Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Veggie's and Kale Salad w/ warm Cranberry Almond Vinaigrette

Tonight's dinner was REALLY good!  I will def be making this again on a regular basis!  Here is the recipe!!  I used my Whole Foods Rotisserie  Chicken I bought a few days ago for this recipe. 

**I removed all of the chicken  and make my own chicken stock with the bones from this chicken.**

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup butternut squash peeled and cubed
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed*
• ½ yellow onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
• 2-3 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts
• ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups baby spinach

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

3.  Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred with a fork.

4.  Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onions quarters into the blender. Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.

5.  Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot.

6.  Adjust seasonings to your taste.

This meal cost me aprox $14.92 and I got 4 meals out of it = $3.73 each meal!

KALE SALAD WITH WARM CRANBERRY ALMOND VINAIGRETTE

This healthy kale salad is topped with a warm cranberry almond vinaigrette.

PREP: 2 MINS COOK: 8 MINS TOTAL: 10 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
juice and zest of half a lemon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 bunch kale, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
(optional) 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese

This cost me $23.50 total and I will get 7-9 salads - $3.35 per serving!

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and saute for at least 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add cranberries, red wine vinegar, honey and lemon juice and zest, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the kale with olive oil and an extra pinch of salt, and massage kale with your fingers for 1 minute until tender. Add in the cranberry/shallot mixture and almonds, and toss to combine. Serve topped with crumbled cheese if desired.