My friend Kat brought me some of her chicken tortilla soup one day last week, because she’s awesome! It was SO GOOD!!! I knew I had to try and recreate it for you guys. I added a few extra things that she did not, like corn and jalapeños. I also baked come yellow corn tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F to have healthy chips to sprinkle on top. This is another really easy recipe that only requires you to cut up some veggies, bake some chicken, and use a can opener :-). It also makes enough to have leftovers for the week! Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts baked at 350F for 30 minutes, and torn apart into small pieces

1 sweet yellow onion chopped

2-3 cloves minced garlic 

2 boxes of chicken or veggie broth (the tall ones)

1 package of taco seasoning

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/2 can corn

2 jalapeños diced

1 green bell pepper chopped

5 stalks of celery chopped

1/2 bag baby carrots chopped 

Lawry’s Seasoned salt

salt and pepper

avocado

lime

cilantro (forgot to add it!)

 

This recipe can be made in the crockpot or a large pot on the stove. I was hungry, so I made it on the stove :-). First, heat a large pot up on medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent. Add broth, tomatoes with liquid included, corn, and taco seasoning. Chop and dice up all of your vegetables. If you want it spicier, leave the seeds from the jalapeño. If not, just cut out the whole white part with the seeds. Make sure you’re careful when handling the jalapeño, because the capsaicin will transfer to any place you touch (i.e.: eyes, face) and it’s not a pleasant experience! Add all of the veggies and the torn up chicken to the soup, add seasoned salt, salt and pepper, and stir well. Turn up heat just a little bit so the soup boils very slowly, and cook for 30-45 minutes. I don’t like my veggies to have much crunch to them, so I left it for about 35 minutes. I actually think I let it cook even longer, because I set the timer for 35 min after I finished tearing the chicken apart and adding it to everything else. Anyway! If you like your veggies not so fully cooked, just reduce the cook time accordingly. 

When I served it, I sprinkled some baked yellow corn tortilla on top with cubed avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice. The only other thing I might add in the future is a dollop of nonfat plain Greek yogurt right in the middle. Again, to make the tortilla chips, bake yellow corn tortillas right on the rack for 10 minutes at 350F, and break into small pieces. These are SO much healthier than anything else you can buy at the store!

I really hope y’all enjoy this recipe! It’s awesome for those of you that are trying to maintain a healthy diet through the holidays. I think I ate a whole bag of dark chocolate chips in like a week and a half. Out. Of. Control. I never even baked anything with them!! Ugh! So best of luck between now and the end of the year practicing moderation with food. (Wish me luck, I need it too!!) No one is perfect, and it’s ok to treat yourself every once in a while :-). Just jump right back on the healthy wagon immediately after, and you’ll be in good shape!

Have a wonderful rest of your week! I’ll be back soon with more recipes, tutorials, and a post-op update.

Happy Trails!

Stacey