Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is a quick and easy full meal, especially if you have leftover chicken on hand from a previous meal.

top: soup without broth as is eaten by my 16 mo old. bottom: garnished
with cheddar cheese and avocado. right: pot full of goodness.

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cayanne pepper (optional, to taste)
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (I like to use frozen from our garden)
1 quart chicken stock (I like to make and use stock from the last chicken I roasted)
3-4 cups shredded chicken (or whatever I can manage to pick off the bones of the last chicken I cooked)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 flour/corn tortilla cut into small strips (optional) OR serve with tortilla chips
*Garnish with fresh lime juice, shredded cheddar and avocado (optional)

-In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat to medium high, add oil and saute onions and peppers until translucent and add garlic. Then add seasonings and saute for another minute or 2.
-Add in diced tomatoes, rinsed black beans, drained corn and chicken stock. Stir to combine.
-Add in shredded chicken and tortilla strips, stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
-Garnish and serve

This meal is SO quick and easy, and a big hit with my family. Enjoy!

Diabetes, Pregnancy and Dietary Restrictions

I like to consider myself a rather healthy person. But the fact of the matter is is that I am addicted to sugar. Always have been. And I never thought anything of it besides it's effect on my waistline until I was near the end of my first pregnancy. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (also referred to as "diabetes during pregnancy") in my third trimester a little late in the game. I ended up delivering my daughter 2 weeks early at 8 lbs. 6 oz. When I receive the diagnosis I was put on medication. As a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I believed that I could manage it myself. But it was just too late in the game and, quite frankly, I don't think I had enough willpower to be strict enough with my diet. So I ended up on medication just a week before I delivered. Once you've had gestational diabetes, you are at risk for type 2 diabetes for the rest of your life and also gestational diabetes in any subsequent pregnancies. So here I am in my second pregnancy with high blood sugar, yet again.

My daughter, Caroline, as a newborn in the NICU with high blood sugar
(caused by my GD). She spent 4 days under monitoring.

According to Mayoclinic.org:

Any woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• Age greater than 25. Women older than age 25 are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.
• Family or personal health history. Your risk of developing gestational diabetes increases if you have prediabetes — slightly elevated blood sugar that may be a precursor to type 2 diabetes — or if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You're also more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you had it during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms), or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.
• Excess weight. You're more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you're significantly overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
• Nonwhite race. For reasons that aren't clear, women who are black, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Once I found out I was pregnant and scheduled my first OB appointment I started checking my blood sugar and realized that it was in fact hi again. At first, my Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctor believed it was "pre-diabetes" because it was too early to be GD. But now my OB is saying that it is possible to have GD in your first trimester.  Whatever you want to call it, my blood sugar is too high and needs to be managed in order to maintain a healthy pregnancy. I started back on the medication I took with my previous pregnancy. But after a couple days my blood sugar actually became too low! I was experiencing a lot of jitters and anxiety. This time around I have been able to maintain  healthy blood sugar levels with the diet alone. If only I could muster the strength and energy to exercise, I presume it would be even easier. But for now, the dietary restrictions are managing it. And quite frankly, these are dietary restrictions that I should've been maintaining all along. No added sugar. Low complex carbohydrates balance with protein and healthy fats. Lots of vegetables. So basically, I can't snack on soda and ice cream, but I am able to enjoy a balanced diet. And as I've continued this new diet, I've actually found that I'm able to consume more carbohydrates then I was able to at the beginning. So it seems as though my body is healing!

You see, I strongly believe that most illness is directly caused by an in balance in the body and can be reversed by dietary and lifestyle changes. Diabetes is absolutely one of those diseases. GD is slightly different because it is caused by hormones produced by the placenta. So often times, there is not much you can do about that with diet alone. But I firmly believe that my current diabetic state has been caused by poor diet and pre-disposition because of my previous GD diagnosis. So for now, it is being managed. There's a good chance that later in my pregnancy that diet will no longer cut it. But I intend to maintain a healthier diet to maintain healthy blood sugar levels in the future in order to avoid a life of type two diabetes.

