In my first trimester of pregnancy, I made bean and chicken soup for dinner, hearing that beans are healthy for you, especially when pregnant. They are filled with protein and fiber, and that’s just what a prego lady needs. I made about 3 gallons of this soup, thinking we could eat some and then freeze it for later.

I had needed a little variety from my regular egg and mayonnaise or grilled cheese sandwiches which proved to be the only foods I could keep down, so I decided to make this delicious bean filled chicken vegetable soup. Come to find out; I couldn’t even bear to smell it, let alone put it in my mouth, so later that night I just ended up stashing it in the freezer.

Over a month went by and every time I opened the freezer that Tupperware full of disgusting looking soup haunted me. Finally, I got myself to put it in the fridge to thaw for the next day. It was time to bring out the soup. 

Christoph got home that night around 7:00, and we sat down for our chicken and bean soup dinner. He looked at me and said,

“Did you know that if you eat beans while being pregnant, our child with have hooves?”

I replied, “No I didn’t, that’s so awful, I have never heard that. Oh No!”

Now I was terrified and started to get paranoid, imagining our child galloping towards me like a centaur and not running into my arms.

Christoph continued to say. “Yup, then we will have to name it “Chalf” because it will be half child and half calf. 

Chalf? Oh, this is not good, not good at all. Poor Chalf. I will still love it.

I woke up, and it was about 3 in the morning. After realizing it was just a dream, I laughed, got up to pee again and took note of this dream, because it was worth retelling.

Here is a recipe for that delicious chicken and bean soup I was telling you about 😉 Seriously, it’s good. Maybe not to a pregnant lady, but it tastes absolutely normal and worth making. My husband always has about three servings of it. 

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Healthy Rustic Chicken and Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

Serves 8-10  

Cooking and prep time – 30 min prep, 1 hour cooking.

Produce:

• 2 (14 ounce) cans Kidney Beans
• 1 can Artichokes – roughly chopped
• 3 large Chicken Thighs 
• 1 medium Yellow Onion
• 1 Finely chopped Leak
• 2 Finely chopped Carrots
• 2 Finely chopped Celery Stalks
• 4 cloves minced Garlic
• 2 cups Spinach
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• Italian Parsley – roughly chopped (garnish)

Spices

• 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Herb de Provence
• Sriracha to taste (optional; I always add it directly to my bowl because my kiddo doesn’t like spice.)
• 1 tbsp pwdr Chicken Broth (also to desired taste)

Oils & Vinegar:

• 2 tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin
• a Dollop of Daisy – Sour Cream (garnish)

Liquids:

• 6-8 cups water (I add water to a desired consistency of soup. You may need to add more at end)

Instructions:

1. In a large soup pot, saute onions, leaks, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2. After 5 minutes Add Herb de Provence, salt, and pepper and saute 5 more minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add water, broth pwdr, and chicken thighs. Make sure the water covers the chicken completely. Cooking the chicken in the soup will add good flavor to the broth. If you want to make a even healthier version, use 3 chicken breasts, but don’t cook them in the broth; grill or saute to avoid the chicken getting dry.
4. Bring to simmer and cook covered for 30 min. After Chicken is done, remove from broth and let cool.
5. Remove chicken from the skin and bones and add back into the broth.
6. Add the kale and cook another 10 minutes over a low simmer.
7. Add artichokes and beans and desired Sriracha.
8. Serve with garnishes and buttered bread.