Rhonda’s Health Journey

02/20/2024

12/17/2023

Its flu and cold season so here is my personal favorite.

Not your Mothers Chicken Soup by Rhonda Saunders

Take a whole cut chicken or whatever chicken you have that still has bones in it. It can be frozen even.

Place in a stock pot.

Brew some green tea use the water from the green tea bags to make your stock water. I just keep using the same bags until it no longer turns the water color. Yep you heard me correctly I use green tea. This is crucial because when your sick they tell you to drink what? Tea. Its pack full of nutrients. Yes it will make the stock look a bit funky and will give your chicken a weird brown color. If your tea bag breaks and flakes get in no big deal leave it just take the teabag and string and tag out those leaves won’t hurt anything in there. Pretend its seasoning. We will fix it all later just trust the process.

While your chicken is boiling and cooking to death in Green tea stock this is when I use the time to cut op my veggies. But first add a couple bay leaves. You can take them out when you debone it.

2 cups of Carrots maybe I will be honest I don’t measure. I like organic ones but any will do even the cool colored ones. I like cutting them up about the size of a peas or corn maybe a bit bigger.

Onions I usually dice up a purple onion and a yellow or white one whatever to add color and flavor. I also use green onions or chives later tward the end but you can cut them both at this time and keep them separate so the big onions cook and the green ones look nice at the end.

2 cups Celery I usually use the inside ribs that wonderfully green leaf stuff looks like herbs when your done. I peal my strings in the celery and dice into small pieces like pea or corn size.

I cut my garlic into pieces usually a few cloves.

I take out a bag of frozen peas

Now that I have my veggies cut I check my chicken hopefully its cooked and fall of the bone ready if it is I keep the stock and separate the bones from the chicken. If its not keep cooking the chicken until it naturally falls apart and off the bone. Remember to take out your bay leaves.

When thats done i add the chicken stock and the chicken back in my stock pot and add in my carrots and garlic. While im waiting for it to get up to boiling.

This is also when I start to add my seasonings
A splash of apple cider vinegar with the mother or lemon juice.
A squeeze of ground mustard or horseradish
Cardamom
Mrs dash chicken seasoning
Fresh black pepper
Paprika regular or smoked
A pinch of turmeric this will make things go from green back to a yellowish color.
Sometimes a sprinkling of sage, rosemary and thyme whatever I have on hand. Use whatever herbs and spices you like.

I bring everything back up to a boil and add my onions and celery when they become translucent then I add the bag of frozen peas. After my peas are tender but not mushy I add salt to taste and whatever seasoning is missing.

You can then add noodles or crackers or whatever else you like. I like it pack full of veggies. This soup is pack full of flavor and nutrients. Enjoy. I freeze the leftovers to warm up whenever someone isn’t feeling well.

I hope I remembered everything.

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12/17/2023

Kelly’s Grill after church I ordered a salmon salad with balsamic vinaigrette. This is sooooo good.!!!

12/17/2023

My sister Heather just asked me how I make dehydrated fruit. I have a dehydrator but my sister doesn’t. I share how to do it in the oven below. There once was a time when this was how I did them before I received the dehydrator. I hope you enjoy.

Dehydrated Bananas

2 cups water 2 tablespoons of lemon juice slice bananas and put chips or coins in the lemon water scoop out (

with slotted spoon or fork and put fruit on cookie drying rack on a cookie sheet and place in oven on lowest setting with door cracked open turn banana coins half way through. Coins should be a little pliable. Store in airtight container.

I put the water in ice cube trays to use to flavor my water because i hate plain water. Or cool off hot tea in iced herbal teas.

Dehydrated Apples

2 cups water
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Slice apples in circles or thin wedges and follow the rest of the process like the banana slices above. Freeze juice to put in apple juices or cool off hot apple cider

Dehydrated pineapple slices

Buy canned pineapple slices put sliced pineapple directly on cookie drying sheets on top of cookie sheets and follow above directions. Freeze pineapple juice in containers to use in Christmas punch or use in smoothies

Fresh pineapple can also be used and no water is needed as pineapple is naturally acidic. So just follow dehydrated grapes method below. Make this easier by using a pineapple core and spiral cutting tool.

Dehydrated grapes or blueberries

Wash fruit and De-vine
Place on wire racks I use two drying racks and crisscross them to make a grid pattern over the cookie sheet. This helps these round globes from rolling off and onto the floor of the oven. Then place in oven and follow the oven process from above.

I haven’t tried raspberries or strawberries but im sure i would use the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar method from above.

12/17/2023

Dinner a warm spiral beet sautéed in olive oil with red onion and garlic and topped with a dill yogurt sauce and toasted pine nuts with baked cajun chicken. This side would pair better with a lemon flavored chicken or a fish

12/17/2023

Today is a New Day a new start why wait till after Christmas or after The New Year. I’m starting today.

10/12/2023

03/23/2023

Help? Since I have started this page I have been getting some pretty creepy messages and calls during the night 12-4am. My husband is pi**ed off and I am too. I thought if I stopped posting maybe they would stop but its not working.