Small Goals...Small Victories

I dragged myself out of bed this morning hoping a good workout would help me shake this funk, but unfortunately it did the opposite. Instead of calming my thoughts, a stream of self-deprecation has joined the hum of the hamster wheel already spinning in my head. Now I'm not only unfocused, but slightly injured and feel like I'm losing the battle with the cold I’ve been fighting off for 2 weeks.

But I’m a strong woman, so I’ll concoct a plan to push through this funk. With a little more effort, my mood could be better, right? If I focus on all the really important things I’m supposed to be doing like….making all my meals with organic ingredients, getting all the laundry washed, folded and put away nightly, being attentive to my family’s current and perceived needs and adding another workout (or two) to my roster…..that oughta fix it! Right? To be better, faster and stronger, I need to work harder, do more in less time and never give up! Right?!

WRONG.

I am so flipping tired I’m barely making sense. Try as I might, I can’t keep up. I may honestly scream if I’m asked to do any more than I’m already doing. Which means for today my “best” isn’t going to be that great but it is going to have to suffice.

So…my grand plan consists of focusing on small goals, like hanging out with my kids, sharing a meal, watching a DVD with my husband and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. I am going to take a hot shower, stretch my aching muscles, reassess my life then make a little chicken soup for my soul from the following recipe. Or I might just go out and buy some soup and call it a day.

Mom's Cold-Season Chicken Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS
•4 cups of homemade chicken stock
•Fat from the homemade chicken stock
•1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly diced
•2 carrots, sliced in half-inch slices (about the same amount as onion)
•2 celery stalks, sliced in 1/4 inch slices (about the same amount as the onion)
•1 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
•1 Tbsp of chopped greens from a green onion (green part of the green onion)
•1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
•1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) of crushed red pepper flakes (or a small pinch of cayenne)
•Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
In a 4 qt saucepan, heat a tablespoon of chicken fat (that has risen to the surface and solidified from your homemade stock) on medium high heat. If you don't have enough chicken fat, you can add some olive oil. Sauté the vegetables in the fat until the carrots are almost done. While you are sautéing the vegetables, add the seasoning - the poultry seasoning, the crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Seasoning like this during the cooking of the vegetables brings out their flavor. According to my mother, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne is very helpful for a cold, which is why it is part of this recipe. Add the 4cups of stock. Bring to a low simmer. Add the fresh parsley and green onion greens. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
Serves 3.

Full recipe post at: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moms_cold-season_chicken_soup/

Not usually this grumpy, but tired of the chatter,
MM