Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Is it seriously March already? March used to be my least favorite month of the year. It's the longest month for teachers because there isn't any single day off. I know all of you with regular 9 to 5's are all, "Whaaa whaaa! Shut up about the easy teacher schedule!" but really! Kids get totally insane by the end of March and it totally drives you to drink. But not on the job or anything. Honestly, what do you take me for?

This year March is a bittersweet month. In 24 days the Boy Who Was Once the Bean will turn one year old. I can't even stand it. I'm planning a menu and picking out clothes and decorations and making favors. All while trying to ignore the fact that Jude is quickly becoming a toddler and not a baby. Thank God he isn't walking yet! He's eating me out of house and home already.

I'm getting more and more into the habit of feeding Jude whatever E and I eat for dinner. At least sometimes. He's not quite ready for buffalo calamari. Until then, I try to make at least two meals a week that I can adjust for him and freeze for later. Chicken soup is by far the easiest. You can use a rotisserie chicken and low sodium boxed stock if you're in a pinch. Last week I roasted a chicken, then made a huge pot of stock from the bones so I could fill up the freezer. After the stock finished cooking I just tossed all of the ingredients in for this soup, but I always have this stuff on hand in a pinch. Chicken soup doesn't have to take an hour, people. I'm not about to waste a nap making soup.

Quick Baby's Chicken Rice Soup
Ingredients:
4 quarts chicken stock
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 Tbls. fresh chopped oregano and parsley, optional

Preparation:
Heat a little olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and carrots and saute two to three minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, chicken, herbs if using, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until veggies are tender, about 7 minutes. Ladle soup into a blender of food processor and add some rice (it should be about 1 part broth, 1 part solids, 1 part rice. Very scientific.) Blend until smooth. Add more rice or broth as you need to get the desired consistency. Freeze whatever you don't serve in ice cube trays or store in the fridge for up to three days.

*To serve the rest of your soup to the big people, season with salt and pepper and add the rice to the pot to heat through.