Creamy Chicken Taco Soup: Crockpot

I'm sure there are plenty of recipes for this soup, maybe even better ones, but I am proud to say that I made this one up on my own! Yea, creativity!

Ingredients: 

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can white northern beans

1 can whole kernel corn

(first 4 ingredients- all drained)

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1 can low fat/ sodium cream of chicken soup

1 block of cream cheese (the REAL thing, or it won't melt properly)

1 packet taco seasoning

4 large, frozen chicken breasts

*crockpot liner (optional- but helpful!)

* Pam cooking spray (optional)

**********************************************************

Directions: Basically, it's a dump-and-go recipe

1. Place crockpot liner in crockpot and spray with Pam

2. Place frozen chicken on the bottom of the crockpot

3. Pour beans, tomatoes, and corn on top of chicken

4. Pour in chicken broth and cream of chicken soup- stir a little

5. Cut up cream cheese into smaller blocks and place around the top

6. Shake taco seasoning on top and give everything another stir

7. Cover and cook! I sat mine for 6 hours, but the timing is up to you.

8. An hour before serving, take out the chicken breasts, shred them, and put them back into the crockpot to keep cooking.  

************************************************************

I served the soup over Frito chips with shredded cheese on top. 

4/5 people in my house loved it! The only hold-out was my 8 year old who is convinced that, if it's not chicken nuggets or pizza, it must be poison.

I didn't take a fancy picture while it was cooking, or when I served it, but here it is when I went to store it for dinner tomorrow. This recipe made enough to feed my family 2 nights.

Cheesy Veggie soup

???
I'm not really sure what to call it, but it is cheesy and is filled with veggies.
I've been trying to create my own recipes lately and some tend to be hit-or-miss. This recipe was a little thick for my taste, but was perfect for Hubby- he licked his plate clean!

Here's what I tried:

2 cans chicken broth (low sodium)

2 cans cheesy broccoli soup (98% fat free)

1 bag California style mix veggies

a few shakes of minced onion, garlic powder, basil, and oregano

****************************************************************************

I put everything in my crockpot and set it on low- I was at school all day, so I set it on 10 hr this morning. It really doesn't matter. When I got home with the kids the house smelled like broccoli cheddar soup! I made some (canned) biscuits and served the soup over the biscuits.

It was thick and creamy, not really a "soup", but not sure what else to call it. It was really good! Hubby was impressed and that hardly ever happens!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on pinterest. To see the original, click {HERE}
I found that I liked the blog so much, that I added their button to the side of our blog. Check out the Real Mom Kitchen blog!

1 package chicken breasts (2 or 3 boneless/ skinless)

1 can cream of chicken

1 can tomato sauce (8oz, I used the rotel brand for extra spicy-ness!)

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 packet mild taco mix (original calls for enchilada mix)

1 1/2 cup water

2 cups milk

**********************************************************************

1. Mix the seasoning packet, water, and tomato sauce together in the crockpot.

2. Add the milk and cream of chicken soup. Mix until smooth.

3. Add the chicken breasts into the mixture.

4. On top of the chicken, add the corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes. Mix it all together.

5. Cook for desired time. An hour before it's done, take out the chicken, shred it, and add it back to the crock pot. 

I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but we ate it over chips and with shredded cheese on top. It was wonderful! It was good the next day for left-overs too!

Hide and Seek Meatloaf

I'm not a veggie eater, I'm more of a fruit lover. Hubby on the other hand, loves his veggies and only likes apples from the fruit category. Our kids are a wonderful combination of the two of us. Of course, it helps if you can't tell what veggies are being eaten.

This is my recipe for meatloaf that I use to hide veggies. I know everyone likes his/ her own meatloaf recipe a different way, but this one works for us!

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground turkey

1/4 cup oats

1 egg

meatloaf seasoning

Worcestershire sauce

Tobasco sauce (not pictured)

veggies of your choice 

( we like carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower)

*********************************************************************

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Thaw meat

3. Puree chosen veggies. 

We used carrots (a whole can of sliced carrots) and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

4. Mix the thawed ground beef and turkey, pureed veggies, 1/4 cup dry oats, 1 egg, meatloaf seasoning, a few splashes of worcestershire sauce and tobasco- all in a large mixing bowl. 

A real Southern woman would use her hands, but I'm a wuss and use a slotted spoon. I try to not touch raw meat. Eeeewwwww. 

5. Place meatloaf mixture into a baking dish.

If you like tomato sauce or ketchup on your meatloaf, this would be the time to add it to the top.

I love this dish from Pampered Chef. It helps with portion control and we have perfect sized left-overs!

6. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

We eat our meatloaf with rice or a size of veggies. (For those in my house not scared of vegetables) The only veggie I've tried to hide and it didn't work was peas. They made the meatloaf gritty. 

A friend of mine says she uses a box of Stove Top dressing instead of oats and meatloaf seasoning. 

I haven't tried it, but it's something to consider!

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

I'm not really sure if they really are enchiladas, but you use tortillas, so it's related!

I made these for Hubby and the kids and it was a huge hit! I modified a recipe that I saw on Pinterest for my own evil purposes! (evil laughter here) For the original recipe, click {HERE}

All the ingredients I used were either low fat or low sodium- or both if available. 

