Spinach Orzo Soup for Mono

I took Annah to the doctor yesterday, and got the results this morning: She officially has mono.  It is really hitting her hard--everything is swollen and achy, and she just feels so exhausted.  She will be taking some half days off school to try to get extra rest.  Today she came home at noon, and I made her some healthy soup.  I just made it up as I went, so there's no recipe.  But, Annah really liked it and told me to write it down.  I don't measure anything when I'm cooking; I just dump stuff in until it looks like how much I want in there!

Spinach Orzo Soup

yellow onion
celery
carrot
minced garlic
*spiced ground meat
broth/buoillion
orzo
fresh baby spinach
anise, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, paprika, Italian herbs, Mrs. Dash

Make a mirepoix with your favorite cooking oil/fat. This time I used yellow onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in butter.  (Most times I use olive oil or coconut oil.)
Add spiced ground meat. Cook until vegetables are almost tender.
Add broth and orzo and simmer until orzo and vegetables are cooked to desired consistency.
Add several bunches of fresh baby spinach, and continue simmering until it's just wilted. Slurp it up!

*I often buy several pounds of ground beef and several pounds of ground turkey and cook it all up together with chopped onions and minced garlic and freeze in 1-pound bags so I have it ready for quick cooking.  That's what I used for this, only I wanted it to taste spicy like sausage, so I added a bunch of anise, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, paprika, Italian herbs, and Mrs. Dash to give it some kick!