A New Favorite Taco Soup!

Well, my sweet baby is here (just 2 weeks old now) and I'm not doing any cooking right now. (If you want to see pics of her, just click over to our family blog.) My wonderful church family has been providing us with meals and it has been so fun to try out different meals! This taco soup was absolutely delicious! My friend put a lot of cilantro right in the soup and let it simmer, instead of just using it as a topping. And I loved it! The cilantro just made it taste so fresh and delicious. So here is her recipe:

Soak beans the night before - I use 1 cup of pinto and 1 cup black. Cook them the next day for a few hours. (If you don't have time, you can use canned beans.) Drain. Brown 2 lb. beef with a chopped onion and several minced garlic cloves. In a big soup pot, but beans, beef and the following:

2 c frozen corn
1 small can chopped green chillies
2 c salsa
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes - I often use grape tomatoes.
Chicken broth enough to cover food + some

Simmer for 30 min. Top with green onions, cheese, sour cream, cilantro and fritos.

Taco soup made healthier

This post is part of the Whole Food for the Holidays Progressive Dinner! My family LOVES taco soup! Even my picky toddler will gobble it down if I tone down the spiciness with some sour cream or cream cheese. We have really enjoyed THIS recipe but since I'm trying to make all my recipes healthier, I wanted to do without the packaged taco seasoning. And I had a leftover cup of butternut squash that needed to be used, so I thought I'd give it a try. I also randomly decided to throw in some spinach to see if anyone minded. I was utterly amazed that it didn't bother them at all and my husband actually said that it was the best taco soup I had made yet! So hopefully I can remember how I did it :)

Ingredients:
1 pound taco meat
1 cup (or more, depending on how thick you want it) of home-made chicken stock
1 jar organic salsa
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can organic Italian style diced tomatoes (make sure you look at ingredients to make sure there is no HFCS!!!)
1 1/2 cup soaked, cooked beans (we like black beans, but you can use whatever you like)
1 1/2 cup frozen organic corn
1 cup of butternut squash puree (optional)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
chili powder to taste if it is not spicy enough for you

Directions: If you are making taco meat, saute the green peeper and onion with the ground beef until tender, adding in the other ingredients as the recipe call for them. Then add the taco meat along with all the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low all day. If your taco meat is already made, just throw it along with everything else into the crock pot. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and chips or on top of quinoa.

Super Easy and Delicious Crockpot Beef Burgundy

Ok, so I debated about putting this one on the blog because I am trying to cook more healthily and this recipe is filled with canned soup, which I try to stay away from. However, my Mom made it this week for us and it was so incredibly delicious and easy that I decided I had to post it. I'm going to have to experiment with it later on to make it more healthy :) But boy is it good!

Ingredients:
2 lb London Broil, sliced thinly
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery or broccoli soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 large can of mushrooms or fresh
rice or noodles or quinoa

Directions: Mix all ingredients; put in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, or quinoa

Lime Chicken Tacos

This awesome recipe came highly recommended by my sis-in-law, Terra, who got it from THIS blog. It has become a favorite for my family and for taking to potlucks as well! We love all kinds of tacos, and this one is super easy and delicious! The lime flavor adds a kick that my husband loves. I add a bit of extra juice just because we love it so much :) I also like to add diced pineapple and beans to the mix to make it tastier and feed more people. It is a great gluten-free dish if you eat it as soup or with quinoa instead of a tortilla!

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 Tbs lime juice

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup chunky salsa

1 can diced pineapples, drained

1 can black beans

12 flour tortillas, warmed

sour cream, lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro and any other toppings you like

Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired.

I’m very excited to be part of the Whole Foods for the Holidays Progressive Dinner, hosted by Stephanie at Keeper of the Home today.

Cranberry Orange Dip (in a little crockpot)

I love the combo of cranberry and orange and this is pretty healthy, too, since it doesn't have refined sugar in it :) You can reduce the amount of orange zest if you think its too tangy, but I love it! I found it on this website

Ingredients:

--8 oz cream cheese
--2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
--2 T apple juice
--1/2 tsp orange zest
--1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

The Directions.

Plug in your Little Dipper to get it started warming up. Shove the block of cream cheese down into it. You may need to squish it in with a spoon. I promise it will fit. Shred the swiss, and add it. Grate the orange and add the zest. Add the apple juice. Cover and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour. When the cream and swiss cheese have fully melted, stir in the dried cranberries.

Serve with your favorite crackers or apple slices.

Mango Crockpot Chicken

This is definitely a new favorite recipe! It is easy, delicious and cheap, so it is forevermore a regular on our menu! We all loved it over quinoa with a little sour cream, and a little shredded cheese.

Mango Crockpot Chicken

Spray your crockpot (any kind of cooking spray)
Fill with whole chicken (boneless) breasts
Cover with ½ container of Costco’s Mango Salsa (any salsa works, but this particular kind is the best!)
Cook on LOW all day long – do not stir

It’s time to eat!! Shred the chicken with two forks (do not drain off any juices), salt lightly, and your chicken is ready to go!

--serve with your choice of additions: shredded lettuce, cheese, cut up onions, olives, tomatoes and cilantro, sour cream, etc – on tortillas.

http://www.reluctantentertainer.com/2008/01/crockpot-kids-mango-chicken.html

Leah's Taco Soup

This comes highly recommended from my friend, Leah, and my family loved it! I used a little less taco seasoning because I know Ed and Leah like things spicy. We ate it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Ritz or tortilla chips :) And I just throw all the ingredients into the crockpot and leave it all day :)

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or sausage
chopped onion to season beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 lg. can tomato sauce
2 pkgs taco seasoning
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans corn, drained

Directions:
1. Brown 1# ground beef or sausage with chopped onion.
2. Put meat in large pot. Add 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 1 lg. can tomato sauce, 2 pkgs. taco seasoning, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans corn (drained).
3. Cook for about 1/2 hour - sorry to be vague. You're pretty much just warming it all up. You can also put this in the crockpot on low.
**I usually only make HALF of this recipe b/c the whole thing feeds quite a few people**

Hollie's Crockpot Italian Chicken Dinner

Another great crockpot Italian recipe! Thanks, Hollie!

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken halves
8 oz Italian salad dressing
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz cream cheese (room-temperature)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.) In a slow cooker, combine the chicken breasts and Italian-style dressing.
2.) Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (My crock pot cooks it in six hours)
3.) Drain off juices and shred chicken meat with two forks.
4.) In medium bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, broth, diced cream cheese, basil, thyme salt, & pepper.
5.) Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker.
6.)Continue cooking on low for one hour (in order to melt cream cheese and mix thoroughly). Stir well.

*Pour over a bed of brown rice or egg noodles, green beans, spinach salad and of course, good o'l southern sweet tea (sweetened with agave nectar, 100% pure/natural maple syrup, or stevia powder.)

Mark's Favorite Crockpot Italian Dinner

This is an easy meal that can look fancy with the simple sauce :)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 small bottle of Italian salad dressing
box of your favorite type of noodles
8 oz sour cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese if desired

Directions: Place chicken in crock pot and pour Italian salad dressing over chicken. Cook on low 7 hours or on high for 3 ½. Boil noodles and drain. Remove chicken from crock pot and stir sour cream and parmesan cheese in remaining Italian dressing. Serve chicken over noodles, rice, or quinoa with the sauce.
*Mark likes it best if I grill the chicken in the mini Foreman grill for about 3 minutes before serving.
*Can also simply marinade the chicken all day in the Italian dressing, then cook the chicken on the grill. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes on the stove; then add in sour cream and parmesan cheese.
*Can add more sour cream for a creamier, less strong sauce