Come on. . . I can’t be the only one that does this now and then. It’s a life saver and so much better then hitting a drive-thru for the family. I made a batch of creamy mashed potatoes and heated some frozen Brussel Sprouts in the microwave and Taaa daaaa! a home cooked family meal… sort of. ;)

After dinner I decided not to just through away the carcass of the chicken but make some stock. As I established in my Turkey Stock, Broth, Soup, Whatever! post awhile back I don’t know the difference between broth or stock and frankly, I don’t care. I do my own thing to make a flavorful soup that I like and if I break some "rules" along the way, oh well. :)

Here’s what I did and the results was delicious!

• Carcass of 3-4 pound chicken with some meat still attached
• About 25 cups of water
• 1 sweet onion halved with skin
• 1 garlic bulb halved with skin
• 1 tsp dried fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Rosemary
• 1 tsp Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp whole cloves
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

Put all the ingredients in a large stock pot.

Cover and cook on medium high for about an hour. It should boil in about 20 minutes.

After the hour lower to a simmer and cook overnight. That’s right, overnight. I simply put the burner on the lowest setting and woke up to this. . .

It was at least 8 hours.

The next morning I shut off the heat and got my filtration system in order. I use a large strainer and the top of a cake keeper (like this one)

Simply pour the entire content of the stock pot into the strainer and get your hands dirty. You need to fish through the "stuff" to find all the good pieces of chicken for the soup.

You could separate some of the broth to freeze for later use but I simply put the chicken I plucked out of the strainer back into the stock pot and added all the broth.

At this point you can do anything you want with this broth and chicken. I decided to add some bulgur and carrots, all I really had in the house on a Saturday morning before I grocery shopped for the week. :) Again.. here’s what I did..

• about 10 carrots cut in large chunks
• 1.5 cups of uncooked bulgur

Add both ingredients to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for at least a half an hour and you get. . .

I then separate them into serving sizes and froze some for work lunches. :)

(Side Note: Notice the boxes in the background? FitBloggin’ has taken over my house! 1 more week until the conference! Whoo Hooo!)

So there you have it my Overnight Chicken Broth Turned Bulgur Soup. I love that I got the most out of a store bought cooked chicken that I could and although making your own broth/stock sounds hard and time consuming it’s really not. Especially when you can make it while you sleep. :)

Anybody want to share their own tips and tricks when making broth/stock? What other ingredients do you add to make it more flavorful?

Oh! and as for Nutritional Info.. it’s going to vary based on so many factors so I don’t feel comfortable post but for my fellow Weight Watchers fan I’d count 2 cups of this (what I put in each individual container) as 4 points but that’s just my estimate.

Instead, I took an old time favorite, tomato soup and made it into a satisfying meal by adding a few additional ingredients and spices.

Speaking of… Did you see my A Super Seven Spice Giveaway! :)

• 1 10 3/4 oz condensed tomato soup (preferably low sodium or healthy request)
• 1 tomato soup can of water
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (with green chillies would be tasty!)
• 1 15oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• About 2 cups baby spinach loosely chopped

Mix all ingredients except the spinach in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes allowing all the flavors to mix.

Turn off the heat. Add the baby spinach and remove from heat. Stir in the spinach and it should wilt in a few seconds.

Serve!

I do have to say I took leftovers to work today and the soup just gets better with age. :)

Here’s what I did… I went a little picture happy.. be warned. :)

• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 15oz can of corn drained
• 1 15oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
• About 12 cups stock/broth
• 1 lb cooked chicken/turkey meat
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used brown basmati)
• 3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of a small can)
• 1 tbsp tabasco
• Kosher Salt
• Non-stick cooking spray

Prepare the rice according to package.

While waiting for the rice to cook, heat a large stock pot over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just turning transparent.

Add the diced peppers, chili powder, cilantro and cumin.

Stir, combining flavors and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the corn and beans cooking for another minute.

Add the broth and crank up the heat to high. We want to bring the pot to a boil.