What is Our Motivation Towards Improved Health?

Over the last 10+ years of my wellness journey, there have been varying reasons for and motivations towards leading a healthier life. Some of them have been:

1. Weight loss
2. Digestive issues 
3. A desire to heal from disease 
4. Pregnancy 
5. Lack of energy 

But a consistent reason that has never left me has been stewardship. A desire to use this gift of my "temple" in responsible ways; to be a good example to others; to be the best that I can be in order to care for my family and community to the best of my ability. If I am sick and tired, then I lack the energy and ability to function in my every day responsibilities. And if I do somehow muster the will and energy to perform the tasks required of me, I'm surely unable to do so in a joyful, loving manner (which is super important to me). My efficiency and productivity, as well as my mental and emotional health, suffer when I do not adequately take care of myself.

There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of books, websites and businesses devoted to health and wellness. It has become a multi-million dollar industry. Everyone thinks that they have the miracle answer that will improve your health. The best diet. The best nutritional supplement. The best exercise program. But I believe and have had proven to me time and time again by the many people that I've spoken to about their own wellness journeys that no one answer is the right answer for everyone. There is no one solution everyone. We are individuals created with individual dietary, exercise, spiritual and relational needs.

So what change can you make today to improve your health? What healthy suggestion have you been meaning to implement in your life? Or do you need some help discovering more healthy options to try for yourself?

Slowing Down and Assessing the Essentials

It's been quite some time since I've last blogged. So many things have changed. I've experienced the good, the bad, happiness, sadness, stress, peace... so many experiences in day-to-day life that make up who we are.

I've gotten married at the age of 33, which poses it's own challenges. Learning to compromise and share a life with another person can be quite the adjustment. But God didn't create marriage to make us happy (though it hopefully does some of the time). He created marriage to make us holy. So that we may imitate Him as he related to the church. I truly believe that there is no greater challenge with no greater reward than growing together in Christ in the ways that are expressed in scripture. It is character-building, for sure.

These last few months of new marriage have brought with them much reflection on who I am, who I am becoming, and who He wants me to be. How will my time be best spent? What activities/studies/hobbies will best serve my family and glorify God? What will contribute positively to my health, both physically and mentally? I've had some recent developments in my physical health that have proven to be the result of too much stress. So the reevaluation of my time and focus has become absolutely necessary.

So what are you focused on these days? How are you spending your time and attention, and how are those things serving your all-around wellness?

This week's new recipe

Last weekend I made the African Chicken Peanut stew from SimpleRecipes.com that I talked about on facebook. It was good. Casey snubbed his nose and said it smelled like 'sweat socks'. He always says that.

This next recipe should get a better response, since it contains 2 of his favorite things. Chicken and rice. We'll see how it goes and I'll let you know.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Posted by Elise on Jan 6, 2009 at SimpleRecipes.com

Have you ever had the soup can classic chicken rice casserole? I admit, I have not, though the idea of it intrigued me recently. It sort of reminds me of my mother's arroz con pollo, but with mushrooms and without tomatoes. With this recipe I set out to make a scratch cooking version of chicken rice casserole, sans the cans, with the goal of extracting as much flavor as I could out of the ingredients. First you will note that we use chicken thighs, instead of the more popular (and more expensive by the way) breasts. The thighs have more flavor, and are a little fattier, meaning they won't dry out with long cooking. The chicken pieces are browned in olive oil, removed, and then the onions are cooked in the same pan with the chicken browned bits. Then the mushrooms are browned, and the whole pan is deglazed with dry sherry. All goes into a casserole dish with stock, cream, sour cream, herbs, rice, topped with the chicken, and baked in the oven. The rice cooks in the stock, the chicken finishes cooking, and the resulting dish is, as my 10-yr-old nephew says "really good".

