Hubby is sick. One of the puppies is sick. I'm not feeling well, and a six year old boy is on Christmas break. This is one of those days that you just curl up on the couch with your favorite pint of ice cream and pray you make it through. But, I promised my hubby that I would make chicken noodle soup this weekend. Although, I'm not sure if it was because he loves it, or because he didn't think I could & advised me to just buy it from Costco.


Giving Costco due credit, they have FANTASTIC rotisserie chicken noodle soup. One container usually only lasts about two days in our house; we eat it for every meal. For me, someone who always associated chicken noodle soup with throwing up and your mom forcing liquids down your throat, even coming near the idea of making and/or eating it seems like a big feat. But, now that everyone is kind of 'on the outs' over here, I decided to make today a lazy day and do what I could. The recipe below is adapted from two different ones I couldn't decide between so I mixed, matched, and substituted. {You could also freeze this without the noodles and add them when reheated.}

 
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This was DIVINE!! 

Here I am with the flu and a fever... the works! And my hubby, Jon, went along with my plan for dinner. All I assisted with was relaying directions. We altered the original recipe a bit, but it came out tasting like a dryer version of my mom's vegetarian soup; a definite favorite of mine! Hence, why this recipe was so close to home.



I obviously didn't want to fool with the fresh ingredients and infect the rest of my lovely household so I sent hubs to the store to get what I needed for dinners for the rest of the week. Less than $20 and I have everything I need til Friday! I don't make it a habit to cook on the weekends...

If you need a quick 30 minute recipe (under 400 calories) during the week, this is a definite top 10 go to. I found this on pinterest so it does have an actual link, but since we added a few things differently, I'll post the version we made here. (excuse my over-exposed instagram pic) 

SKILLET GNOCCHI WITH KALE & WHITE BEANS

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi, (see Tip)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 small bunch of Kale
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings (or you can use plain diced tomatoes and add enough dry Italian seasoning to taste)
  • 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
PREPARATION
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add kale (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.