Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

We have one more family Christmas to attend, but thus far it's been an amazing holiday with the little man (pictures to come). And all.the.food. Oofta. I'm relatively certain no one in the family wants to worry about the next few dinners. That's where this dandy soup comes in. The best part is there's little work involved in this, and the crock pot is clutch yet again.

I've made soups before, just never chicken noodle. I'm scolding myself for waiting so long to make a batch. Chicken noodle soup is ridiculously easy, and tastes a zillion times better than anything you'll ever find in a can at the store. 

After a bite or two Scott even proclaimed the soup was "really good." This is epic, considering Scott really isn't a soup guy. I had to ask two more times throughout the night if he really like the soup, and he confirmed each time that it was good stuff. Wheeee! 

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2 large cartons of low sodium chicken broth 

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size cubes

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped into bite size pieces

1 12/ cups celery, chopped into bite size pieces

1 large bay leaf (or 2 small leafs)

1 Tbsp poultry seasoning (All purpose seasoning also works well)

Garlic powder, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

A bag of dry pasta noodles - if you're super fancy you can make your own; I choose campanelle noodles and they rocked my face off

Slow Cooker liner - for easy clean up!!

In a medium sized skillet cook chicken with garlic powder and pepper. 

Line slow cooker with slow cooker liner.

Pour both cartons of broth into slow cooker.

Add chopped carrots, celery, chicken, poultry seasoning, and bay leaf to broth.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours. (If you're like me and you like your veggies just a bit crunchy 3 hours on high or 7 hours on low should do the trick.)

20-30 minutes prior to serving add noodles to broth mix. Cook until noodles are tender.

Each spoonful was heaping with noodles, and chicken, and veggies. Every bite was so satisfying. I was a little bummed I was so full after one bowl full. 

How many times have you done this with canned soup?

This will leave you with tons of leftovers, which is equally as awesome as the first piping hot bowl devoured. The broth will be soaked up by the noodles overnight, which will leave you with more of a chicken and noodles dish rather than a soup, but trust me when I say that's just as delicious as the soup. 

Enjoy!

Source: Inspired by Crunchy Frugalista

Corn Chicken Chowder

It's been cool around these parts and I'm loving it. I think it is safe to say the summer clothes have finally taken a back seat to all those cute fall and winter clothes that have patiently been waiting their turn.

With the change of season and clothes comes a slight change of dinner menu items. My slow cooker will be making more of an appearance (can I get a hallelujah for the slow cooker?!), and soups will be added back into our evening rotation.

Last night it was rainy, our tree was up and lit, and nothing could cap the night better than a piping hot bowl of creamy soup.

Before we go to much further with this I feel I need to give a bit of a heads up. This soup, in the slow cooker, takes a good 8 hours on high. You'll want to make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go in the morning if you want this ready by dinnertime. But, it's worth it, so, so, so worth it.

Corn Chicken Chowder

6-8 potatoes peeled and diced (I used 9, as my potatoes were on the smaller side)
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kernel corn
3-4 chicken breast
1 cup diced onion
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
2 cups half and half

Place potatoes, both cans of corn, onions, chicken broth, and chicken breast in slow cooker.
-- I placed my partially thawed chicken breast on top. 30 minutes prior to serving I shredded the chicken breast and placed them back in the slow cooker.
-- If you like your chowder more soupy do not drain the whole kernel corn. If you like your chowder a bit creamier drain the whole kernel corn prior to putting it in your slow cooker.
Cook on high for 7-8 hours.

Shred chicken, and add back to chowder.
Add butter and half and half.
Mash potatoes to your desired consistency.
-- I simply used a wooden spoon to mash the potatoes against the side of the slow cooker.
Cook for an additional 30 minutes, on high.

The smell that permeated through my house all afternoon as this was cooking was almost too much. Because I didn't start my slow cooker until almost noon we had to wait until after the little man was in bed to eat. Torture.

This dish was the epitome of comfort food, and a hit in our house that will surely be repeated several times during these cooler winter months.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from The Crockin' Girls

Chicken Posole Verde

Lately the little man goes down for an evening nap around 5:00ish. I get about 30 minutes to myself to scramble and prep and make dinner. Thirty minutes people, that's not much time. Good thing I did a little leg work before stressing scrambling making dinner.

If you've never used a rotisserie chicken to help cut your prep time down let me suggest you do so. This was my first time using the nifty short cut. I'll be more than happy the shell out the $7.00 again to save myself some time.

