There are days when your snack of choice is chips, cookies, or whatever you can grab without breaking a sweat. Then there are days when your snack of choice is… soup. Yeah, you read that right. Today’s menu is all about soup—and not because I’m some gourmet chef or suddenly super health-conscious. No, today, soup is my snack of choice because I’m in an ongoing battle with an infection that simply refuses to cooperate.

At this point, I feel like we’ve moved past the skirmish stage and are now locked in a full-on standoff. So, if my body is going to rebel against me, I’m fighting back the only way I know how—with ladles, steam, and my trusty new Instapot. Because guess what? It turns out this contraption is way more useful than I originally thought. In fact, it’s the MVP of today’s sick-day culinary marathon. Who knew we’d be best buds?

I’m kicking things off with French onion soup, because nothing says “let’s wallow in this illness together” quite like a bowl of caramelized onions, croutons, and melted cheese. Cheese is basically medicine, right? Then, we’ll crank up the spice a notch with some gumbo—because if the infection won’t leave my body, maybe I can burn it out Cajun-style. And just for good measure, I’m throwing in some asopao, a hearty Puerto Rican stew, because hey, if you’re going to spend your day ladling things, you might as well go all out and embrace the stew life.

Now, let’s be real: I’m not saying I’m cooking these soups like some culinary goddess in the kitchen (thanks again, Instapot). But there’s something therapeutic about making soup when you’re sick. The chopping, the simmering, the aroma that fills the house—it all feels like an act of rebellion against whatever germs decided to park themselves in my sinuses. There’s this old saying that chicken soup is good for the soul, and I figure, why limit ourselves? If cooking and slurping up bowls of gumbo, French onion, and asopao doesn’t cure me, it’ll at least fill me with enough carbs and comfort to get me through the day. That’s a win, right?

So, here I am: infection vs. Instapot, fatigue vs. flavor. And while I may be losing the battle against this stubborn illness, I’m winning the soup game. Today’s snack of choice might be soupy, but it’s also soulful. And maybe, just maybe, a few more ladles of this goodness will finally convince my body to get with the program. Until then, I’ll just keep sipping.