Chicken Florentine Soup...Redemption

It's 52 degrees outside.  It's cold and rainy and I'm sick.  (Siiiiiiiiiiick.  Whiny siiiiiiick.)  My head is pounding, I have ulcers in the back of my throat, I'm freezing, and my body aches all over.  Not even a hot bath helped.  I needed soup.  A quick flip through "Fresh Food Fast" and I came across a recipe for Chicken Florentine Soup.  OMG, did it sound yummy.  And I had all of the ingredients.  Bonus.  When does anyone ever have all of the ingredients on hand to make a recipe?  Certainly not us.  Ever.  So Chicken Florentine soup it was. And holy bad word, it was good.  Goooooooood.  TOTAL redemption from last night's bolognese disaster.  Mmmm mmm mmm mmm mmm.

Chicken Florentine Soup  Fresh Food Fast--Weeknight Meals, pg.37
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini (very short tube-shaped macaroni)
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped (I used chicken breast)
3 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 (6 oz) package fresh baby spinach.
2 TBS commercial pesto
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  (I SO didn't omit the salt...)
2. While pasta cooks, combine chicken, broth and water in a large Dutch oven.  Cook and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken with a slotted spoon; keep warm.  Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 minute or until heated through.  Stir in spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.  Add cooked chicken and pasta to pan.: cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.  Stir in pesto and pepper.  Ladle soup into 6 bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Calories 219
Fat 6.2 grams

It was DEFINITELY easy, super yummy, VERY healthy and cheap, cheap, cheap.  Woulda been even cheaper if I had used chicken thighs.
Mmmmmm mmmmmm.

The kids were skeptics, but even THEY were won over.

Noah (7): Ew.  What is that stuff?
Rob (41): Chicken Noodle Soup.
Noah: ...looks like barf.
--5 minutes later at the dinner table--
Noah: It really IS good!  Who made it???
Me: ME!!
Noah: Huh.  It's actually good.
Rob: This is REALLY good.
Isaac(9): I like spinach.
Megan (11): I think the spinach looks like phlegm.
Me: Genny, do you like your dinner?
Genny (4): I'm gonna eat it all gone.
Me: You ARE?!?!?!
Genny: Yup.  Megan said if I eat it all gone she'll give me a dollar.

I'm totally fine with the bribe.  Genny girl even ate the tomatoes and the spinach.  And this from the queen of grilled cheese sandwiches.
Redemption.