2 cans chicken 

(the picture shows 3, but I only needed 2)

2 box frozen spinach- thawed

1 can corn (drained)

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

flour tortillas (or corn- your preference)

1/4 package of taco seasoning

shredded cheese

******************************************************************

Preheat oven to 350 and spray baking dish with cooking spray

1. Combine the chicken, corn, and spinach in a bowl

2. Place mixture in the tortillas and top with cheese

3. Roll them up and place in a 9x13 baking dish

4. Mix the cream soups in a small bowl and add the taco seasoning. (only 1/4 of the package) Spread the soup on top.

5. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 40-45 min

Yummy!

I made this again as a vegetarian dish and used 2 cream of mushroom soups, and substituted the chicken with a can of black beans and a can of mushrooms. De-lish!

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

Hubby is attempting to ride the healthy train, so I decided it was time I bought a ticket too. Lately Hubby has been eating steamed veggies for dinner, with a small side of whatever I made for the main meal. Well, this time he can have a big bowl and not feel guilty!

This was my second attempt at making veggie soup in the crockpot. My first attempt was part of a school activity with my students, and you can check out that post {HERE} on my school blog. I gotta say, I think the first attempt was better, but the second was still pretty dang good!

2 cans carrots

2 cans corn

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can green beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chicken broth 

(or use a can of tomato soup if you want it completely vegetarian)

chopped onions

basil

oregano

garlic powder

I used 2 cans of veggies that my family likes, and obviously your family might like different veggies, so use the veggies your family will eat!

I chose the spices based on what you'd find in spaghetti sauce- since I know those spices go together. 

1. Open cans (all)

2. Drain the carrots, corn, green beans, and kidney beans

* You don't have to drain them all, but we like a thicker soup.*

3. Dump all cans into crockpot and add spices to taste

4. Cook (high or low)

I added Alphabet noodles the last 30 min of cook time. If you add pasta do it toward the end.

It was yummy and healthy!

Vegetarian Fiesta Bake

This is a re-engineered recipe from one I found at Homemaking Challenged. Their recipe called for chicken, but one reader suggested using black beans instead. Genius! I also added taco seasoning and a few other little changes.

package of flour (or corn) tortillas

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can rotel (drained)

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

shredded cheese (fiesta blend)

not pictured, but used!

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13 baking dish

2. Count out half of your tortillas and cut them into pieces. Layer them on the bottom of your baking dish.

3. Mix the soups, rotel, and the taco seasoning in a bowl

4. Spread half of the mixture over the tortillas

5. Spread one can of black beans over mixture

6. Layer of cheese

7. Layer of tortillas (but don't use all of them!)

8. Rest of mixture and other can of beans

9. Last of the tortillas and more cheese

10. Bake covered at 350 for 40 min. 

11. Dish out and enjoy!

If you're feeling inventive, try these variations:

1. Replace one can of soup with a can of refried beans (Hubby's idea)

2. Add a few chopped onions in with the layer of black beans (mine)

3. Add some chopped avocado (Hubby's idea)

4. Use your favorite salsa instead of the Rotel and taco seasoning (mine)

Can you think of some more inventive variations? Share in the comments section!

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

I'm from the south and I didn't know how to make chicken and dumplings until just recently. I should have my G.R.I.T.S. card revoked. (That's Girls Raised In The South- for those of you who were wondering)

I found the recipe {HERE}and decided to test it out. Here's what attracted me to the recipe:
1. fast
2. easy
3. no real talent required!

Boneless/ skinless chicken breast (3-4)

2 cans cream of chicken

1 can chicken broth

1 tb parsley (or however much you want)

1 chopped onion (or 1 cup of the frozen stuff I use)

2 tb butter

1 can of flaky biscuits (you'll only need 4 of them)

*Black pepper (to taste)*

It's not in the original recipe, but I felt it needed a little something when the Hubby and I were eating it. 

If you decide to use all of the biscuits, you'll need to add another can of chicken broth to the recipe.

1. Spray crock pot with cooking spray

2. Add chicken

3. Add soup, broth, onion, butter, parsley, and pepper

4. Cook 4-6 hours- use a fork to break up the chicken pieces

5. During the last hour, cut up 4 of the biscuits into pieces and add them to the pot.

6. Let the biscuits cook in the pot for the last hour.

7. Enjoy!

Hubby and I loved the recipe, and I'll have enough for my lunch and dinner again tomorrow! Woo-hoo!

Crockpot Chicken/ Bacon/ Ranch

The title pretty much says it all. This is another recipe that, if portioned properly, can last my family for 2-3 days. (Only 2 if I eat it for lunch too)

I found this recipe on the Crock Pot Girls Facebook page. I'm not sure of the author, but I know that it's good! My favorite part of the recipe, besides it being fast and easy, is the sauce. I could just eat the sauce over rice any day. :)

Boneless/ skinless chicken- not pictured

 (the size it up to you, but I prefer tenderloins)

1 can cream of chicken soup

*1 can cream of mushroom

(not pictured and optional- depends on how much sauce you want)

1 ranch packet

2 cups sour cream

1 package bacon bits

1. Spray the crock pot (even if you use a liner)

2. Place chicken strips in the crock pot

3. Mix the soup, sour cream, ranch, and bacon in a bowl

4. Spread the mixture over the chicken

5. Cook. 

Cook on high or low, I promise it doesn't matter.

6 Serve over rice or noodles.

I do love my rice, but Hubby prefers noodles. *sigh*

** I didn't use the cream of mushroom, but it doesn't mess with the recipe too much. Adding it just makes a creamier sauce.**

Enjoy!