Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos with a side of Beans

This EASY chicken taco recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.  I am always on the look out for simple, delicious crock pot recipes and this one is a favorite.  I use the La Tortilla Factory low carb, high fiber tortillas.  They are whole wheat and loaded with fiber and protein.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa, plus more for serving (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo

1 tablespoon chili powder

Coarse salt and ground pepper

8 hard corn taco shells

Cilantro, shredded cheese, lime wedges, and sour cream, for serving (optional)

In slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chiles, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours).

Transfer chicken to a serving bowl, and shred, using two forks; moisten with cooking juices. Serve in taco shells, with toppings, if desired.

TIP:  Make sure your chicken is immersed in the wet ingredients to avoid dry chicken.  If needed, add more salsa.  Also, know your crock pot.  Mine is super charged so I usually have to cut the cooking time in half.

I make my own pinto beans rather than buy canned to avoid the sodium.  I typically make a huge pot then freeze portions in quart size ziploc bags.  Jack Henry loves beans and can eat them every day so I always make sure to have them on hand.  You can buy a bag of dried beans at the grocery store, or buy them in the bulk section.  *Plan ahead because these beans are an overnight process.

2 lbs pinto beans
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 slices turkey bacon, cut up into bite size peices
1 can Rotel
pepper and salt

sort through the beans by hand, discarding rocks and broken beans.  rinse thoroughly in a collander then put in large pot filled with water.  soak the beans overnight.  beans expand so be sure there is plenty of water in the pot to ensure the beans remain immersed in the water.  the next day drain water and add fresh water.  add onion, garlic, cilantro, pepper and salt.  bring to a boil then simmer for 3-4 hours.  stir occasionally.  you may need to add additional water every hour.   the last hour, add rotel and bacon.

A couple  notes:  I never measure any ingredients for these beans.   You can add a can of green chiles, too.   I've made black beans and white northern beans, too.  Just add the onion, garlic and pepper and salt.

TIP:  When eating out at a Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant, be aware of all the high fat foods:  cheese, avocado, red meat, beans, and fried tortilla chips.  Be selective!

Chicken with Black Beans and Corn

This is a YUMM-O recipe I found on the Skinny Crock Pot page on Facebook.  It's under the Poultry section.  So easy and tasty.  Below is the recipe, however I cut the cream cheese in half.  I shredded the chicken when done and poured it all into a warm whole wheat tortilla--- delicious!  John ommitted the tortilla and just ate it out of a bowl (he's dieting now...lost 10 lbs so far)!  He actually had it two nights in a row and kept talking about how yummy this was!

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (15.5 oz.) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz.) jar salsa
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (I used the light cream cheese and only used half the package).

Directions:
1) Take 4-5 frozen boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot.
2) Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.
3) Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
4) Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

TIP:  know your crock pot!  Mine is super charged so this meal cooked in half the time.

Rainy Day Chili

I made this impromptu chili last night using what I had on hand in my kitchen.  It's cold and rainy here so I didn't want to venture out to the grocery store.  I was a bit nervous to see what the results would be but I'm happy to report it turned out DELICIOUS!  I'm so excited because I totally winged this recipe.  Yay me.

1 can 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can  10 oz. rotel
1 can 7 oz. diced green chile peppers
1 can 15 oz. pinto beans, drained
1 can 15 oz. black beans, drained
1 can 15 oz. corn, drained
1 bottle of beer
pinch of cumin
1/2 lb. chorizo, browned
1 lb. chicken sausage, browned
chili powder
crushed red pepper
whole grain tortilla chips & shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In large pot add first eight ingredients.  Brown chorizo in separate pan and add to pot.  Brown chicken sausage and season with chili powder and crushed red pepper, then add to pot.  I let the chili simmer on the stove for one hour.  Yumm-O.  I crushed up a few Kirkland organic tortilla chips (only has 5 ingredients!) and added some shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Crockpot chili with lots of veggies and Cornbread muffins

I am a big fan of chili and I've been wanting to use my crockpot lately.  I've "liked" 2 crockpot pages on Facebook that post only crockpot recipes.  How genius is that?  The bulk of this recipe I got from Bethenny Frankel but switched it up just a bit.  This is how I modified the recipe and I LOVED it!

½ medium sized onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 pound ground turkey breast (omit if vegetarian)
1 can red pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
Throw everything into a crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  *My crockpot cooks super fast so I cooked mine on low for 5 1/2 hours.  This recipe makes a huge pot so it's ideal to freeze some.

