Quick Chicken and Noodle Soup

I haven't been feeling so great today. Last night I ate some dodgy-looking salsa from the fridge with my dinner and a few hours later I had one of the worst stomach aches I've experienced in a while. Lesson to self: 4 month old salsa isn't to be trusted — even if it "smells OK."

To add insult to injury, I had to be on a conference call for work from 3 a.m. until 5 a.m. this morning. I managed to take a nap after work and fell asleep again around midnight. They weren't sure when I would need to be on the call, so they called to tell me they were ready for me around 3 ish. I was done a little before 5, but I don't think I finally fell back to sleep until about 6 a.m. I slept until noon today, but I'm sure the wacky sleep habits isn't helping matters today.

Add in some gloomy looking skies and lots of rain and you've got a perfect opportunity for chicken noodle soup. This came together easily, which is important when you're not feeling well. One downside to being single is that I can't sit and moan on the couch and have people serve me. If I'm running a high fever I can usually persuade friends or family to drop off some food, but not for a stomach ache.

It's based on a well-rated Cooking Light recipe, but I've made a few changes because I like my soup with more broth and I prefer onion and didn't have parsnips. I could have picked up some, but honestly, I didn't feel like fussing with it. I'd rather be watching endless hours of HGTV and trashy VH1 reality shows.

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup
8 servings (1 cup)

1 tbsp butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 tbsp flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces whole wheat egg noodles
2 tbsp parsley

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add flour and the chicken broth, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper, stirring to combine.

Bring to boil, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and the noodles; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.