Chicken and Barley Soup

* Celery, raw, 2 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) (remove)
* Carrots, raw, 2 medium (remove)
* *Canola Oil, 1 tbsp (remove)
* Barley, pearled, raw, 1 cup (remove)
* Mixed Vegetables, frozen, 1 package (10 oz) (remove)
* Onions, raw, 1 medium (2-1/2" dia) (remove)
*3 cloves garlic
* *Boiled Chicken Breast 1, 2 serving (remove)
* *Homemade Chicken Stock (no added salt), 8 cup (remove)
* Salt, 1 tsp (remove)
* Pepper, black, 1 tsp (remove)

Place 2-4 chicken breasts in 8 cups of water with flavorings of your choice (onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, etc). Boil for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken. Strain water to remove debris, set aside cooking liquid (your stock).

Heat oil on bottom of soup pot. Add onions, carrots, garlic, and celery. Sautee until tender. Add stock, bring to a boil. Season to taste (I recommend salt, pepper, oregano, parsley). Add barley. Let simmer for 1 hour, or until barley is tender. Shred the chicken, add to stock. Add vegetables. Serve.

(OR freeze. I like to freeze this in muffin pans, and then wrap the individual "cubes" once they are frozen so that I have automatic portions. My calories are calculated per muffin tin "cube."

Number of Servings: 30

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WHENMOSTIWINK.