Yesterday, after a Saturday night out in DC, I was not in the capacity to go on one of my normal [read: nutty] Sunday prep days. There are few things that I hate more than starting the week in the hole though…and I had a ton of chicken in the freezer. The benefit of such is that when the weather is cooler and I am lazier, the crock pot becomes my best friend. I swear to god, my crock pot recipes just get easier and simpler with every week. And they may not be the most exciting to make, but they are nearly fool proof and taste like angels dancing on your tongue. Seriously. Fine, don’t believe me…but you should try for yourself.

A good rule of thumb: try to keep most of the ingredients for crock pot meals in the pantry and freezer, specifically for weekends like these or midweek dinners.

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup:.

yield: 8 servings
~225 calories per serving | 3g fat | 18g protein | 2g fiber | 27g carbs

ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2-2 cups water
• 1 bag frozen sweet corn
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (or 1 can tomatoes and 1 can green chilies)
• 1 can black beans (optional)
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 onion – chopped
• 1 sweet yellow bell pepper – chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt + pepper – to taste
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1 bay leaf
• few shakes of tobasco/cayenne sauce
• 1 tsp of each – dried oregano & dried cilantro
• baked whole grain or corn tortilla chips (added when served)
• plain Greek yogurt (optional as garnish)

directions

1. Turn crockpot on low and add cans of enchilada sauce, broth, tomatoes, chilies, beans.
2. Also add frozen corn, onions, peppers, garlic, water, and all seasonings EXCEPT the olive oil.
3. Cut chicken breasts into cubes and saute in olive oil in a separate pan. Once mostly cooked, add to crockpot.
4. Heat on low for 4 hours (or high for 2.5-3 hours). Serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and crushed tortilla chips.
5. Enjoy!