Jewel Eats--Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup

I know it makes no sense that I'm posting about food right after we've just celebrated the biggest food-centered holiday on the planet.  It almost seems kind of...wrong, right?  You're still recovering from the 'itis that occurred after Thursday's monstrous meal, and Friday's feast of leftovers, and Saturday's big family brunch.  Or maybe that's just me?  

I feel like I'm still having a hard time buttoning my pants while dusting off the stiffness from days of stuffing my face and not exercising.  And next week, I've got a busy schedule of baking, baking, BAKING.  Yes, it's Christmas time.  But to reset our bodies with the right types of foods while attempting to get back into some sort of exercise schedule (spin class is booked for Friday), Ben and I agreed that it's time for a detox week.  Yes, before we dive headfirst into cookie swaps and Christmas parties we need to "get healthy" again.   

Our detox meal for last night (and tonight since there was plenty leftover), was this delicious Lemony Chicken and Orzo soup from Bon Appetit.  

What's Cool About This Soup:
1.  There aren't that many ingredients.  You don't even have to mince up any garlic or onion.  But I added a carrot because I felt lazy, and also for color.  And also because we have way to many carrots in our fridge.

2.  It uses chicken thighs, which I love because they're cheap.

3.  It's a nice upgrade from your standard chicken soup because it has lemon in it.  I squeezed a whole lemon into the broth when everything was finished cooking, then I served it.  

 

4.  It's low sodium...if you want it to be!  The best thing about homemade soup is the choice to use little or no salt, instead of having a factory stuff spoonfuls of salt into a can of soup.  I used low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe.  

So yeah, go make this. It's fresh.  The lemon gives is zing.  It's cheap.  It's perfect for days like today in D.C. when the temperature has dropped from 70 degrees to 30 again.  And it's actually pretty low in calories and fat.  Unless, of course you choose to serve it with some white bread with tablespoons of butter.  Hey, I'm detoxing but I'm not crazy.  Butta makes it betta, I always say.