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

If you are avoiding cooking with alcohol, skip the sherry and deglaze the pan with a 1/4 cup extra of chicken stock.
Depending on how salted your stock is, you may need to more generously salt this dish. Can always salt to taste at the table.
You can make this entire dish on the stovetop instead of the oven if you want. Just use a large sauté pan with a tight cover, cook on low when all is assembled, low enough to keep a simmer, but not so high that you burn the rice.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces, patted dry
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1 1/3 cups* chicken stock**
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 cup raw, medium or long grain, white rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon each of Italian seasoning and poultry seasoning (or 2 teaspoons of one of these herb mixes, or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil)**
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

*This recipe assumes the rice requires approx 1 1/2 cups liquid per cup of rice to cook. Some rice varieties, such as brown rice, require more liquid (and a longer cooking time). Adjust recipe accordingly.
**If you are cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged stock, use gluten-free packaged herbs and spices.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high or high heat (hot enough to brown but not burn). Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl. Note that the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

2 In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Remove onions and garlic to a shallow (9 x 13 x 2) casserole dish.

3 Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.
4 Add 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. (At this point, if you are making ahead, reduce the sherry to 1 Tbsp and pour off into the casserole dish. Refrigerate cooked onions, garlic, mushrooms, and browned chicken pieces until you are ready to make the casserole.) Let the sherry reduce to about 1 Tbsp, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cream, and the sour cream. Add the raw rice to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, sherry, cream, sour cream mixture over the rice. Add the Italian and poultry seasonings (or fresh herbs) and paprika to the dish. Stir the rice, onion, mushroom, herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

5 Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture (in a single layer if you can, they will be crowded). Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Serves 6 (with leftovers)

Accountability... It's a Wonderful Thing

I will be the first to tell you that I am a classic example of someone who doesn't always practice what they preach. Hey, no one is perfect, and I don't expect anyone else to be perfect either. But I strive for optimal health and to make the best decisions as often as possible.

I often have difficulty in my decision making because of a lack of accountability. Yes, I'd like to think that I'm strong enough and possess enough conviction to make the right food choices purely because it's the right decision. Apparently I'm not. And that's OK.

My 'significant other', who currently lives 5.5 hours away and requires a restricted diet and constant physical activity, will soon be moving into town. This man has no self control either, so I will be forced to keep anything that I don't want him to eat out of my cupboards. Because he WILL eat it, and suffer for it.

I'm looking forward to his accountability of constant exercise and strict diet, to remind me of why I make the decisions I do and help me create better habits.

So my question to you is... what are YOUR goals? What do YOU need accountability in, and who in your life can help you with it?

Return to Life as Usual, but with a New Outlook

I've been home from my trip to India for 1 week now, trying to get back to normal sleep patterns, focus at work, and reclaiming order in my home. It's all slowly coming back, though I constantly remind myself not to get COMPLETELY back to normal. When you visit a foreign land that has so much less than you, you can't help but appreciate everything that you have and have taken for granted your whole life.

Things in life that never occurred to me as a middle class white girl raised in the suburbs now have significance. The roof over my head, food on the table and clothes on my back were always expected to be provided by my parents. A hot shower has always been available to me, and modern plumbing was something I never thought could be different anywhere else. Of course, as I've grown into an adult and provided these things for myself, I have gained an appreciation of what it has taken my parents to provide a certain quality of life for my brothers and I growing up. But until I experienced another culture where these things are not readily available, I never stopped to think how truly lucky most of us are in America.

I spent time getting to know beautiful people who live with very little (practically nothing by our standards), but feel like they have 'everything they need' in something as simple as a small refrigerator. They have no heat in their homes, no washing machines to wash their clothes and no car in the driveway to go wherever they need whenever they want.

We had the privilege of providing some basic staples to a few less fortunate people in the community in Kalimpong while there was a political strike going on and stores were closed, making feeding their families a real hardship. We were humbled by the families that we met who care for their families with so little.

Our time spent with the girls at Hope Family Home was spent singing, laughing, learning and growing. Some of them have experienced a lot of life in their few years on this earth. They will never be forgotten.