Guest Dogs, Asian (Not) Chicken Noodle Soup, and Terrariums

Daisy and Josie snuggling.

We have a house full of big dogs this weekend. It is unusual for our greyhound, Gracie, to be the smallest dog. One of our house guests in the Dog House is Daisy. We've taken care of Daisy several times before and she is always an energetic joy. She loved Josie from the moment they met and they play together for hours then they snuggle for more hours. Daisy is a Goldendoodle, full of energy, very protective of Josie, loves to wrestle with other dogs who are in for that type of play, and she is just so much fun to have in our pack!

Parker's second terrarium.

Parker is on a terrarium kick lately after reading about a person who made a terrarium and hasn't had to water it for decades. Parker made his first terrarium with some aloe plant we had in the house that needed to be cut back, an old glass container we used for food storage, some potting soil we had around the house, etc. so it was cheap and easy. The aloe wasn't looking super happy so he researched plants that are better for terrariums and we went to the garden store to pick up a couple. While we were at the store, he found bigger glass containers on sale so he bought one to create a second terrarium. He's been interested in learning more about plant biology or botany so I love seeing him create fun, pretty things with that interest.

Asian (Not) Chicken Noodle Soup

Winter has finally come to our part of the world so soup will be on the menu more often. I was cruising Facebook today and a friend posted a recipe for the Asian Chicken Noodle Soup and normally I wouldn't click since it wasn't a veg recipe, but because the friend is veg-friendly I decided to take a look. I'm so glad I did! I changed a few things so I'll post what I did here, but check out the original recipe I based this meal on, see link above.

1/2 diced large red onion
2 teaspoons organic minced garlic*
1 cup diced green peppers (I had diced green peppers from our garden in the freezer)
2 large carrots diced
1Tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons yellow sprinkle
iodized sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 15-oz. cans coconut milk
3 cups water
2 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini cooked and cut in bite sized pieces (optional)
1 lb. organic firm tofu cubed2 Tablespoons roasted organic peanuts (optional)
2 packages of Lotus Foods Ramen (I used purple potato and brown rice and organic jade pearl rice)

Saute onion and garlic (I like to do this oil-free now, but do what works for you) in your favorite soup pot. Add peppers and carrots. Cook until the veggies are tender then add the spices and cook for one minute. Add coconut milk and water with ramen seasoning packets. Waiting for slight boil, cook the Chick'n Scallopini and saute the cubed tofu (if desired, the tofu can just be added without being cooked first). Once the scallopini and tofu is ready, add it to the soup. Throw in the peanuts, if using. Once the soup is lightly boiling, add the ramen and your soup is done once the noodle are soft.

*I've started buying jarred minced organic garlic for ease in cooking. It is super lazy, but I love it.
I would add some greens next time and I think it would be great with chickpeas instead of tofu or along with the tofu. The original recipe called for cilantro and I love cilantro, but it was great without it. This soup is so easy and you could definitely add more veggies to make it healthier while still being delicious.