In an earlier post, I introduced Bob's Red Mill Cornbread Mix.   You can find it at Sprout's or Whole Foods.  It's made of whole grain corn and whole wheat flour and other all natural ingredients.  I followed the directions on the packaging to make cornbread muffins.  I also added a small can of cream corn and 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.  These muffins turned out SO GOOD!!!!  Love them.

Kale and Quinoa Minestrone Soup

The weather is finally cooling down and I am ready to make soup!  I've been wanting to start eating kale and quinoa so I was excited to find this soup recipe on Pinterest.   I made a few changes to the recipe and it turned out amazing!  John and I have been trying to eat healthy and this soup is so good for you. 

1 tbsp olive oil
1-1/4 cups chopped onion (about 1 medium-large onion)
1-1/4 cups chopped carrots (about 2 medium carrots—no need to peel)
1 cup chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 cups prewashed and cut kale
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2/3 cup quinoa (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Quinoa.  It's high in protein and fiber and sooo healthy for you.  I found it at Sprout's but I know Whole Foods also carries this brand).
8 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1-1/2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning
1 19-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I used black beans)
I also added 2 links of Italian chicken sausage, 1 sweet and 1 hot (for the husband)!

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Add kale and cook and stir 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes with juice, quinoa, broth, and herbs and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes.
3. Brown sausage separately then add to pot.

I served this soup with whole grain cornbread muffins.

Cowboy Casserole

I found a fattening version of this meal on www.allrecipes.com.  The recipe called for ground beef, bacon, and biscuits.  It sounded like good comfort food but way too heavy for me so I tweeked the recipe. 

Here's my healthier version I made for dinner tonight:
6 strips turkey bacon
2 t. olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 (15oz.) baked beans
1/4 c. barbeque sauce
cornbread prepared as per directions
preheat oven to 350
cook bacon in large pan over medium until browned.  set aside & cut into bite size pieces.  in the same pan add olive oil, turkey and onion until turkey is no longer pink.  drain then pour back into pan.  add in bacon, beans and barbeque sauce.  bring to a boil then simmer for 5 min.  pour into 8 x 13 pan.  prepare cornbread as per instruction and pour over meat mixture.  bake for 30 min.
prep time: 25 min.

A couple notes:  I've made this recipe twice now and the whole family loves it. The only thing I'd recommend is don't pour all the cornbread mixture over the meat. I'd only use about 1/2 or 2/3 of it.  Otherwise it's a lot of cornbread!
I buy applegate organic turkey bacon.  You can actually read all the ingredients on their packages which I love.  (I also buy their turkey hot dogs for Jack Henry).  I love cornbread but many of the mixes are high in sugar.  I found Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornbread Mix at Whole Foods.  It's made from whole grain corn and whole wheat flour.

TIP:  Read the ingredients on food packages.  My goal is to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and know what they are.  If you can't pronounce them, they are most likely preservatives and dyes.

healthy cornbread!

Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe last year and we LOVE it.  I seem to make it when I have left over chicken I need to use.  I had made some chicken breasts in the crockpot earlier in the week for veggie & chicken quesadillas and I had some left over.  Click here to get the chicken recipe-- it's a favorite too.
Both recipes are courtesy of Martha Stewart.  I changed the soup recipe just slightly, below is how I made it:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels

1 small can diced green chilis

shredded chicken

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, broth, corn, chilis; season with salt and pepper. 
2. Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer.   Add chicken.  I leave my soups on the stove to simmer for a while, anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.  Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, tortilla chips, avocado, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Low Fat Enchiladas

I make these enchiladas pretty often because we love Mexican food AND they are healthy!  This recipe is courtesy of Bethenny Frankel.  If you follow my blog, you know I'm a big fan of hers. 

Part 1 – Chicken Mixture
3 cups shredded chicken (white meat).
*I shred by hand using store-bought roast chicken or boiled chicken breasts, skinless). Costco has great chicken roast for 4.99
4 oz canned green chilies (come in small can in Latin section at grocery store)
1 teaspoon of Tabasco
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Combine all of the above in a large non-stick pan over medium high-heat. When heated through (approximately 5 minutes), remove mixture from pan and set aside.

Part 2 – The Sauce

15 oz can tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Combine all of the above over medium heat in until warm. Use the same pan that you used for the chicken mixture. You should heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Part 3 – Assembly

1-cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
5 medium whole-wheat tortillas (5-6” tortillas)

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 8x11 lasagna/casserole dish
Divide chicken mixture in tortillas evenly, fold over left and right side and place seam down snuggly in the dish.
Top with remaining sauce evenly spread amongst the enchiladas.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese
Bake at 350 degrees on center rack for 20 minutes.


I serve these enchiladas with my home made charro beans.  Yummy dinner!!