Mexican Chicken Soup

By popular request, here is the recipe for my Mexican Chicken Soup

One crock pot/slow cooker, plugged into the wall
3 raw skinless and boneless chicken breasts
2 cans petite diced tomatoes with peppers
1 can no sodium added tomato sauce
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed **hint hint, its usually cheaper to buy them in the mexican food section of the grocery store, I dont know why**
1 cup salsa, any spiciness you like
2 small cans of diced green chilis **also cheaper in the mexican part of the store**

Combine and cook on low for 6-8 hours or whenever chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork. Combine shredded meat back in with soup. When serving, top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. 

Broccoli Slaw Spaghetti

Yes I stole this from Elle over at PriorFatGirl. Go over there for the recipe.

I changed it up a little bit by using homemade spaghetti sauce. I fry up some onions in a tiny bit of olive oil. I use a can of Hunt's tomato sauce and a can of Hunt's tomato paste. I add some garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and just a pinch of sugar. With the 93% lean ground beef, the sauce alone carries only 210 calories. When the slaw is added, the recipe is 260 calories.

I was surprised by how full this actually made me. I was unable to help myself to a second serving like I usually would had i had pasta instead of the slaw. I wish I would have taken a picture. Give it a try.

Broccoli Slaw Spaghetti

Vegan Black Bean Soup

I tried a new recipe tonight and added my own twist on it. I was a little worried at first because right out of the blender, it didn't taste good. I thought it would be one of our "If this turns out badly, we are going out to eat" nights. It turned out pretty well. Here is the recipe. Definitely make changes to how you like things. You could even add chicken to this if you wanted to.

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed *if you don't do this step, you may want your spouse to be in another room the rest of the night
1 cup salsa (any kind you like, I used Newman's Own)
1 can (or two cups) vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin, to your liking
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I used fresh and I eyeballed it)

1/4 cup onion, chopped
olive oil
1 can black beans, once again drained and rinsed
1 can corn, or a cup frozen corn
1 4oz can of chopped green chili peppers
salt & pepper to taste

Combine the first six ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until somewhat smooth. I'll let you determine what consistency you want it. While blending, saute the onions in a little olive oil. To the onions, add the remaining can of black beans, the corn, 1/2 the can of chili peppers or if you are brave and can stand a little more spice, use the whole can. Also add in the mixture from the blender. Stir together, adding salt and pepper to your preferences. I covered and cooked this for about an hour to blend the flavors. It does not need an hour so if you want it faster, cook it for less time.

I also took this recipe as an opportunity to clean out my fridge. I added half a chopped tomato to the blender because I did not have enough salsa. So add anything you want!

I did serve this with a dollop of sour cream and corn chip on the side, which would no longer qualify this as a vegan recipe I suppose. But make of it what you wish. Give it a try. This recipe is full of protein and fiber and is incredibly filling.

Calories		208.5
Total Fat		1.2 g
	Saturated Fat	0.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.2 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		1,250.5 mg
Potassium		88.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		45.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	11.2 g
	Sugars	3.5 g
Protein		11.6 g