20-minute Chicken and Rice Soup with Superfoods

I have three criteria when creating a recipe. It must be simple, healthy and delicious. Sometimes the delicious part fails a bit, or a lot a bit. But fortunately in the case of 20-minute chicken and rice soup, all three were nailed.

I’ve been constantly focused on my life lately. Just coming off the new years and finally overcoming resolutions with a new way {read about that way here}, I am finally getting into a rhythm of knowing my body, listening to my body and respecting it in every decision.

For so long we’ve been told to beat our bodies into submission. That this is the only way to find success.

But that is a lie.

It is also a lie that pain is gain and less is best.

Unfortunately, it becomes confusing, overwhelming, frustrating and so hard to know right from wrong, truth from lie and to have any trust in your own body because it’s been tagged as the villain in the story for far too long.

It just takes beating the lies everyday, changing your mind and living with purpose rather than just good intentions, which probably sounds like the same feat as climbing Mt. Everest.

Not to mention, you are probably here to get the Chipotle Chicken and Rice soup and not a lecture on purpose verus good intentions. So I’ll spare you this time {but come back because there is an entire blog post and podcast coming on the subject <- it could change everything} but for now lets focus on this soup.

supercharge with superfoods

I’m not a huge fan of jumping on the bandwagon of super foods. They can seem like another fad, all the hype and just a temporary fix to a long-term problem. They’ve made people believe that they can change your life, your weight, your marriage {okay maybe not your marriage but definitely your body status} with just the simple pop of these superfoods daily.

From coconut oil, chia seeds, matcha and maca powders, kale, kefir, kombucha — and the list continues.

If we’re comparing these foods to others in our food system, they do have some pretty powerful health benefits. Definitely all foods we’d want to add and incorporate into our diet. These are superior to others with some potential super powers. However, nothing that will allow you to fly. Just powers to supercharge your body.

But, if we’re just eating these superfoods because someone, somewhere has promised that they are going to make you drop that last few pounds, diminish cellulite, get rid of stretch marks, scars, or acne you’re probably going to end up disappointed. Unfortunately there is not a food or a combination of foods that can reverse flaws {or what we perceive to be flaws of our body}.

don’t go here

If we opt for the superfoods because we believe they will change our body, be the quick fix, the overnight miracle we’ve been praying for, we’ll end up disappointed. We’ll have thoughts of failure, we’ll lose belief and hope and we’ll most likely become even more obsessed with the flaws of our body and forget the actual beauty of it.

We’ll fall into the vicious cycle that will gobble us up and prevent us from living.

It’s a deep, deep hole and why I bring it up today, because if I can help just one person from falling into that deep pit, it will be a win. It’s a dark, hopeless life and one we’re not called to live.

On the other end, we’re called to live.

To fully live. With hope, and peace, and love and joy. This is what life is supposed to be like.

And that life, begins with faith and belief in Jesus who gives us hope and purpose. After that it’s our responsibility to live that out. Living that out comes from good abundant health.

change your mind

Instead of eating superfoods for the quick and fast miraculous change, eat them because they can literally supercharge your body with the loads of nutrients within them. They are deep down, to the bone nurturing to every cell in our body and can provide the satisfaction we are tend to seek in all of the wrong places.

It is my personal mission, to not just look at food as good or bad but in how my body may benefit from it. To focus on what my body cries out for but also what creates satisfaction. Through that I try to incorporate a layering effect of satisfying foods, nurturing foods and superfoods that will come together into a simple mix that you can actually make when you have limited time. Yes, even when your kids are clinging to your feet in hunger.

Foods you can make at the crazy 5 o’clock weeknight hour {that I mostly dread}.

It’s just a change in mindset and this simple change can change your health.

It works because you’re not looking to get rid of your “flaws” but you’re looking to start living through eating nurturing comfort foods that are simple!

the breakdown

This recipe is just a twist off of traditional chicken tortilla soup that I’m trying to spice up with a few additional “superfoods.” It’s one of the small but BIG changes I am making for my health this year. Just substituting or adding as many health foods as I can to my existing diet.

Gone be the days of restriction, starvation and deprivation, let’s win the battle by adding not taking away.

If you missed it, here is a printable list of 25 simple but BIG change you can make for your health this year.

So the simple changes:

• Bone broth for boxed chicken stock at the store {Yes, I do buy my bone broth here because it is just one less thing I have to do}.
• Addition of chopped kale.
• Lots of fresh herbs. In this case chopped cilantro mixed in and topped on the soup.
• Long-grain brown rice (could use quinoa) over white rice.
• Sliced avocado.

It’s not about taking away. It’s just about adding as many health foods as you can and naturally watch as your body gets supercharged, your taste buds change and you feel and think better than you have in a long time. To start with try the few substitutions to this ordinary soup and see how it makes you feel.

Don’t forget to find a list of my top seven health foods to add to your diet this year and just start making slow and simple changes.

It’s what you do consistently over time that makes a difference!