How are you holding up out there during flu season? Me. I’m fine now, but I didn’t do so well. I just had a terrible bout with pneumonia and then relapsed and then celebrated with a perfect check up and a 4th chest x-ray in 8 months. All symptoms were resolved. I didn’t want to talk about it here. Somehow I managed to keep the blog going, and it might have been the thing that kept my spirits up.
Finally after 8 weeks, I started boot camp classes. I even broke a speed record in our boot camp group the second week.I was happy to see that I hadn’t lost most of my fitness level because of a thing called muscle memory. If you work out consistently, the body remembers and it’s much easier to get back to it.
Ten days after that great doctor’s report, I got the flu. It took the wind out of my sails, and I admit to feeling discouraged, defeated and even a little depressed. I’ve never been sick in my life longer than a week. I’ve never had to battle anything serious or be hospitalized. I have much gratitude for this, and even more so now because health is a gift, and its not guaranteed.
I had to do some deep thinking about what my life is. What do I need to do before I leave here? I came to the conclusion that I don’t need to do anything. The question is who do I need to become? Is it more important to have a cookbook on the Amazon to prove something to myself or is it more important that I know how to be a consistently kind person waiting in line in the grocery store. Kindness changes the world more than a good recipe. I can do good recipes all day long. I can’t do kindness as easily.
I thank God every day for having had a lifetime of general good health, and I try to do my part in the fight.
During this time of fighting back, this 30 Minute Health Soup was something I relied on. I made many variations of it, and this one was my favorite. I wanted a soup, not only tasty, but I was looking for that bright green color that made me happy.
Broccoli, potato, spinach, watercress, chicken broth, leeks, onion, and fresh lemon. Even the color of the soup was what I had been hoping for, a bright green, as I thought it might be therapeutic to look at, and I didn’t want any mossy green color.
This couldn’t be any easier to put together. After I chopped the leek, onion and potato, I threw it into the chicken broth and let it start boiling away. I added in some black pepper and starting chopping broccoli. I used one whole broccoli stalk. Once everything was softened, put it all in the Vitamix with handfuls of raw spinach. This was blended and put back into the pot with a half of lemon and it’s juice. Watercress was added right before serving, but one night I skipped it and it was just as good.
This soup is creamy with no cream.
I’m fighting back with good food and plenty of liquids, mostly water and green tea. How do you fight your flu symptoms or fight for your health?
30 Minute Health Soup
Ingredients
- 2 quarts chicken broth see note
- 1 large broccoli stalk cut into course pieces
- 1 onion cut coarsely
- 1 leek chopped
- 1 large potato peeled, diced
- sea salt
- black pepper
- Squeeze of lemon
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 handfuls of raw baby spinach
- handfuls of water cress optional
- Note: Water must cover the vegetables by 4 inches. I used a heaping tablespoons of Better than Bouillon organic Chicken broth paste to make the broth.
Instructions
- Put all the vegetables in cold water and bring to boil. Continue on slow boil until the vegetables or fork tender. Squeeze lemon into cooked vegetables Put into a blender or Vitamix including broth. Serve immediately. Garnish with watercress, drizzle of olive oil.
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I’m so sorry you’ve been through so much with your health Angela but glad to hear that you’re staying strong and fighting back. Soup is my go-to as well along with ginger tea when I need energy and nourishment.
Isnt it awful when you find your groove and then get knocked on your butt by something out of your control? Poor thing! This soup will def help the fight.
Poor thing, must have been terrible. So glad you are better!
Your soup sounds delicious as well as healthful. Great combination of ingredients and love that color!
LL
Thanks Lori. The color was really that beautiful green.
Glad you’re feeling better. This is such a healthy soup, love it.
Thanks, Natalie.
I make a similar soup all the time, and it always makes me feel like Popeye after a can of spinach.
Jeri
That’s funny. That’s how I got my spinach tiger name (from the Popeye character, which was my favorite cartoon growing up.)
Sorry to hear you were sick Angela! Sending you big, warm hugs from down under. I love the soup you created. The greens combined with the lemon is a powerful combo.
Thanks, Peter. š
This sounds delicious and so healthy. I have to find that bouillon. Does it last in the fridge? I’m feeding only one person here. š XO
Barbara,
I’m sure this will work in the freezer. I know Costco sells the bouillon in large jars and my grocery store sells it in smaller jars (almost same price.).