Noodle Soup

I have always loved a good, homemade chicken noodle soup but I ALWAYS left all the chicken in the bottom of the bowl. (Sorry about that mom.) This recipe hits the spot and maintains a great flavor. Yum. My mom and I tossed around the idea of exchanging the pasta for wild rice and maybe adding mushrooms but I suppose then it would be mushroom and wild rice soup. Another soup for another day.

Not-Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 10 large long celery stalks (you will need 3 cups sliced)
• 3 cups sliced or chopped carrots
• 3/4 to 1large white or yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 heaping cup)
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, finely minced (about a tablespoon)
• 2½ cups diced potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 10 cups water
• 3 vegan bouillon cubes (I used Rapunzel brand with sea salt.)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast to taste
• 1 cup rotini noodles

Instructions

1. Chop all veggies.
2. Add the water to a large pot and bring to a boil, add the bouillon cubes and whisk to dissolve. Add all of the veggies and seasonings including thyme, salt, and nutritional yeast. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
3. Add the pasta and bring back to a boil. Leave the lid off and turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the pasta is al dente. 
4. Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and black pepper.

Newborn Fog

Yes, it is a thing. I am living in it. At least this time I saw it coming.

2 weeks of no driving after a c section and then 4 weeks of very limited activity. Add that to less sleep than would be desired, a new human to get to know, being in constant demand for nursing, a body that feels unlike the one you are used to, bleeding, soreness in all the wrong places, incisions, milk production, clothes that don't fit...

The days  and nights begin to all run together. Dirty diapers, feedings, burping... it doesn't matter if it is 2 pm or 2 am, the activities are the same.

And in the outside world, things continue on as they always have. Presidential debates continue, celebrities make the news for outlandish decisions, coworkers go to work, friends go to the bars or adult restaurants, life happens. Friends and family stop by to see the baby and then they leave to return to their day to day routines that include regular meals, sleeping for more than a few hours at a time, and reading books that don't rhyme and have animal characters that talk. 

And eventually, as a new mom, you step out of your house, blinking in the sun, feeling a little shocked at the first breath of fresh air. It all feels new, and different, even if it is exactly the same. It is so hard to believe that the last 2-3 months have left you behind, that the world kept turning even when it felt like yours was standing still. And slowly, you find your way again in this new normal. One day at a time.