Homemade chicken noodle soup

Hey guys! We are back for another fit Friday. This week we are going to make a homemade chicken noodle soup, using a whole chicken to make our own stock as well. This is another healthy meal that is easy to prepare. Homemade chicken stock is packed with nutrients like collagen, gelatin and amino acids. These support gut health, joint health, and overall immunity. The only thing we did not do homemade was the egg noodles. I was hoping to make homemade egg noodles for this recipe as well as they are really easy to make but I did not have time, volleyball ran over lol. So let’s get into it.

Stock:

• One, approximate 4 pound cut up chicken cut into breasts, thighs, wings, and legs

• 2-3 carrots cleaned and cut into chunks

• 3 celery stalks cut into chunks

• 1 onion cut into quarters, peel on is ok

• 4-5 garlic cloves cut in half peel on

• 4 springs of fresh thyme (or 1-2 teaspoons dried)

• 10 whole peppercorns

Start by cutting the chicken into parts (breasts, thighs, wings, and legs). Then remove breast and thigh meat. Place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer until needed.

Place the breast and thigh bones along with the legs, wings, and back in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for 3 minutes to parboil bones. After 3 minutes drain the bones and rinse.

Return to the bones to the stockpot and add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. You can add other herbs as well. Feel free to play with the stock recipe. Add 3 quarts of water, enough to cover the contents with a couple inches of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer partially covered for two hours.

After 2 hours, strain the stock into a bowl. Rinse the stockpot. Discard the bones, vegetables, and herbs. The meat from the bones will be mostly tasteless at this point but you can use the meat for dishes with a lot of seasoning that do not require the chicken to have much flavor.

Return the stock to the stockpot and salt and pepper to taste.

Soup:

• Chicken meat from breast and thighs

• 3-4 carrots cleaned and cut into 1/4 inch rounds

• 3 celery stalks cleaned and cut into 1/4 inch rounds

• 8-10 ounces egg noodles

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley to finish

Bring the stock to a boil and add the carrots and celery. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Add the chicken from the breast meat and thighs from earlier. Cook until cooked through. Add the egg noodles and cook until al dente.

Serve with warm bread and add additional salt and pepper to each individual’s taste.

Lemon chicken with honey balsamic brussel Sprouts and side salad with Greek vinaigrette.

So we are starting a new weekly feature called fit Fridays. Each Friday we will be showcasing a healthy meal option that tastes great that you can make at home. I have always loved food and cooking, so it just made sense to take that passion and create healthy meals for our patients or anyone following along. Let’s get into the recipes

Lemon chicken is a simple dish with great flavor. My kids love this dish and I think adding kalamata olives at the end of baking really adds to the flavor.

Lemon chicken:

• 1 whole chicken cut into legs, breasts, wings, and thighs

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1-2 cloves garlic mixed

• 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano, to taste

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, optional

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients except for the olives. Place chicken skin side down in a prepared baking dish with ghee or other nonstick spray. Let chicken rest at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast chicken for 30 minutes then flip chicken to skin side up and continue roasting for another 30-45 minutes, until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees. During last 10 minutes add kalamata olives if desired. Once done remove chicken to platter and pour juices over chicken.

Brussel sprouts are rich in vitamin K and vitamin C. They are high in fiber and help to reduce inflammation and are rich in antioxidants. This honey balsamic glaze is a great topping to add flavor.

Honey balsamic brussel sprouts:

• 1-2 pounds brussel sprouts

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

Start by preheating oven to 425 degrees. Cut the stems of the brussel sprouts then cut in half. Mix brussel sprouts and all other ingredients besides the balsamic vinegar and honey in a bowel. Pour the brussel sprouts onto a baking sheet prepared with ghee or other nonstick. Place cut sides of brussel sprouts down. Bake approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place back in bowel used for mixing and coat with balsamic vinegar and honey. If you would like you can add blue cheese crumbles. Obviously you can adjust ingredients to fit your taste.

We finish the dish with a side salad with a homemade Greek vinaigrette. Traditional greek salad consists of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. I did not have any bell peppers on hand and did have salad lettuce mix so this is a modified version of Greek salad. The great thing about making homemade salad dressings is they are simple and quick to make and you can adjust the ingredients to make it just how you like it.

Side salad:

• Lettuce mix

• Kalamata olives

• Cherry tomatoes

• Feta cheese

• Red onion

Greek vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 gloves garlic minced

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the vinaigrette dressings in a small bowel. Arrange salad and top with dressing. Mix well to combine.

Healthy lifestyle choices

Hey guys today we are going to just have a quick chat about making simple healthier lifestyle choices throughout the day. There are many choices throughout our day that can make big differences over time that we can make to help get us a little bit more exercise or eat a little better.

Fitness

• One thing to do is when you go to the grocery store resist the urge to park in the closest spot or due online pick up. Park in the furthest parking spot and get your groceries yourself.

• Whenever the situation presents itself take the stairs if possible

• Do cardio for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. This can help aid in weight loss, regulate blood pressure

• Add in weight lifting 2-3 times a week this helps body composition

• If you are at a desk stretch every hour or so for a few minutes. This helps with blood flow

Nutrition

• Eat out less and use whole foods when preparing meals

• When eating meals eat 2-3 less bites

• Drink more water. This helps control weight, boost energy, and improve quality of skin

• Lower your sugar intake. High sugar affects our mood, ages our skin, and negatively affects digestion

• Eat at least one dark green leafy vegetable a day

• Drink green tea. Green tea promotes weight loss and improves mental alertness. It has also been linked to reduction in cancer rates and heart disease

• Take vitamins. B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc

• Use more herbs and pepper to season food and less salt. Salt leads to high blood pressure leading to a number of health issues.

• We all like eating out for lunch but replace most lunches with a high protein smoothie. We have great smoothies right here in MBS fitness

Mental

• Perform a quick session of deep breathing in the morning

• Try yoga

• Reduce the amount of time on social media

• Do something you love. Read a book, certain hobby, eat a certain food.

• Plan a future event. Whether that is going out with friends, going out to dinner, or a vacation. This gives us something to look forward to

• Before bed try to wind down by either reading a book or taking a bath. Stay off screens

  If you are in need of assistance, you can reach out to Maple Leaf Health and Wellness. If you need that initial boost, feel like progress has stalled, or if you just don’t know where to begin, Maple Leaf Health and Wellness can help guide with life coaching, nutrition counseling, and weight loss therapy with GLP-1.

  How to Schedule an Appointment with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness

  To make an appointment with one of our providers head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, we will reach out and offer appointment times.

  Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,

  -Dan and Janae with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness

Physician Assistant Janae Wilson set to join staff at Maple Leaf Health and Wellness.

We’re excited to welcome Janae Wilson, PA-C, to Maple Leaf Health and Wellness.

Janae has been a physician assistant for 10 years with a strong foundation in exercise physiology and advanced training in functional and nutrition-focused medicine. Her passion lies in hormone optimization, preventative wellness, weight loss, and longevity-focused care.

She has experience across urgent care, primary care, orthopedics, and currently practices in a health and wellness clinic-bringing a well-rounded, patient-centered approach to care.

Janae lives in Starke County and is especially excited to serve her local community, offering access to wellness-focused care in a small-town setting where options are often limited. She truly believes in practicing what she preaches, both personally and professionally.

Outside of the clinic, Janae enjoys life with her husband and daughter. Together they love to adventure, ski in the winter, and care for their growing backyard petting zoo-including a donkey, pony, goats, and two new puppies.

We are thrilled to have Janae bringing her heart for wellness back home.