYway, The H ate two large bowls of this soup, saying it wasn't as heavy as it looks. We had enough left over to make three large-lunch portions, one of which I think I'll try freezing. It's always good to know which recipes will last longer than a few days. Of course I could have made a GF chicken-and-rice soup without a boxed starter; people do it all the time. But it's nice to have an alternative when doing it all yourself just isn't feasible.

One year ago...

I started taking measurements and doing weekly weigh-ins on November 25, 2008. My son was 5 months old and I was "fluffy" to say the least. My weight was up due to bad eating habits, steroid medication for Crohn's disease, and lackluster running routine. My sister's wedding nearly one month prior left me struggling to fit into a Size L (roughly equivalent to a 12) bridesmaids' dress. But things can change. And I'm so grateful for that!

Thanksgiving 2008

My latest weigh-in showed me at my all-time lowest healthy adult weight: 28 pounds lighter than I was one year ago (thanks to Sparkpeople for keeping track). From November 2008 to June 2009 I lost 6 pounds, and I attribute that to getting off the steroids. Know what helped make up the remaining 22 pound deficit? CLEAN EATING! My eating habits changed for the better this past summer.

My best-fitting pants now are Size 4, and I recently had to buy new underwear (the things you don't think about...) because mine would literally fall off when I'd run. Underneath my Size S pants, no less. Hilarious! I've lost 6 inches off my hips, an inch-and-a-half off my neck, and 6 inches from around my waist. My core has gotten stronger, which helps my running, thanks to some core moves I found online and in Runner's World magazine.

November 2009

My running speed has increased... my 5K time dropped from 40:09 to 27:25 and my energy level is greater than ever. At my last gastroenterologist appointment, my doctor couldn't believe how healthy I was; at that time, all of his Crohn's patients in the past month had been in various states of disease flare-up. I've was able to stop taking one of the medications that I'd been on since elementary school, when I was first diagnosed. What a welcome change!

I'm so thankful that I have been given this body that can do (and overcome) so many things, and I intend to keep it as healthy as I can for as long as possible. Happy Thanksgiving!

Introduction and Defense

I'm a wife--to a wheat-intolerant husband. A mother--to a round and happy boy. A runner--to feel better about myself.

I eat clean. (At least, I do my best. Nobody is perfect.) I love to cook and organize, and in my small amounts of free time, read. For me, "eating clean" means that I eat 5 or 6 small meals a day, drink lots of water, and choose not to eat white sugar, white flour, or ingredients I can't pronounce. Each meal is a combination of lean protein and complex carbs, and I never skip breakfast. It's one of my favorite meals of the day! When I have a treat, it's usually a small glass of wine, bittersweet chocolate, a fabulous dessert (dark chocolate gelato!) or birthday cake for one of my family members.

Eating clean does not mean that I don't like your cooking, or that I think I am better than you. It's not about you. This is something I do for me, for my family. My son does not eat French fries or hot dogs. The only chicken nuggets he's ever tasted were a homemade clean version. And if you knew him, you'd know he was in no way suffering because of these things. My husband eats his burgers without buns, thanks to his wheat allergy--but it's made the transition to clean eating that much easier. We don't have to deal with the hassle of finding whole-grain hamburger buns without loads of preservatives. Besides, it makes creating juicy, flavorful burgers a fun challenge because they have to taste good without being hidden between pieces of bread and drowned in nutritionally-empty condiments.

I am always looking for new recipes and ingredients (do *you* know what to do with sorrel? sorghum flour?) and really love paging through my cookbooks and food magazines. It makes me want to dash out to the farmer's market or natural-foods store and pick up a bunch of ingredients to play with. Since I am a black-thumbed, poor excuse of a gardener, I must rely on other people to grow my produce. I'll just turn it into tasty things once that part is done!

Clean eating is something I stumbled across one day in the early summer of this year. The past two months have been a learning experience for me (and my husband and son, as they are stuck eating what I make). One of the things I've learned is that I've never felt better than I do when I eat clean. As a person living with Crohn's disease, that alone is worth the dietary adjustments.

I have learned that a "carbohydrate hangover" is not a feeling I care to relive anytime soon. I've dropped a few pounds after months of a stubborn plateau. I've also learned that my son, just a year old, loves fresh fruit and grown-up flavors. He has turned up his tiny nose at a piece of cake (what kid doesn't like cake?!) in favor of a few green grapes or a fistful of fresh-picked blueberries. He won't eat sweetened "baby" yogurts, but will scarf down a bowl of organic plain yogurt mixed with sweet potato puree. His 1st birthday meal was baked falafel and tzatziki sauce with tomato-cucumber salad. Love that kid.

Though far from a clean-eating expert, I am excited to share my experience with others, perhaps helping them begin or stick with a clean-eating lifestyle. This is my blog about my food and my family--we are clean-eating machines.