Recipe: Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Oh my GOSH it's been awhile since my last post! 

Let me start off by saying- it's a lot of work taking care of an 8-11 month old baby! Between that, moving, and finishing up a home remodel- I've been very busy. That being said, being a Mama to Luca has been the most rewarding, best thing I've ever done. I swear we wake up and he's grown and can do things he couldn't do the day before. It's amazing to watch. 

Now, to get back to my blog and posts! I thought a great way to say "I'm back" is with a post of the recipe of one of my favorite meals I think I've ever had! 

I am such a huge fan of Mexican food, but it can be heavy and let's face it, not very healthy at times. A couple of months ago my family and I went to Cabo, and I had some of the best tortilla soup of my life! The other day I was just craving some with chicken so that it would be a full meal, so I scoured all over Pinterest and finally found a recipe to my liking (TheSkinnyFork)! 

My husband and I made it together- I just love cooking with him. It also gets made twice as fast when two people are making it so if you're super hungry this is a bonus. It's a crockpot recipe (which made it super easy) and it was pretty inexpensive (score!). Below is the recipe we used plus our little changes. 

Hope you all enjoy! xo

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe:

Ingredients

Soup:

1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (We used 3 breasts & sliced them, cooked them a little over half way on stove & then shredded them a bit using two forks)

10 Oz. Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (Rotel) (We used 2 cans to make it chunkier)

14.5 Oz. Diced Tomatoes (No Salt Added), Un-drained

1 Cup Corn, Frozen & Thawed (We used 1 Canned Corn & it worked out really well)

14.5 Oz. Black Beans (No Salt Added), Drained & Rinsed (We used 2 cans to make it chunkier)

1 Medium White Onion, Diced

1-2 Jalapeno, Diced

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced (We used 4 cloves)

2-3 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth (We used 3-4 Cups)

1 Tsp. Ground Cumin

1 Tsp. Chili Powder (Be careful with this, the more you add the cipher it gets!)

1 Tsp. Salt

1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper

Lime (Cut wedges to add to bowl of soup once finished- it's amazing)

Tortilla Strips: 

White Corn Tortillas (3-4) Cut into thin strips

Salt & Pepper to taste

Non Stick Cooking Spray

Taco Seasoning 

Optional Extras:

1 Avocado

Shredded Mexican Cheese

Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

Cilantro

Directions

Throw all the ingredients for the soup into the crock pot and stir. Put the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours. (It's that easy, I know!!)

Once the soup is almost finished, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the tortillas with non stick cooking spray and cut them into thin strips. Lay on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper. You can also dust a little taco seasoning on the strips. 

Place in oven for about 10-15 min or until crispy. 

Dish soup into bowl and add strips plus favorite toppings. 

Enjoy!  (Hint, if you make it too spicy, like we did, the sour cream and avocado definitely help in cooling it down). 

Also, don't forget to add the squeeze of lime to your bowl of soup. It really does make the dish! 

There you have it. Let me know what you think. 

So easy and SO delish! 

Health Kickstart: Glowing Green Smoothie

The holidays are over, the parties have subsided, and its a brand new year! I have to admit that I definitely indulge during the holidays- all the snacks, drinks, and decadent meals are just too good to pass up on. But because I give in then, I know that once the new year begins it is time to get my booty back into health mode. Every time I want to kick start my health routine, I drink one of my favorite smoothies and I feel clean and renewed right away. After buying "The Beauty Detox Solution" by Kimberly Snyder last year, it completely transformed my life! It's so helpful for those of you who want to know more about their bodies, the food they eat, and clean living. I also love that she has amazing, healthy recipes- from side dishes to salad dressings, plus other amazing smoothies. If you haven't read this book already, I'd highly recommend doing so asap! As I was saying- every time I want to get motivated to be healthier I have her Glowing Green Smoothie and right away I feel the difference and It's like a switch goes off in my head. I begin throwing out all the junk food, I put my workout clothes on, and I get my behind into gear! I've put the recipe below, but for the rest of her amazing tips, knowledge, and recipes, you have to get the book! It's a must, and you won't regret it! If you have a healthy smoothie you love to use to kickstart your health regimen, I'd love to hear your recipe. I'm always open to hearing new ways for staying healthy and fit. 

Glowing Green Smoothie Recipe

*You'll need a blender- I use a Vitamix. It's a bit pricey, but it really is amazing and gets the smoothie super thin without any super gross, unwanted texture. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water (I usually add a few ice cubes to keep it really cold)

1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 head of large bunch or 3/4 of small bunch organic spinach 

3-4 stalks organic celery

1 organic apple, cored and chopped

1 organic pear, cored and chopped

1 organic banana

Juice of 1/2 organic lemon

Optional: 

1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems ok)

1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems ok)

*Beauty Secret- fresh herbs, like cilantro and parsley, have wonderful cleansing properties and can help extract heavy metals and other toxins out of the body. I encourage you to throw them in if you like the taste.

Directions: 

Add the water (and ice if you choose) and chopped head of romaine and spinach to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple and pear. Add the cilantro and parsley if you choose. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

All the fresh, organic ingredients + the best kitchen utensil, the Vitamix Blender.

It may be a strange color, but it's actually really good! 

Put your smoothie into your favorite to-go bottles.