While waiting for it boil (it’s going to take awhile there’s a lot of broth!) stir in the tomato paste and chicken.

By this time the rice should be done. Add it to the pot (note: if it’s not done just wait until it is)

Add the tbsp of tabasco.

Once the pot boil lower to a simmer. I ate immediately but the soup really did get better as the soup simmered.

Here’s a few more shots. I’m having fun with my new camera. Can you tell? :)

No nutritional info. Soup is just too variable for me and I didn’t measure how many serving I created. I would count a bowl to be about 3 points but that’s just my estimate.

As for the corn muffin topping I used the Golden Corn VitaMix Corn muffin mix from Vitalicious. They send me products from time to time to try and review. This is one of my favorite VitaTops and the mix is just as good. I guess you can call this my "semi-homemade" idea. Of course you can make your own topping or use a different mix but the nutritional information may be different. Note: Vitalicious is a sponsor of my weight loss blog, Roni’s Weigh. If you want to try their products be sure to use RonisWeigh in the promo code field for 10% your order.

• 1 medium sweet onion chopped
• 8 oz lean ground turkey raw (99% lean the best)
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced small
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large green pepper chopped
• 1 large red pepper chopped
• 1 medium sized zucchini chopped
• 1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 egg whites
• 5 oz of water
• 1/2 package Golden Muffin VitaTop mix (185g of the mix)

Heat a medium-large pot over medium-high heat and spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion with a bit of salt and pepper and cook until just turning transparent. Add the ground turkey and break apart while browning. Stir in the chili powder, cilantro, cumin and garlic powders. Lower the heat to medium.

While the turkey is cooking chop your veggies and add them to the pan as you finish. Once all the veggies are mixed in add the can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste and cocoa powder. Continue stirring to incorporate all the ingredients. It will be thick and may take a few minutes.

Once everything is well combined lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.

While the chili is cooking prepare the mix. In a large bowl whisk the egg whites and water until just frothy. Weigh out half of the corn muffin mix (185g) and add it to the egg white mixture. Stir until just combined.

Pour the chili into a casserole dish, around 9×7 inches. Spread it evenly to fill the dish. Now plop the corn muffin batter on top of the chili spreading it like you would ice a cake. You should have just enough to cover the chili. Sprinkle with a bit of chili powder.

Now you can bake immediately but I actually made it ahead and baked about 2 hours later in a preheated 400 degree. Bake until the corn muffin mix is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.

Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

As for the nutritional information, I’m shocked! I had to double check it as the servings are a nice size but the calories are pretty low. If anyone wants to double check the numbers I’d appreciate, I’m a bit skeptical but excited! lol

• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 20oz package of Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 3 large bell peppers chopped (I used 1 orange, 1 yellow and 1 green)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups of your favorite broth (I used homemade stock I had in the freezer)
• 1 (6oz) can of tomato paste

Spray a large stock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic, cook over medium heat until the get a bit transparent.

Remove the casings from the sausage by simply slicing them longways. Add the sausage meat to the pot and break up while browning. Add the basil, oregano, thyme and parsley, stir.

Once the sausage is all brown add the peppers and tomatoes. Add the diced tomatoes, broth and paste. Stir bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes until peppers just soften.

Now this makes a huge batch. I’m getting about 6-8 serving with my crude measuring techniques. So I’ll play it save and so nutritional information for 7 servings.

Now I’m not going to claim I know anything about Moroccan food. I’m not even sure I could find Morocco on a map! All I know is the flavors of that recipe intrigued me. So I used what I had on hand and whipped this up in about 10 minutes. I’m not kidding, from pot to bowl in 10 and it was tasty! Different. But tasty all the same!

Toddler and husband wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. However, little man was quite obsessed with my oranges.

So at least I got that in is belly while preparing the dish. Hey… every little bit counts. :)

• 8oz extra lean ground beef
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cans (15oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 orange peeled and chopped (keep any juices)
• 2oz Whole Wheat Couscous
  (56g)
• 1 can Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans) drained and rinsed

In a medium-large pot brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add the cumin, oregano and cinnamon. Coat everything and let the flavors merge.

Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes (with juices) into the pot. Bring to a boil while peeling and chopping the orange.

Add the orange pieces. Bring back to a boil.

Stir in the couscous. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the Butter Beans and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes until ready to serve.

I knew I was only making it for me. The toddler has declared his hate of soup multiple times and if it ain’t Chicken Noodle or French Onion the husband won’t bother.

So I decided to REALLY make it only for me. Inspired by a bag of dry pinto beans that have been in my pantry for well over a year and some stock I recently made from a beer can chicken last week, I went to town.

I normally use canned beans but the dry are so much cheaper and they really aren’t that hard to work with if you’ll just be hibernating in the house on a cold Saturday. That being said you could easily replace the dry with a few cans. Remember, it’s just an idea so if it sounds good take it and run. :)

• 2 cups (1lb) dried pinto beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• (If I had a jalapeno I think I would have added!)
• 1-2 tbsp dried cumin (I started with 1 and then added more to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1 can (15oz) stewed tomatoes ran throw the blender quick keeping some chunks
• 8 cups of your favorite broth (chicken, veggie, stock)

Soak the beans over night or do the quick boil method (what I always do as I never know I’m going to use beans the night before.) Bring the beans to a boil in a large pot. Boil for 5 minute. Then cover and simmer for 1 hour. —Go play with toddler. :)

Drain and rinse the cooked/soaked beans set aside.

In a large pot add the olive oil and onion. Cook until just soft. Add the green pepper and spices. Stir to coat everything. Add the blended stewed tomatoes. Stir. Add the broth and beans.

Bring everything to a boil then cover and simmer. Cook until beans are tender, at least 2 hours. If I was prepared I would have topped with green onion like Kalyn did on her version but I didn’t have any. Instead I used a bit of cheese and cilantro to make the picture a little better. :)

Now I stink on the Nutritional Info for soups and anything with beans in it. So this recipe scares the crap out of me! :) Here’s what I’m getting with my cup estimations. Just remember this is approximate and even if we’re off we’re still eating a healthy soup. :)

So as always, take the idea and run with it! :) I’m totally please with how it came out.

• 2 cups (or a 15oz can would work) of our favorite chicken broth or stock (I used some turkey stock I had frozen from thanksgiving)
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 2oz (55g) whole wheat couscous (I buy RiceSelect Organic Whole Wheat Couscous)

Toppings

• 1 avocado cut into slices (about 25g for each serving)
• 3/4 oz fancy shredded mexican cheese blend (about 5g for each serving)

Place all the ingredients in a pot except avocado and cheese. Bring to a bowl. Then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minute until couscous is soft.

Scoop into 4 bowls (each about a cup) top with avocado slices and cheese.

Note: this is the first time I’ve eaten avocado like this and I have to admit it was AWESOME! Produce Pick coming soon on the awesome fruit I was avoiding for some reason. :)

Note x2: Here are two more pics. I couldn’t decide so I let the toddler. He picked the main was as the "best". :)

Note x3: Can you also tell I didn’t know what to call it?

The toddler actually was excited to eat it but he thought it was too spicy. I’ll have to use the regular diced tomatoes next time. The ones with green chilies have too much of a kick for him. I even used cream corn to try and curb the hotness with a bit of sweetness but it didn’t work.

As for the husband? He wasn’t home. Did you really think I’d try a meal like this if he was?! HA! I did have a friend over who enjoyed it, although he said he’d prefer the regular corn. Oh! and he added hot sauce. I thought it was perfect. It’s definitely going to be my new go to veggie chili. :)

• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn undrained (cream or regular)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 1 small onion diced
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro

Put all ingredients in the crock pot (slow cooker), stir and cook on low for 5 hours (3 on high should be fine.)

Seriously… how AWESOME are crock pots. :)

I topped mine with a bit of low fat cheddar and cilantro.

