Quick & Easy Recipes: Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup ~ Crockpot Sunday Recipe Guest Post

Today's Crockpot Sunday recipe is a guest post by Serena.  Enjoy.

Making recipes in a crockpot or a slow cooker represents an excellent way to make quick and easy food and is especially valuable if you’re at work all day and don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen when you get home. Simply make up a recipe that can be placed into a pot and leave to slowly cook throughout the day before serving up.

Mexican food is a good option or this kind of cooking, as it provides flavors that benefit from gradual cooking. One recipe that can be tried with this approach is Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup, with details on how to make up the simple dish found below:

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup can be made up in just 15 minutes and then cooked for 5 to 7 hours in a crockpot or slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 onion, chopped
• 15-ounce can tomato soup
• 1 can black beans
• single red and green chillies OR a tin of prepared chillies
• whole kernel of corn
• taco seasoning (used to add flavor and can also be used with tacos once dish is cooked)

Instructions:

1. In crockpot, stir onion, tomato soup, black beans, chillies, corn and taco seasoning together.
2. Place chicken breasts on top with liquid ingredients covering breasts (allowing them to soak up juices and flavors).
3. Set crockpot to low heat and cook for 5 hours.
4. After 5 hours, remove chicken breasts, slice ad return them into mixture for additional 2 hours of cooking time to be absorbed into the mixture.

[Note:  Cheddar cheese and sour cream may be added to the recipe before cooking, or used as a separate flavoring after serving.]

Serving suggestions for this recipe can range through a number of different approaches, and will come down to what you want to use it for. A full pot can serve about 6 to 8 people, and can also be frozen for reheating at a later date.

Some variations include adding a bottle or can of beer to the recipe before cooking for an extra kic. You may also want to add in crushed tortilla chips after taking out the chicken breasts. These can then be browned as part of the overall recipe.

It’s similarly worth testing out how much spice you like for the meal, and reduce chillies appropriately. In either case, have taco shells ready or adding in the resulting mix, and make sure that you are ready for a bit of a mess, particularly if eating with fingers.

Quick and easy to make, this chicken soup can also be eaten without tacos, and as a dipping meal if you want to avoid holding and eating.

About the Author

Working with co-operative food as a freelance copywriter, Serena is also an avid blogger in her spare time for various other subjects such as health and fitness as well as travelling.

Thank you, Serena, for a delicious Crockpot Sunday recipe idea!  If you have a great crockpot recipe and are interested in guest posting, please see our guest blogger guidelines.

 

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Nectresse No-Calorie Sweetener: Why Lisa Ling loves this new sweetener ~ And Peaches 'N Cream Popsicle Recipe

This post brought to you by NECTRESSE™Sweetener. All opinions are 100% mine.

As someone with a family history of Diabetes, no calorie sweeteners have always been a part of my diet, but until I tried NECTRESSE™Sweetener, they were always just a way to cut back on sugar.  Nectresse is different.  It actually tastes like sugar and I really love that it satisfies my sweet tooth in a way that fits my healthy lifestyle too.

When asked if I wanted to sample and review a new no-calorie sweetener, it was a no-brainer decision for me when I read what Lisa Ling had to say about Nectresse, and learned that it is the only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit (monk fruit extract).

I have never been a fan of artificial sweeteners, but a natural one that comes from fruit I am definitely interested in trying.

In our last post, we shared some great peach recipes from Pinterest with you to celebrate National Peach Month.  Our family eats a lot of peaches, so I decided to use some of my Nectresse sample to make some peaches 'n cream popsicles.
Now our readers are probably expecting me to provide my recipe source any moment now since I never -- let me repeat that word -- never create my own recipes.  Well, there is always a first time for everything, right?  And can I say I am quite proud of myself?  :)  I think these turned out really well:

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Peaches 'N Cream Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups canned sliced peaches, pureed
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Nectresse No Calorie Sweetener

Instructions:

1. Mix ingredients together with a mixer until well combined.
2. Add mixture to popsicle molds and freeze for 3 hours or more.

[Note:  For those used to sweeter flavors, you may want to increase the amount of the sweetener in your recipe.  I would suggest adding an additional 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time and taste-testing until you reach the level of sweetness you prefer.]

