I have five sisters and with a family that big, you’d expect that plenty of of us are quite different. But four of them, more or less, have a pretty similar life to mine and we can relate on so many things. My oldest sister, however, has a fascinatingly different life than mine and it is so interesting to me.

For example, all of us sisters have a little group chat going on Marco Polo and lately we’ve all been trying to get healthier so we’ve been sharing our workouts and healthy meals to uplift and inspire one another. The other day Rachel, who is an absolute superwoman and is very consistent at exercising, said, “Well, I didn’t get my workout in today because I’ve been cutting up elk and freezing it.”

Excuse me, whaaaat??? Talk about the last thing that would ever come out of my mouth: “I’m cutting up elk”. It made me laugh because I was feeling pretty accomplished that I folded 4 loads of laundry (while watching Netflix, of course) and got dinner on the table that night!

As you can see her and her husband are very outdoorsy. They live out in the boonies of a tiny town in Idaho and love to hunt and fish and she puts a square meal on the table every night.

I love the urban life in the greater Los Angeles area and love to go to the beach and shop and go to awesome restaurants. And watch Netflix :)

Another funny difference between us is that my husband and I cannot wait to go on an Alaskan cruise this next summer. All the food you can eat, ridiculously beautiful scenery, all while you can be as lazy as you please on the cruise ship. Rachel, on the other hand, also went to Alaska this summer but you better believe they weren’t lazy on a silly cruise ship, they brought their fishing poles and tents and camped out in various towns in Alaska to fish and hike and freeze their rear ends off! Haha! I have to admit, as much fun as the relaxing version of the trip sounds, their adventurous version sounds so much fun too.

Anyway, I think because we are so different, we really enjoy talking to each other and exchanging stories about our equally fascinating lives and adventures. Like I said, she definitely does cook every night for her family and is really good at it. I’ve been trying to get tips from her on what meals she cooks because this is something I struggle at.

All of her meals are ready in under 30 minutes and take less that 10 minutes of prep time. Brilliant. One of my favorite meals she shared with me is this creamy wild rice and chicken soup. It is so perfect on a warm, fall or winter day. I, like most people, absolutely love the warmth and comfort of good soups this time of year so I love making this easy, delicious soup.

It can be made in the Crockpot if you just want to throw all the ingredients and have it be ready in 4 hours, or you could make it in a Stockpot on the stove and it is ready in about 30 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

1 cup uncooked wild rice blend (not parboiled)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup onions, chopped

¾ cup celery, chopped

¾ cup carrots, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups water (or additional chicken broth)

2 tablespoons salt-free seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash’s Original blend)

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil (or substitute more butter)

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse the rice under running water. Place the uncooked rice, chicken breast, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, water, and the seasoning blend in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours or on the low setting for 7-8. In the last ½ hour of cooking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly before shredding using two forks.

When the rice is done cooking, add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan. Add the flour and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding in the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow the mixture to thicken and become creamy.

Add this creamy mixture to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES:

To make the soup richer and creamier, replace some or all of the milk with half and half.

Keep in mind the soup will thicken as it sits. Leftovers should be placed in a tupperware container and refrigerated. Additional milk or water may be added to adjust the consistency of the soup when reheating.

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