Tips for Chicken Noodle Soup

I haven't been feeling well lately.  And I know why.  I have been "cheating" -- but no worries, not on the Future Husband.  I have been cheating on myself with food.  JA coined the term "cheating" and for us, it has stuck.  Cheating means not following our allergen diets, and eating things we know we are allergic to. 

For JA, this usually means "cheat-za" (or pizza).  For me, it is usually desserts.  But lately, it has been a little of everything.  The FH (Future Husband) and I have been travelling a lot lately.  At the end of April, we went to the wonderful wedding of my oldest friend -- it was in North Carolina.

(me and Jordan at her gorgeous wedding)



The food was amazing and how could I pass up true Southern BBQ?  Including fried chicken.  I just had to eat at Bojangles -- the best chicken and biscuits ever!  It all sure tasted good, but I didn't feel so good....

But that didn't stop me from enjoying myself in Vegas the next weekend.  I enjoyed all the amazing food Vegas had to offer -- including Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate and the Pastrami Sandwich at the Carnegie Deli.  I just ate my way through Vegas.  And my stomach sure paid for it....

(eating my pastrami sandwich that I could barely fit in my mouth)

(me, Krystle (FH's cousin) and Dee (future mother-in-law) enjoying our frozen hot chocolates)

I continued to cheat throughout the next few weekends when we had family and friends in town.  It is just easier when we go out for me to cheat.  But it has caught up to me.  And my stomach and body are paying for it.

So tonight the FH made me his Nana's (great-grandmother) Chicken Noodle Soup.  This is an Italian style soup -- with meatballs!  Making chicken noodle soup gluten-free is very easy.  Regular soup doesn't have any dairy, nuts, soy as it is -- so all you have to do is replace the noodles. 

So some tips when replacing regular noodles with gluten-free noodles:

- don't use quinoa pasta -- it just doesn't hold up well with the broth

- our favorite brand is Tinkyada -- we actually use the shapes (like the pasta for kids)

- Lundberg pasta works well too

- COOK THE PASTA SEPARATELY!  Since you are using rice pasta, the pasta will continue to soak up the broth/liquid -- expanding the noodles and reducing your amount of broth

*so we add the noodles into the bowl and then pile on the soup -- we even store the noodles separately, just combine when you want to eat leftovers*

My tummy is starting to feel better :)  And I am not cheating for the whole month of June.  Wish me luck!  And enjoy your own soup when you are feeling under the weather!