I hope you like them, too.

To be fair, these aren't really my first ever original recipe creation.  I actually created a recipe not long ago for Easy Toddler Smoothies, but I don't think they really "count" since they are so easy.  These popsicles required a little more thought and adjustment during the recipe development phase.

I had sampled a teeny taste of the Nectresse on its own when I received it several days ago.  Then I tried some in my coffee.  I knew I would need to be careful with the amount used to avoid the aftertaste I got when I used too much in my first sampling in my coffee.

We try to limit the sugars in our diet, so we aren't accustomed to a lot of rich, sugary tastes.  The Well-Fed Son loved them as-is, but The Well-Fed Daughter said she did not like them.  I suspect if they had been a little sweeter, she may have had a different opinion.

I would never have known if I had not made these popsicles myself that the sweetener used was something other than sugar.  I will definitely be experimenting more with Nectresse in the days and weeks to come.

With Diabetes such a scary and growing epidemic in America, we as a nation desperately need to deal with our addiction to sugar by reducing it in our diet.  I personally prefer to reduce the sugar taste, overall, in my and my family's diet, but when we do have desserts or sweeter foods, I think Nectresse is a perfect solution!

For those of you interested in more facts about Nectresse, you will find this very brief video by Lisa Ling informative:

Lisa Ling has also said this about Nectresse:

I love it so much that I bring it everywhere I go.  If you were to look inside my carry-on, you would find packets of Nectresse Sweetener!

Some more fun facts about Nectresse Sweetener:

• Nectresse comes from the maker of Splenda Sweeteners.

• Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener is 150 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in cooking and baking to add natural, zero calorie per serving sweetness to your favorite beverages and a delicious variety of foods.

• Nectresse Sweetener is available in both convenient single-serve packets (40 servings) and easy to hold canisters (140 servings) with a multi-purpose lid for sprinkling, pouring or spooning.

• Nectresse Sweetener is available now in grocery stores, drug stores, supercenters and online for suggested retail prices of $3.99 (packets) and $6.99 (canisters).

• For recipes, samples and more information on Nectresse, visit www.Nectresse.com.  Click this link: FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener to try it for yourself!

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More great info: Foodie Friday

Wordless Wednesday Foodie Edition ~ 9+ Peach Recipes (& more) In Celebration of National Peach Month

{Note: For words, please click image}

 

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More great ideas: The Mommy Club, Works for Me Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesday

Recipes for Food from Our Princess Birthday "Tea" Party ~ From an Imperfect Party Planner!

The Well-Fed Daughter turned 2 this week!  Poor thing... she ran a fever and felt horrible most of the day.  :(  But thankfully, we had decided to celebrate last weekend.

I was surprised at her request for a princess party... at 2?!  I was thinking more along the lines of Hello Kitty, like her cousin had for her 2-year birthday party last year, fully expecting a princess party a few years down the road.  But since her older brother has been to two princess birthday parties for classmates during the year, I guess I should not have been too surprised.

She got to be "Princess for a Day".  I bought her some bubble bath, which I introduced her to a few days before the party day.  She kept lifting her hands and feet out of the tub and looking at the bubbles, as if to say, "Why is there still soap in my tub?"  On the day of her party, she wanted nothing to do with the bubble bath!  Her aunt is an esthetician, so she gave her her first manicure/pedicure.  She wasn't too sure about that either.  My mom and dad helped hold her and keep her hands and feet still while the polish dried.  Family came to celebrate with her after her nap.

While making plans for the party, I thought it would be fun to have tea party type foods, but since she's so young, with punch instead of tea!  Here's what we served:

1 - Berry Canapes, which we served during our Feast of the Ages recipe series.  You will find the post with the recipe for Berry Canapes here.  They were a favorite among party guests.

