Simple Supper

Okay, so I don't feel like cooking, but I had some chicken (boneless, skinless thighs from Costco, puchased in bulk and then seperated into plastic sacks, some of which I froze for later use) and a bunch of veggies that needed using. I don't feel creative today and we have some chores to do and I promised Tessa a good snuggle/reading session, so here's what I've made for tonight's dinner (simmering on the stove now):

Chicken Vegetable Soup
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1 container organic chicken broth
cut up chicken (bite sized pieces)
misc. vegetables -
-kale
-chard
-onion
-carrots
garlic
salt
pepper
dried thyme (I'd use fresh when it was growing in season in my garden!)
water
splash of white wine (optional)

Chop up all ingredients, throw in one big pot, season. Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer. About 10 minutes before serving, add a small pasta of your choice. Serve with salad, home made bread.

DONE. This meal took less than 10 minutes. I'll simmer it for a while, then stick it in the fridge, reheating it for dinner. Ryan will take some to work for lunch tomorrow, and we'll have it then, too. I could have skipped the pre-made broth, but since I had it, I used it for the extra flavor.

It's not a funky meal. It's not ethnic. But it's good, basic comfort food. If I'd had celery in stock I would have added that, and parsnips would be good too, but since I didn't have them, I didn't go out to buy them (unnecessary). But this reminds me - I had a yam that needed to be used. Gotta go - I'll cut that up and add it too.

If I'm lazy I'll skip the salad. We're getting plenty of veggies - even greens - in this one pot meal.

Edited to add: I realized that I had a yam and a sweet potato, so I chopped those and added them in as well. I think Ryan is less enthusiastic about the greens (kale and chard) but Tessa and I liked the whole thing.

As part of not wasting, I'm using up some other fridge ingredients today, too. I had some pre-shredded cheese from another recipe, and I had some herbs that Heather shared with me when she left for Hawaii, and these were both needing to be used (or they'd go to waste soon). My solution? Cheesy herb bread. I've really focused on making healthful, high fiber, whole grain breads, but this loaf has some butter, two kinds of cheese (the other is parmigiano reggiano), and 3 of the 4 cups of flour are white flour. If I'm still awake when it's finished, I'm not sure I'll be able to restrain myself from having a hot slice! I do have a weakness for cheese, and the fresh herbs smelled so good when I added them.