Light, Easy Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is fresh and tasty.  Husband and toddler approved!

Prep Time: 10mins

Cook Time: 3 hours

WWPTS+:  3 per 1.5 cups (without cheese and chips)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken ( I use chicken tenders because they are easy to shred)
• 4 oz chopped mild green chilies
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes, including juice
• 14.5 oz. chicken broth
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbls. cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped
• Optional:
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Homemade corn tortilla chips (see recipe below)

To Cook:

1. Line the bottom of the slow-cooker with the chicken.
2. In a medium size bowl combine: garlic, onion, chilies, tomatoes, chicken broth, lime juice, cumin, and salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the chicken.
3. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours. When the chicken is tender, use 2 forks to shred the meat.
4. Add cilantro to the slow-cooker and stir to blend.
5. Garnish with cheese and chips ( I use the chips to dip)

To make the Homemade Tortilla Chips:

• Cut 8-10 corn tortillas into quarters, then cut the quarters in half.
• Drop in a warm fryer (we use a Presto Fry Daddy), filled with Canola Oil.
• Let cook for 1-2 minutes or until firm and browned. Be careful not to overcook.
• Pull tortilla pieces from fryer and place on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Recharging My Towels

Living in New England we have a annoying little problem that drives me CRAZY!  Because many of the homes here do not have central air conditioning,  air circulation is a HUGE problem!  Many of the rooms in our have have window units so that helps a bit but the rooms that seem to be the worst are the kitchen and the bathroom.

Why is the lack of air-circulation such a problem?  Because it makes my bath towels, kitchen towels, and dish rags smell TERRIBLE!!!  A few days out and they might as well be growing a mold empire because that is how they smell!

I have tried and tried to simply wash them with laundry soap and mask the smell with fabric softener and dryer sheets but that has not seemed to take care of the problem.  Before I know it...the smell has returned.

I happened upon an awesome pin that I thought might be the solution to my problem, Recharging Your Towels! I looked into this further and there were many pins on this but they basically all said the same things so I thought Id give it a try!

I tried it on my towels yesterday and they smell AWESOME!  Not awesome like Spring Rain or Sweet Pea flowers but just awesome like clean!  I was really worried because I hate the smell of vinegar but there was no lingering vinegar scent on my towels or in my warshin machine and the towels are super soft and fluffy!  I definitely recommend giving this pin a try!

Praying for Boys Review and **Giveaway**

Being a parent is tough...period.

When I first found out I was expecting my little dude, I just knew he was a girl.  I know how to raise girls because girls run in my family. I have a younger sister and all girl cousins and I was there to see them grow.

When I went in and found out he was in fact he was a little dude, (something he was not shy about I might add) I was blown away, not only because my intuition had been wrong, but also because I have no clue how to raise a boy!

My son is 9 months old and I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing.  It is a daily learning experience and is honestly the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, though the most rewarding indeed.

Mocha Frappuccino Cupcakes

Just let me premise this by saying...I am a mom and a Coast Guard wife and a craft business owner and a dog mom and a mommy group member...the list goes on.  My house is generally a crazy mess...the laundry is almost never done...and the dishes dont always get done at the end of the day. 

I would love to say that all of my baking is done from scratch with perfect fresh ingredients but that is not always the case.  These recipes are for moms like me who cant always get it together but but want easy recipes and tricks to make it look like they can.

Now I will tell you about the Mocha Frap Cupcakes~!

Roasted Bartlett Pear Puree

When I first started pureeing fruits and veggies for my little guy, I thought it was simply going to be steaming and processing.

After a little research, my eyes were opened to the world of roasting!

I LOVE roasting fruits for my little.  The fruit comes out so juicy and it makes life way easier because the skins peel right off (most of the time).

Today I am on the topic of pears (the little guy has been dealing with some constipation and pears are a great remedy for him...certainly better than prunes...well taste wise).  I have roasted several types of pears and Bartletts seem to roast the best and are generally easy to find.

If I plan on keeping the skins which I have recently started, I am sure to buy organic and give them a thourough washing before roasting.  Otherwise I use regular pears.  Peeling the pears tends to help my budget but I buy organic when I can.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Costume

I always said that when I had a baby someday, I would want to the be the kind of mom that makes his Halloween costumes!

This was my very first attempt at a Halloween costume for my little guy!  I am so happy with how it turned out!  This is not really a tutorial but I am including some pictures that I took of my process along the way.

What I used

I am not a fabulous seamstress, but I do know how to run a machine and I know some of the basics of construction.  This was however my very first experience with pattern making.  I used an outfit that was in Aiden's size and had a similar shape to what I was aiming for. I used the newspaper because that was all I had that was large enough to make a pattern out of.

I added some length to the bottom because I wanted the costume to go passed his feet.  Once I had my pattern, I laid out strips of fabric in a variation of green patterns and shades to mimic the collage look created by Eric Carle.

I sewed each of the strips together.  My initial idea was to make it a typical seam but my husband suggested I sew them one over the next so the frayed edge would show and it would appear "hairy". This made the sewing super easy.  I did two panels with one seam in the back.  In the seam I places ribbon to match the picture in the book.

For the front, I again did two panels and one seam but I also put in a zipper so Aiden could fit into it easier since the fabric was not stretch.

I put elastic between each of the colors to give it a segmented worm look and put elastic in the bottom to cinch it closed.

For the hat. I couldn't find a red hat so I bought a white one and dyed it.  I sewed on felt circles for the eyes and used pipe cleaners for the antennae.

Aiden loved it.  He crawled all around the living room like a little caterpillar.  It was the cutest thing ever!

Easy Organic Carrot Puree

What you need:

• A bunch or two of organic carrots
• A steamer or pot with steamer basket (tried a colander in a pot a nearly caught the kitchen on fire!)
• Food Processor

How ya do it:

 Start with your carrots

(check out these crazy carrots...the leaves were longer than the carrots!)

Peel the carrots and wash them thoroughly

Fill your steamer pot with water and place the carrots in the steamer basket

I cut mine into smaller pieces before placing them in the basket

Steam the carrots for around 15 minutes or until soft

Pull the basket out of the steamer and let the carrots cool for about 10 minutes.

Place the carrots in the food processor

Puree until desired texture is reached

I added a little water since this was Aiden's first time with carrots and I wanted the puree to be really smooth

The nice part about making your own is you can add texture as needed

Heres our little carrot face!  He loved them!