Low Carb Chicken Noodle Soup

Happy Monday, Friends!  Ok, so this whole gestational diabetes thing is super annoying...but I'm managing.  It's not quite as bad as I had imagined it would be before I started googling different recipes.  And since I know that I HAVE to have carbs, I'm happier.  That being said, I can't over-do it with the carbs, but I'm finding some pretty tasty recipes that are very satisfying.  This is one of them.   For those of you who are also dealing with gestational diabetes...or diabetes in general...my sugar was surprisingly low 1-hour after eating.  You can have a hearty, full bowl of this soup with lots of noodles and my sugar was in the low 100's (anywhere from 109-118).  Anything under 140 for gestational diabetes is considered golden.  So that made me *very* happy.  And I was full when I was done with my bowl!  Bonus!

For me, chicken noodle soup is best when it's made from scratch.  And I mean FROM SCRATCH.  I love to cook a chicken (or a package of chicken thighs), de-bone it, shred the meat, use the meat in the soup and then use the bones to make homemade chicken broth FOR the soup.  It just makes things..."sigh...ahhhhhhh" when you take that first piping hot sip of the broth.  Yes, it's a labor of love.  Yes, it's work.  Yes, I know many of you are rolling your eyes.  Yes...I know.  Store bough chicken broth is FINE.  In fact, if you REALLY want to make it easy on yourself, use store bough chicken broth and canned chicken.  I won't judge.

 

4 cups fully cooked chicken-dark, white or both, de-boned and shredded

8 cups low sodium chicken broth (or your own)

2 cups water

2-3 large celery stalks, chopped

2-3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced (or 5-7 tsp. garlic powder...more to taste)

onion powder, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

8 oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles, broken into thirds

In a large soup pot, add the chicken, broth, water, celery, carrots, onion, garlic and seasonings.  Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients together.  Cover the pot and cook on high heat until the mixture begins to boil.  Once it's boiling, turn the temperature down to low and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes, keeping the pot covered and stirring regularly.  After 30 minutes, turn the temperature back up to medium-high and allow the soup to return to a boil.  Add the spaghetti noodles, stir, and put the lid back on.  Allow the noodles to cook for 5 minutes.  At this point, the soup is SUPER hot.  Allow it to cool slightly.  Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Enjoy!