2 - Veggie stick cups with dip in the bottom.  I had pinned this idea sometime in the past on Pinterest.  You can see the pin with the original idea here.  I loved this idea and it worked much better, I thought, for serving dip.  Here is another great idea if you'd prefer to serve  with the even prettier presentation of baguette-cups instead:

Source: annies-eats.com via TheChef/TheLuckyWife on Pinterest

3 - Fruit salsa served with Apple Cinnamon Mini Rice Cakes.  We used this fruit salsa recipe from Taste of Home but substituted watermelon for the strawberries.  I wanted more of a pinkish color and thought watermelon would be better for that.  I'm really not sure it was, but it was tasty anyway.  A couple people commented that they aren't really fans of watermelon on its own but they liked the salsa.  I love strawberries so I'm sure we'll be trying the recipe in its original form sometime.

4- Cherry "Confetti" Punch

Ingredients:

• Equal parts Ginger Ale and Cherry 7-Up
• Vanilla ice cream
• Maraschino cherries, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Pour Ginger Ale and Cherry 7-Up into punch bowl and stir.
2. Add 4-5 scoops of ice cream.  Taste and add more equal parts soda or ice cream to adjust flavor if desired.
3. Sprinkle cherries over ice cream.  Serve immediately.

[Note: I used the cherries for a confetti look.  They were really too heavy and sank to the bottom of the punch bowl once the ice cream mixed into the punch.  I would try some sprinkles next time, but I am not sure how long they would last before dissolving into the punch.  If anyone knows of another way to create a confetti look on top of the punch, please let me know in the comments!]

5 - Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes.  Our children's favorite cake is our Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  The Chef made it a couple of weeks prior to the birthday party, and they kept requesting more of it, so we figured we'd go unconventional with her birthday cake. The Chef used the same recipe as the cake but used cooking spray before putting the batter into the cupcake pan.

I used the free printable princess cupcake toppers I found here.

6 - Egg Salad Sandwiches. 

The Chef's recipe for Egg Salad:

Ingredients:

• 6-8 eggs, boiled
• mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel eggs and mash with a fork until eggs are crumbled into small pieces.
2. Add mayonnaise a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached (some people like a creamier consistency; we prefer less mayonnaise).  After each tablespoon of mayonnaise is added, stir it into the eggs until well incorporated.
3. Add mustard and salt and stir together.

(Note: May wish also to add some pickle relish.  Some like this flavor in their egg salad, although, The Chef does not.)

While looking at our pictures, I realized that the cupcake toppers and princess plates do not "coordinate" whatsoever!  I'm sure those who like everything to match perfectly notice I did not use princess theme throughout all of the decorations, per se.  That was completely on purpose.  I didn't really want the princess "theme" everywhere, so I decided to do a coordinated design rather than 100% matching.

I liked the feminine look of the lace tablecloth rather than the princess themed one and the pretty bold polka dot napkins with coordinating colors rather than the princess themed napkins.  I thought it worked out rather nicely, with the exception of the totally different princess pictures on the cupcakes and the plates!

Oh, well.  She had a great time at her party and I am sure she will not hate me when she grows up and realizes I was not the perfect party planner for her 2nd birthday party.  Who knows... maybe she won't even notice. 

If anything, maybe that imperfect detail will serve as a message that it's okay not to be perfect... I'm learning myself that sometimes there are more important things in life than achieving perfection in every minute detail.  It's a hard lesson for a detail-oriented personality.

Hopefully when she is old enough to care, what she will remember most is the love and memories captured in the pictures from that day. 

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Easy Crockpot Recipe: Cashew Butter Chicken ~ Crockpot Sunday

There are crockpot recipes, which are easy and convenient, and then there are easy crockpot recipes, which are "no-brainer" easy and convenient.

The difference, as we see it, is that all crockpot recipes reduce your time in the kitchen, since the crockpot does most of the work for you, but with the easy crockpot recipes, the crockpot does everything but a little prep work for you.  This week's recipe is one of those.

