Soups for Sick Days and Comfort Foods

When I feel the little scratchy feeling in my throat, I know what it’s time for me to buckle down and eat some healthy food. Since Paul is homebound most of the time (the joys of being a freelancer), when I fall ill, I know that he will soon follow. The immediate course of action is to go to the grocery store, fill up on ingredients for healthy meals and start cooking.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Garlic Soup – I’ve roasted plain garlic to spread on toast so making the leap over to soups was a no brainer. Think of it as French onion soup but with garlic instead. With the antibacterial properties of garlic, I hope it tamps down the sore throat.
• Stewed Chicken with Dumplings – When I’m feeling ill and need some rib sticking food, I turn to stewed chicken. It’s a very intensive recipe with some planning. Don’t expect to eat this within a few hours.
• Arroz Caldo – Also known as rice porridge, this is stewed chicken’s Asian brother. The inclusion of ginger is always a welcome addition and has some health benefits of its own to help fight colds.
• Sausage Kale Soup – The recipe from The Gonzo Gourmet is power packed with the powerhouse ingredient kale. Kale has high amounts of vitamin C and is my go-to soup in the winter. I’ve made this soup so many times, I can do it from memory. It’s a delicious way to eat your vitamins.

Last but not least, I also stock up on orange juice and salt and vinegar chips. While the juice is self explanatory, salt and vinegar chips taste SO GOOD when dealing with a sore throat. The more sour the chip, the better!