Chicken & Dumpling soup

 This week I decided to take Melanie's advice and make the chicken dumpling soup! I really enjoyed this meal and will likely be making it again! so THANK YOU MELANIE!!! This meal was perfect for the weather we are experiencing right now early on in the week. It taste delicious and provides a warm feeling to your whole body on the cold days this week! It also was extremely simple to make and provided me with ample time to do other things over the weekend while it was all cooking! 

As the semester comes to an end, so does this assignment, however I think that me and my crock pot are just starting our journey together. I really enjoyed having meals readily available throughout the week. I think that this new occupation has turned into something I really enjoy and look forward to continuing in the future. I will say I was not the only person to benefit from these meals which motivates me even more to continue to try new recipes and cook ones I know are well liked. 

When looking back on all we have learned this semester I think it is incredibly enlightening to realize all the knowledge we have obtain in just 16 short weeks. I think the top three articles, chapters, and other documents we have touched on that are most influential for me would be: The article on Occupational Balance, the article on the relation of occupation to self, and Chapter 5 of Hasselkus when it discussed the source of well being and its development. The article on occupational balance gave extreme insight on how when in stages of unbalance our quality of life suffers and that only damages the well being of the individual. This makes it very difficult for people to  function and take care of their everyday needs.  The article on relation of occupation to self talked about how the things we do reflect who we are and what our goals in life are, which I found truly inspiring and interesting during this course. The Hasselkus Chapter 5 was about the source of well being and how each individual experiences things through their ability to participate in their occupation thus bring them well being. This ability to do things can be impacted by a series of event which all in turn impact the individuals wellbeing. 

Advice I have for new students picking their new occupation is to pick something that also allows for school to still be first and requires little effort. These minimal requirements is what made my new occupation enjoyable during an extremely stressful first semester of Grad school. 

Ingredients 

• 1 

  onion, chopped

• 1 1/4 lb. 

  boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 1 tsp. 

  dried oregano

• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 

  (10.5-oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

• 2 c. 

  low-sodium chicken broth

• 4 

  sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 

  bay leaf

• 2 

  stalks celery, chopped

• 2 

  large carrots, peeled and chopped 

• 3 

  cloves garlic, minced

• 1 

  (16.3-oz.) can refrigerated biscuits

Directions

• Scatter onion in the bottom of a large slow cooker then top with chicken. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. 
• Pour soup and broth over chicken, then add thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on High until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 hours. 
• Discard thyme and bay leaf, then shred chicken with two forks. 
• Stir in celery, carrots, peas, and garlic. 
• Cut or tear biscuits into small bite-sized pieces then stir into chicken mixture. Spoon liquid over any biscuits at the top. 
• Cook on High until vegetables are tender and biscuits are cooked through, stirring every 30 minutes, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes more.