Soup...good for body, good for the soul

I am still not feeling 100% after being sick.  I am able to get some stuff done but I still am getting tired early.  In fact, I went up to change clothes and ended up in bed asleep. The best thing when your not feeling well.....soup of course.


I made a veggie soup today, and cleaned out my fridge too.  Now just to warn you, I'm not always a recipe kind of girl.  Most of the time when I come up with recipes, I find one that sounds good and inprovise it to use my Wildtree products and then end up adding whatever is in my fridge that needs to be used up.  Today was no different.  My base soup was:


 2 cans of diced tomatoes
 1 packet of Wildtree's Vegetable Blend
4 cups of broth made with Wildtree's Chicken Boullion


to this I added:


1 can black beans, drained
1 small bag of frozen corn
leftover cauliflower, maybe 1 1/2 cups chopped small
1/2 cup baby carrots sliced thin
some pasta thta I had made to have on hand for the week


I mixed everything right in the pan and cooked until the cauliflower and carrots were slightly soft.  I added the pasta last and when I serve it I will sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese.


Yum.


Looks good too!

What's Your One Thing?

by Matthew Kelly

What's the one thing that you could do every day this year that would make it an incredible year?  

• Take a walk for fifteen minutes at lunch each day - game changer.  
• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day - game changer.
• Move one meaningful project forward each day before you check your email - game changer.  
• Take three minutes to coach someone on your team each day - game changer.  
• Do one thing that demonstrates your love for your significant other each day - game changer. 

There is one thing that can change your life this year, a new habit. Our lives change when our habits change. Pick one daily habit. Measure how many days you do it and how many days you don't.  It will be a game changer - I promise.   



If eating healthier is one of your goals this year....give me a call or email me and let me talk to you about the great Wildtree products!

New Year's Eve Dinner

I had plans to attend my favorite party of the year....New Years Eve at a good friends house.  I love New Years Eve....so full of memories and so full of potential.  I have some great friends and I love sharing the night, the food the drinks and the laughter with them. 


I planned out my menu for what I would bring to the party.  Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili was what I spent the day working on.  That, and some insanely decadent desserts.  The chili was quick and easy to make, leaving me enough time for a nap before the festivities began.  Sorry to say by the time I woke up I was feeling not rested but sicker.  My temp skyrocketed and my throat hurt.  You can imagine I wasn't too happy when I had to cancel from the party.


One good thing though, the chili was fabulous and so I had dinner made and got to crawl back in bed. 


One of the Wildtree products I use the most is the Chicken Bouillion Soup Base I use it all the time.  This is definately the product that I am glad is all natural.  Most bouillon has MSG as well as preservatives, anti cacking agents articial coloring and tons of sodium.  Not Wildtree.


Want to try it yourself?  You can purchase it from my website....here is the link:


http://www.mywildtree.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?prod=10756



Here is the recipe for the chili:


Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili

1 medium onion, chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. Wildtree Garlic Flavored Grapeseed oil
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 lbs.) cut up
5 cups of chicken broth using Wildtree's Chicken Bouillon Base
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 quinoa, rinsed
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubes
2 cans (15oz each) black beans,rinsed and drained
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained


1. In a dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Add chicken, 4 cups broth and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.


2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring remaining broth to a boil.  Add quinoa.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the heat.  Fluff with a fork.  Set aside.


3. Remove chicken; cool slightly.  Strain broth, reserving vegetables.  Skim fat from broth.   Return vegetables and broth to the Dutch oven.  Add the sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes and cooked quinoa.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.


4. Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones and cut into bite sized pieces.  Stir chicken into chili and heat through.


This recipe is taken from  Taste of Home Magazine  December 2011/January 2012


Notes:


I had chicken breasts already cooked so I did not cook the chicken.  I also couldn't find quinoa so I used basmati rice.

Rancher Steak Rub

Rancher Steak Rub is one of my favorites.  It can be used on anything....so far I have it on venison tenderloins, chicken, steak, mahi mahi, and salmon by just rubbing a little grapeseed oil ( garlic is my choice in this circumstance) and then sprinkle the rub on both sides of the meat/fish.

I have used it as a dip during tastings mixed with some sour cream, and now I am using it with some garlic grapesee oil and Worchester sauce to  marinate some venison to make jerky.  I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

This rub sold my husband on Wildtree products, so that is just one more reason I love it!

New Year, New Adventure

I was all set for a great lauch....the new year, a new business and a new website to support it.  I had so much that I wanted to talk about, how I got into Wildtree, why I decided to start a new business selling Wildtree ( when I am definately NOT a fan of home partie businesses....or at least most of them).  I have been working on great recipes and have had some amazing results AND some amazing failures....


but, all those great plans got pushed aside as I am horribly sick.  It is hard to muster up the energy to live up to all my great plans when all I want to do is crawl back in bed.


Funny thing though, usually when I get sick like this it quickly proceeds right from the"flu" to what my husband calls "The Trifecta: Bronchitis, Sinus Infection, and Strep Throat.  Which goes from feeling bad and taking NyQuil for 2 nights right to the doctors office with at least 2 rounds of antibiotics (sometimes more).  It then takes a month to get back to normal and I deal with the effects of the antibiotics for another month or so. 


Not this time.  Yes, I have been dragging for almost a week, but I am able to get up and get the important stuff done.  The kids are fed, laundry is done, the house is (reasonably) clean.  Yes, I haven't been to the gym in a week, I am not driving through my To-Do List.  I take naps and at the end of the day I am exhausted and feeling miserable. 


But I haven't needed to go to the doctor.  I can feel my body healing itself.  I am listening to what it is telling me, fueling it with healthy natural food, letting it rest in order to heal.  Slowing down, letting go. 


The difference between being sick now and all those times in the past.....I firmly believe Wildtree has made a difference.  When you start to eliminate all the processed, chemical laden food from your body, it respondes in a spectacular way.  Since my body is not trying to get rid of toxins and poisons, it can concentrate on healing. 


Just an observation.


Now, I am going back to bed.  I hope to post my New Years Eve recipe later.  After my nap.