Chicken Tortilla Soup

I wanted to share with you on of my favorite quick, easy, and yummy meals!

This one is so easy, it literally just takes a few minutes to throw it in the crockpot in the morning and it's ready at suppertime. I love that!!!

(I forgot to take a picture of it. You'll have to use your imagination.) :)



Chicken Tortilla Soup

- uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast (the recipe calls for 4, but I normally put in 2 and I put them in still frozen)

- 2 15 oz. cans of black beans, undrained

- 2 15 oz. cans of mexican stewed tomatoes (like Rotel)

- 1 c. salsa

- 4 oz. can of chopped green chilies, undrained

-14 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce

(-if I have leftover corn, I throw it in)



Mix all this together in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. When it's done, take out chicken breast and cut into bite sized pieces.

To serve, put a handful of tortilla chips in a bowl, ladle soup over the chips, and top with cheese and sour cream (as desired).



There is one person in this house who doesn't care for this soup; she just eats salad the night we have this. Other than that everyone loves this soup and it is one leftover that goes quickly. (As my 3rd daughter tells me, this is one leftover that's just as good leftover as it is the first night.)



Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Easter Cookies

Easter Cookies
These are cookies that the girls and I have been making the night before Easter every year for as long as I can remember. (We probably started when my oldest was a preschooler.) They're one of my girls' favorite Easter traditions and one they make sure we don't skip. :)
Hope you enjoy.

You need:
1c. whole pecans (we substitute chocolate chips or choclate bar)
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg white
salt
1c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300.

Instructions:

Place pecans (or chocolate) in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God' s eyes of those whosesins have been cleansed by Jesus.Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts (chocolate). Drop by teaspoons (you don't want them too big or it won't work, so I'm told) onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.Read Matt. 27:65-66. GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.Read Matt. 28:1-9

Enjoy! :)

Better Than IHOP :)

At least that was the comment from a young friend of ours who had spent the night and enjoyed these great pancakes for breakfast. (I laughed to myself knowing that he had no idea that these were actually good for him too.) :)

Our family loves these pancakes. I got the recipe from Urban Homemaker http://articles.urbanhomemaker.com/ - one of my favorite sources of great recipes.


BLENDER BATTER WAFFLES OR PANCAKES

1. Preheat waffle iron or pancake griddle to highest temperature.

2. Place in blender and blend at high speed for4-5 minutes or until smooth:
1 3/4 Cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TB honey
1/3 Cup raw brown rice
1/2 Cup pastry wheat or kamut (I use hard white wheat - use the berries, not the flour)
1/2 Cup rolled oats
The secret to getting light and tender waffles is the thinness of the batter. The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If not, add a little liquid until the hole reappears. This is very important.

Be sure to blend an entire 5 minutes. Once I stopped blending in less than 5 minutes and we had chunky pancakes. :)

3. Blend in briefly just before baking:
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder (non-aluminum)


4. Pour thin batter from blender onto seasoned, hot waffle iron or pancake griddle sprayed with olive oil non-stick spray. Bake about 4 minutes. Don't Peek!
I normally use this batter to make pancakes. I sprinkle on extras while they're cooking - chocolate chips, pecans, and blueberries and pecans - that way everyone gets what they like.
Yum!!!!

Muffins (mmm) :)

The girls and I love to eat muffins for breakfast. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:

This morning we're having Cinnamon Streusel Muffins:





1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. oil (I use canola)
1 3/4 c. (freshly ground whole wheat) flour
1/4 c. sugar (I use sucanat)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Grease 12 muffin cups. (I grease mine by rubbing a stick of butter in the muffin cups.)

Beat egg; beat in milk and oil.l Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture. (I kind of layer the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix them a bit before stirring them into the egg mixture.) Stir just until moistened. (Don't overmix.) Spoon into muffin tins.

For struesel:

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I leave this off some of the muffins)
1/2 c. brown sugar (again - I use sucanat)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. melted butter

Mix streusel and top muffins. (Or put 1/2 struesel in middle of muffins and other 1/2 on top.)

Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

These muffins are a big hit with all the girls.


Earlier this week we tried a new recipe:

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Muffins



1 c. flour (again, I use freshly ground whole wheat)
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar (I use sucanat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. plain yogurt
4 Tbs. butter (melted)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed and drained)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel (zest)

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups.
Blend together flour, oats, brown sugar/sucanat, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Stir together yogurt, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture into center of dry ingredients. Stir just until blended. Fold in blueberries and lemon zest.
Divide batter into muffin cups and bake 12 - 14 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan and then completely on wire rack.

And finally (no picture, sorry, but trust me they're good) :)


Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 1/4 c. flour (freshly milled) :)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk (I put a bit of lemon juice in my measuring cup and then add regular milk to it)
1 egg
1/2 c. oil (I use 1/4 c. olive oil and 1/4 c. canola oil)
1/2 c. honey

Measure dry ingredients into bowl. Add liquids and mix just until well blended.
Mash 2 - 3 bananas and stir the bananas and 1/4 - 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips into muffin mixture. Drop by spoonfuls into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. (This recipe makes 18 muffins.)