Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken Tortellini Soup
(Simple to make this gluten free!)

Weight Watcher Points
4 PointsPlus (without tortellini) or 10 PointsPlus (with tortellini)

1 rotisserie chicken 1 TBSP minced garlic
64 oz chicken broth 1 TBSP parsley or Italian seasoning blend
2 cups chopped carrots 64 oz water
1 cup chopped celery 1 TBSP chicken bouillon flavoring (optional)
1 cup chopped onion 19 oz bag frozen cheese tortellini
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Chop carrots, celery and onion and toss in large soup pot. Add olive oil, garlic and seasoning over veggies and cook on medium-high until tender. While veggies are cooking, shred all meat off of one rotisserie chicken (save time by picking one up in your grocery deli!). Add 64 oz. of canned chicken broth to veggies once they are tender. Fill can with water and add water to soup pot. Sprinkle optional bouillon and bay leaves and stir well. Add 2-3 cups of shredded chicken. Cook on low until all flavors are well blended. Taste and season with salt & pepper. (See below for gluten free option at this point.) 30-45 mins. before serving, add frozen tortellini and increase heat to medium. Stir often making sure tortellini is not over cooking. Once tortellini is tender you are ready to serve and enjoy!!!

Gluten free: I have to make a GF serving for Ryan so I took some of the soup and added it to a separate saucepan. I turned it on medium and added 2 handfuls of uncooked Trade Joe's Rice Sticks. (Any rice pasta would work!) I let it cook for 30 minutes and it was ready to serve. He had his very own homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Welcome Spring - March 20th

This evening we officially welcome Spring. Hip, hip, hooray! I have eagerly awaited its arrival! We have sustained too many months of being trapped in the house and multiple illnesses. Allie, Norah and Olivia had their 18 month well baby visit on Wednesday, March 16th. Norah weighed in over 22 lbs, Allie at 21 lbs and the peanut of the group is still Livi at just 20 lbs. They eat like hogs so I'm not sure where it is going?! Ryan weighed 22 lbs in November 2006. (Remember, he was born in May 2006!) The trips have had a hard winter. Although I am so proud their immune systems have kept them mainly healthy from the BIG bugs and scary viruses but they just couldn't steer clear of ear infections. Starting January 3rd ALL were diagnosed with ear infections. (What a way to start the year.) By Friday of this week, March 18th, all 3 have been prescribed their 4th antibiotic for 2011. SO, per Dr. Julie and mom's decision, the E.N.T. is getting called first thing tomorrow morning and we are scheduling tubes for all three. They just can't shake these ear infections and they are miserable. Enough is enough with pumping them full of antibiotics!

Norah has amazed us with her sassiness and board vocabulary. Like "daddy, mama, bubby, please, bu bu ees (blueberries), El-la, Bec-ca (both are cousins names), yes" and the ever famous word at this stage..."NO!" Allie babbles a whole lot but knows many animal noises including her new favorite, snake! What does a snake say? "ssssssssssssssssssssssss". She has an adorable raspy little voice. She repeats just about anything Norah says. Livi is SO trying. We have had a speech evaluation and are excited for her to start speech therapy later this week. I know with just a little help she's going to make great strides! So excited for her!

We've entered the stage of climbing, fighting and biting. All of them use whatever toy they can find in sight to climb up on the end tables, chairs and couch in the living room. URR! This really is driving me crazy. The fighting usually starts with someone taking the others toy or book. Books are not hard to come by in our house yet it never fails that if Allie has one book, that's the one Norah wants! Norah is our infamous biter! Just the other day she was disciplined 3 times within 10 minutes for biting Olivia. I haven't quite figured out what works with this child. Poor Olivia needs to start fighting back.

All in the The Vetor Family is doing fantastic. We are blessed with a houseful of craziness but we wouldn't have it any other way. I have to be honest that most days we anxiously await 7pm when the girls go to bed and we can sit down for the first time for the day. God created it that way. He knew parents needed rest and breaks in order to wake up and want to do it all over again.