I pretty much follow the technique I outlined in the old post but I now add kosher salt, fresh thyme, fresh sage and a handful of whole cloves during the boiling process. I also boil it forever until about 1/4 of it cooks down and then fill it with more water and boil it down again. Like I sad in the original post, the double boil technique really gives a flavorful broth and the fresh herbs and cloves really add an amazing dimension to the stock.

I made the broth last night and this morning I took a few cups and made a simple soup with what I had lying around. I love couscous in the soup (I bought a case of whole grain online-It’s the only place I can find it anymore.) It creates this fun texture and like the brown rice or bulgur, I don’t car if it gets overly "mushy".

This time I actually measured out the ingredients for my soup so I can post more then just a loose idea. Normally I take the broth add stuff and eat. :) Seriously.. it’s that easy.

• 6 cups turkey/chicken stock (already seasoned with salt and spices)
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2 cups carrots chunk sliced
• 3-4 stalks of celery chopped
• 6 oz of cooked chicken/ turkey meat pulled from the bone
• 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous (110g)

Bring the stock with the onion, carrots, celery and turkey meat to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the couscous, cover a lower to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes.

Makes just over 8 cups. You could add more stock to make more servings but I purposely make it "thick" as the couscous doesn’t add as much "meat" as say rice or egg noodles.

Anyway the dish is called Red Rice. I never heard of it before but I’ve eaten similar meals. My mom used to make something close to this with peas (which I would have added but he does’t like them) and rice.

All I had to work with when figuring out the idea was rice, tomatoes and some kind of meat. I decided on sausage as I thought it would add the most flavor but you could easily make this with chicken breast even, dare I say leftover turkey this week? :~) As always take it and run. The liquid to rice ratio is perfect and although this makes enough to serve a small army, it freezes well.

Oh! and if you’re curious, the husband and toddler both enjoyed it. I guess my food cheating paid off. :~)

• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• handful of baby carrots diced (3oz)
• 1 package turkey sausage (20oz – 6 links)
• 2 large green bell peppers chopped
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (285g)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)
• 1 small can tomato sauce (8oz)
• 2 cups water (16oz)
• 1 can kidney beans drained & rinsed (15oz)
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder (cut back if you don’t want too much kick)
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• non-stick cooking spray

Spray a large pot with non-stick cooking spray and start by sautéing the onions over medium high heat. Add the diced carrots.

Remove the casing from the sausage. Simply take a knife and slice longways. It should peal right off. Plop them into the pot and break apart with a wooden spoon while browning.

Once the turkey is browned add the peppers. We are holding off on them as to not overcook and get too mushy. Add the brown rice and stir to coat everything.

Add the can of tomatoes and tomato sauce. Use the 8oz tomato sauce can to add to can-fuls of water (2 cups). Add the beans, paprika, chili powder and parsley. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer.

DO NOT TOUCH it for 25 minutes. I scream as I’m famous for ruining dishes because I can’t wait then I peak and let out the heat. Leave it alone. It will be fine if it’s over your lowest setting and the rice will come out nice and fluffy. Well, as fluffy as brown rice and come. :~)

After 25 minutes, remove cover, stir, turn off heat and let site for a few minutes before serving.

What’s a girl to do?

Hit her pantry of course!

Armed with those "healthy" Ramen noodles and a couple of stock items I whipped this up. Oh my! So yummy and super filling!

• 1 package of Choice Ramen Noodles chicken
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 can pinto beans rinsed and drained (15oz)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)

In a medium pot place the dry Ramen noodles (break if you want they do tend to clump together). Top with the can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water.

Crank the heat up to high. Leave alone while you sprinkle the top with the chili powder, cilantro, cumin and 1/2 of the seasoning packet (done to reduce sodium.)

Start to stir the noodles. They should start getting soft and break apart. After 3-4 minute drop the heat to medium. Add the drained pinto beans. Stir in really trying to break apart the noodles.

Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve!

I sprinkled a bit of dried cilantro and fancy shredded Mexican cheese blend. So YUMMY!