Best Chicken Soup Ever!

While the cold and flu season is pretty much right on top of us, I thought it'd be a good idea to share my favorite chicken soup recipe with you.  It's a hearty, healthy soup with plenty of vitamins to help get you back on track and feel better.  I use all organic ingredients in my soups because I find them to be more flavorful and I prefer my meals without a side of pesticides.  ;-)  I also tend to use a little extra garlic.  Maybe it's the Italian in me.

Servings 6 Yield 14 cups Units US

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon organo
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon black pepper, to taste
• 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 3 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked

Directions

1. In 4-1/2 to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl, combine water, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, 1/2 t pepper.
2. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
3. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs on low setting 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
4. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Discard bay leaves. Add noodles to slow-cooker; cover with lid and cook (on low or high) 20 minutes.
5. While noodles cook, shred meat.
6. Skim any fat from soup and discard. Return chicken to soup to serve.

My 10 Favorite Feel Better Natural Cold Remedies

You can feel it coming on.  The sore, itchy throat, the stuffy nose, droopy, tired eyes.  But how did you get sick?  You wash your hands, keep the house clean, clean off the cart handle at the grocery store before you use it.

Oh, wait.  You've got kids!  It's the first week of school.  I'll give you one guess as to where those nasty germs came from and how they wormed your way into your home and your body.  Yucky, germy kids.  We'd all like to think that we've taught our kids well when it comes to keeping their hands to themselves (no touching things that don't belong to them, no touching other kids, and don't allow other kids to touch their belongings), and, of course, lessons on hand washing.

Out of my five kids, the one who we know will always, and I do mean always, bring it home first is my step son.  He will run his hands along walls, shelves, other kids desks as he walks by, grab pencils from other kids (he's quite the handful), and various other activities that put him in direct contact with other people's germs.  And, of course, other than when he uses the bathroom, he won't say to his teacher, "May I please go wash my hands, I just touched xyz."

Inevitably, I wind up with a cold because I wind up with 4 or 5 kids in my home who have colds.  We all know about the typical, run of the mill remedies.  I, personally, don't take much in regards to medications.  I prefer to use more natural remedies to help me through.

1. For me, a huge help is my trusty warm mist humidifier.  While they're not recommended for homes where you have babies crawling around, they're great for my home!  I prefer the warm steam over cold mist any day.  I feel like it helps clear my little nose much faster.

2. Hot tea with honey.  Come on.  Who doesn't love hot tea with honey.  Even if you're not a tea person, there's a tea out there for everyone.  Lot's of flavors.  And so many organic options, you wouldn't believe it.  Don't forget, when you steep non-organic tea, the first time the pesticides get washed off are when you take it out of the wrapper and put it in the hot water.  Yuck!

3. Another obvious choice is nice, hot, steamy, chicken noodle soup.  I like to crush up a clove of garlic into it for an extra boost toward being cold-free.  Works like a charm!  I've got a 16 year old son who will eat a clove of garlic whole.  I wish I could do that.  Whenever he does, his cold is gone the next day.

4. Water, water, water.  Maybe this should be in the number one spot, but regardless, it's very important.  Even though it doesn't seem like it, we lose a lot of fluids during a cold.  A great way to add some flavor to plain old water is to heat it up and add some lemon and honey to it.  You'll still get the hydrating effects, but it won't be so bland and boring.

5. Warm salt water aaaaaand gargle!  And since we're talking about salt water, saline nasal spray is also a favorite of  mine.  Don't forget about Neti Pots.  However, if you use a Neti Pot, make sure you use distilled water or boil your tap water for about 10 minutes then, of course, let it cool down before using it.  Using tap water can be extremely dangerous and potentially deadly when used in a Neti Pot!

6. One of my favorite remedies is to get comfortable!  No one can get better if they're uncomfortable.  Let's be honest, we already are when we can't breathe out of one or both nostrils and are throat is on fire.  So do whatever you need to do to get comfy.  I actually love getting my pillow and a cozy blanket and settling on the living room couch for a day of rest.  Get your water, tea, orange juice, saline, a good book, the remote, whatever you need, and veg out!  You deserve it.

7. How about Popsicle's?  A sore throat is no match for a red, white, and blue Bomb Pop!  My favorite.

8. Throat lozenges are another great help for me.  Ludens Cherry throat drops are a classic choice.  We also keep Ricola Honey-Herb throat drops handy in our house.

9. Take an Epsom salt bath.  There is no better way to ease your body aches with a nice, warm bath in Epsom salt.  There's an added benefit, as well.  It will add beneficial magnesium to your body, which almost all American's are deficient in to being with.

10. Lot's of TLC.  We all have someone in our life who will take care of us.  Sometimes, that's the best remedy.  Someone to make your soup and your tea, someone to draw a bath for you, someone to check in on you to make sure you have everything you need and want.

What natural remedies do you use when you're sick?