Eat when You Can't Chew

Root canal? Teeth pulled? Sore gums? Dental surgery? All the more reason you need lots of nutrients (and not lots of sugary drinks) to heal! Here's a recipe for a quick, nutritious soup that'll get you through that tough no-chewing period. Make sure you prepare this prior to the dental procedure, so you can just 'nuke' and eat it after the procedure.

Steps

Cut one small boneless, skinless chicken breast into strips or chunks (so it will cook quickly).
Chop a half-onion and a stick of celery.
Sautee the chicken, onion, and celery in a little olive oil (1T) and water (2T).
Add about three cups water, a little salt, a small chopped potato, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Wash and chop enough fresh raw spinach to make one to two cups, and enough fresh parsley to make 1/8 cup.
Put the spinach and parsley in the blender. (Don't turn it on yet.)
After the chicken, onions, and potatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes, add a chopped carrot, half a fresh zucchini, and a cup of fresh, chopped green beans. Cook 5 more minutes until the potatoes are tender. (Beans and carrots should still be bright and slightly crisp.)
Pour the cooked mixture into the blender on top of the fresh, raw greens, and blend until it's thick soup (like baby food).
Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Tips

If it looks like more than you can eat, blend only as much as you are ready to eat, and save the rest of the chunky, unblended soup for later.
You can always add more fresh vegetables when you heat up previously cooked chicken and potatoes.
You can chop and freeze several chicken breasts for easy use. A good way to store it is in pie pans, so you just have to pop the portion-sized chicken into the cooking pot without thawing. (Run hot water on the bottom of the pie pan and the chicken pops right out.)

Warnings

It's very green!
It's not advisable to make lots of blended soup to store. It's much better nutritionally to make it fresh. (But you can make enough to bring in a thermos if you'll be out at mealtime.)