Cream of Broccoli & Carrot Soup with Chicken

With cold weather rolling in and my seasonal head cold to go with it, I had an itch for soup and came up with this... it only took about 45 minutes total. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 C broccoli florets in bite-sized pieces (about 1 head)
4 carrots, roughly chopped
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, boiled*, chopped
2 T butter, divided
3 stalks of celery, sliced or diced
1 C onion, chopped
1 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
A dash or two of black pepper, thyme and basil
1 C half-n-half (substitute milk, if desired)
2-2 1/2 C chicken stock, divided
4 oz Velveeta cheese, sliced

*To prepare chicken, place breasts in small pot and cover with water. Add a little salt if you wish. Cover and bring to a hard boil, then remove from heat, leaving covered for 15-20 minutes. Chop into bite-sized pieces. It should come out just done, not overcooked or dry.

1. Steam broccoli and carrots, then drain and set aside.
2. In large pot, melt 1 T butter and saute celery and onion until tender.
3. Meanwhile, reserve 1-2 C broccoli and carrots. The rest goes into a food processor or blender with 1 C chicken stock. Process until smooth.
4. When celery and onion are tender, melt in remaining 1 T butter then stir in flour, salt, pepper, thyme and basil and cook another minute.
5. Stir in half-n-half and bring to a bubble, then add cheese to melt.
6. Stir in processed veggies and remaining 1 C chicken stock (or a little more to desired consistency), reserved veggies and chicken.
7. Bring to a simmer to heat through and serve.