The original recipe, Easy Peanut Butter Chicken, is a crockpot recipe from the blog, A Year of Slow Cooking by Stephanie O'Dea.  We adapted it slightly by using cashew butter instead of peanut butter for several reasons: First, because our daughter is not yet old enough to have peanuts; and secondly, The Lucky Wife has a relatively strong sensitivity to salicylates.  So too much peanut butter for her can equal feeling tired and sluggish.  Not good.  Especially when you're trying to keep up with a toddler and a preschooler.  :)

This was a great recipe.  The Lucky Wife liked it a lot and both The Well-Fed Son and Daughter liked it also.  We will be having it again for sure.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  While it is generally not recommended that children as young as The Well-Fed Daughter (who turns 2-years-old this week!) consume nuts at all, we discussed the possibility of her trying certain nuts sooner than the recommended age.  With our food sensitivities and limitations because of them, we needed some other protein options for her, if possible.  So under the supervision and advice of our Nutritionist, she has been eating some nuts with no problems.

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Food Battles, Superheroes and the Messages Our Children Get from Media Influences

Food battles have to be one of the most unpleasant parenting challenges, especially for foodie parents.  It is an area with which we have struggled off and on with The Well-Fed Son ever since we brought him home. I loved the suggestion in this video I came across while researching this topic:

We actually had already started doing this some with our son, talking to him about how proteins/fats (healthy ones) help your muscles grow big and strong.  We can easily build on this to incorporate some of the other suggestions from the video.

Then not long ago, I read about a study suggesting that using Superheroes might help children make healthier fast food choices.  This was intriguing to me because even though The Well-Fed Son is not yet into Superheroes very much, he talks often about his favorite monster truck and other characters from the DVDs he watches.  I'm sure that if one of those characters set a positive example of healthy eating it would be a message that resonated with him and could very well help in his early understanding of the whys of eating healthy foods.

Clearly, advertisers and producers know that the messages they incorporate into ads, shows and movies can have a powerful influence in the lives of those watching.  Wouldn't it be great if those messages were more positive than not? 

Today, I will be discussing this from a little bit of a different angle on Get Focused Radio with Kate Hennessy.  The show airs from 11:30 to 12:30 EST.  The focus for today's show includes thoughts and opinions about men no longer being allowed to be men. I have stated concerns before about the body image messages girls are getting from media influences.  I have some strong opinions and concerns about the messages about males that seem prevalent on television.

You may be thinking, But you're a food blogger... what exactly does that have to do with food?  Right?  And you are absolutely right.  It really has nothing to do with food, but as our readers may remember we do sometimes blog about other issues.  Sometimes they tie into food and occasionally not.  That's why I created the label, "etc." because life sometimes is about more than food.  I know.  That can be hard for some of us foodies to understand!  ;) So yes, occasionally we venture into some other areas of life experiences that are important to us.

And The Chef and I have had discussions before about our concerns about this focus that many commercials and TV programs began taking at some point (not sure when), where the male is cast as a stupid, buffoon-like character, while the female (when a female role is in the ad) is the smart, responsible one.  Maybe we are wrong, but it just seems to us that more often than not this is found in the commercials.

Here are a few good examples:

This one is one of the Top 10 Worst Male Bashing Ads, a list compiled by Ask Men.

Also one of the top 10 worst male bashing ads, this one comes from the 4FathersandHusbands YouTube channel, which states about 4FathersandHusbands:

FathersAndHusbands.org was founded in 2003 in response to the increasing prevalence of negative representations of fathers, husbands and men in the mass media. Our mission is to redefine the standards by which the value and dignity of fatherhood and the role of the husband are upheld in the media. We seek to achieve this by facilitating the application of business incentives directed at advertising agencies, their holding companies and companies advertising in the mass media.

A statement under the video indicates the ad was pulled by Verizon after a huge protest.  Sounds like FathersAndHusbands.org may have been successful with that one.


Okay, one more, and this one does actually happen to be food-related... :)

So I will admit.... yes, some of them are funny, which I am sure is part of the goal.  But I do not like the underlying message in them.

As a mother in particular, I don't want my children's view of their Daddy being influenced by this message, rather, I want them to see Daddy more as a hero.  He works hard for our family and has many strengths, just as I do as their Mommy, and at their young age they have no way cognitively to apply critical thinking skills to see that these ads should merely be viewed as entertainment and not mold my view of my Daddy.

These are the types of things I will discuss today on the Get Focused Radio program, and I would love for you to join me or listen later from the archives.

 What do you think?  Leave your opinion in the comments.

 

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