I Cooked Soup While I Slept, and I Wasn't Sleepwalking

January is here. It feels like negative temperatures outside, and suddenly a chef salad at lunch just doesn't cut it.  I know myself, and I know that on cold days like today all I want is a hot meal and a few hot cups of coffee. But maybe you're like me and you helped yourself to a little too much Christmas stuffing or one too many cookies (I go for the stuffing). I'm left wondering what I can eat that is warm and satisfying yet doesn't make me feel like fitting effortlessly into those skinny jeans is out of reach.

Making chicken noodle soup sounded like a good idea at 5 p.m. last night as I was driving home from work. Unfortunately, I still had to walk the dog, do some laundry and clean up some leftover boxes of stuff from when I moved recently. I didn't really feel like "manning" the stove for a few hours on top of that, so Crock Pot it was.

I had all the ingredients at home and decided I would prep everything and toss it all in the Crock Pot to cook overnight. I suppose if I had planned ahead, I could have cooked it all while I was at work yesterday, but I didn't (because that's how ideas work sometime). Overnight seemed just as good and I knew it would be ready in time for me to pack for lunch today.

What a good idea. But is homemade soup on a cold day ever a bad idea?

Ready to cook!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (mine were frozen, but they can be thawed)
4-5 carrots chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 - 1 1/2 C celery chopped
Parsley to season
4 C chicken broth
2 C water
salt & pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne (I sprinkled some in because I like spicy food, but you don't have to)
1/2 C peas (fresh or frozen)
2 C noodles (your choice - I used whole wheat, but egg noodles are good, too)

Add chicken, carrot, onion, celery, parsley, chicken broth, water, salt and pepper, and cayenne (optional) to Crock Pot. Cook on low overnight. Mine cooked about 10 hours, but I estimate any time between 8-10 hours is sufficient.

In the morning, shred chicken and add peas and noodles. Turn heat to high and cook for a half hour. I packaged a cup for lunch today and carefully set the rest to cool in the fridge.

Ready to eat!

Note: This is pretty basic recipe for chicken noodle soup and can be adapted easily with herbs like sage, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, etc. You could also use 6 C of broth instead of the 4/2 that I used. I just like to watch how much sodium I'm consuming and I've never really cared too much for salt anyway. I'm the person who eats unsalted pretzels. You could also sub skinless chicken thighs/quarters for the boneless chicken breasts. Just remember to pick the bones out in the morning!

Also, waking up to the smell of chicken soup in the morning is actually pretty nice!