Chicken Posole Verde (pronounced po-SO-lay)

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can white hominy, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 can medium green enchilada sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (I have no idea what Mexican oregano is, and I have plenty of good ol' regular oregano that worked swell)
2 cup diced cooked chicken (I just used the whole rotisserie)
1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage (not big cabbage eaters in this house, so I omitted it)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime

Add oil and pressed garlic to a large skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown and fragrant.
Meanwhile, drain hominy.
Immediately add broth, enchilada sauce, water, oregano and hominy to skillet; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer for 8 minutes.
As hominy mixture comes to a boil, dice chicken.
Add chicken to skillet; simmer until heated through.
As posole simmers, thinly slice cabbage (which I didn't do) and chop cilantro. Slice lime into wedges.
To serve, divide posole among serving bowls; top with cabbage.
Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

This one-skillet wonder was action packed with flavor. Scott thought it was reminiscent of a white chicken chili, which is always a hit in our house.

Total prep and cook time, and I went ahead and washed a few baby bottles while I had the chance, was 30 minutes.

And, let's not forget the nutrition content:
Yields 4 servings
Calories - 290
Fat - 11g
Carbs - 22g
Fiber - 5g
Protein - 23g

Dig in and enjoy!

Source: The Pampered Chef; 29 Minutes to Dinner, From Everyday to Gourmet

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili - A Freezer Meal

White Chicken "Chili" may not be the best way to describe this soup, which was one of my 10 freezer meals. If it were up to me I would have named it something along the lines of "Chicken and White Bean Soup." That's not to say the soup wasn't good. It was. It's just the name was a bit off. I was expecting something more chili-ish, but my end result was reminiscent of chicken noodle soup (which, thankfully, I happen to be a huge fan).

No matter the name the soup it was good stuff. I'll make it again and I'll slap my label on it rather than the one it originally had.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (aka Chicken and White Bean Soup)

3 chicken breast, thawed
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin (up the amount on this, I couldn't taste it at all)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
2 - 16 oz cans Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 gallon freezer bag
1 sandwich freezer bag
1 crock pot liner

Prep:
In a large mixing bowl combine onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, and salt.
Place chicken in freezer bag, add broth mix in with the chicken. Seal and freeze.
In the sandwich freezer bag place the lime juice.
Seal and freeze with chicken and broth mix.

Meal prep:
Place chicken and broth mix in crock pot.
Rather than dealing with thawing it, I just dumped everything into the crock pot in it's frozen state and let the crock pot thaw and cook it - two bird, one stone.
Cook on low for 7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot and shred. If your chicken is tender enough you can shred it right there in the crock pot.
Return chicken to crock pot.
Stir in beans, corn, and lime juice.
Cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, or until the bean and corn and hot.

Be sure to keep your beans and corn on hand. You don't want to make an emergency trip to the grocery store!

It makes a lot. It tastes good. It just needs to be renamed. :)
Enjoy!

Source: Betty Crocker

Taco Soup - A Freezer Meal

Before we'd put a spoon to our mouths Scott said, "I haven't even had any of this and I know I'm going to like it." A winner before we'd even eaten it - yesssss!

This soup reminded me more of a chili. It was thick, and hearty, and not really "soupy" at all. I'm quite certain this is one of the reasons Scott enjoyed it so much... It was so much like the way he appreciates his chili.

Never mind it wasn't what I'd consider soup, it was good. And, I will be making it again (and I will probably skip the freezing step and make it right away)!

Taco Soup

1 lb ground turkey
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry Ranch dressing
1 small onion, chopped
1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown ground turkey in a large skillet.
Drain fat off turkey, if necessary.
Add all other ingredients with turkey into skillet.
Simmer 1-2 hours.
Allow soup to cool. Freeze.
Set cheddar cheese aside for future use (optional step).

To prep from frozen state:
Thaw soup.
Place in large pot, bring to boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese (optional).
Serve with tortilla chips or tortillas.

This makes enough to feed about 6 hungry mouths. We had left overs... once :)
Enjoy!

Source: Dreaming of Poultry

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup - A Freezer Meal

Before Marcus' arrival I took it upon myself to make a slew of freezer meals so neither Scott nor myself would really have to worry about cooking once we brought our little dude home. Greatest. Idea. Ever. Right now, between the help of my parents, and the freezer meals, Scott and I haven't had to think about dinner -- or who's going to make it. 


Prepping all the meals was fine and dandy, but now the real fun begins... Eating them! 


Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Cooked, shredded chicken      2 cups

Butter                                      4 Tbsp

Onion, chopped                      1 cup

Long grain and wild rice        1 box

Carrots, chopped                    1 cup

Celery, chopped                     1 cup

Flour                                      1/4 cup

Half and half                          1 pint

1 gallon freezer bag


Prep: Cook rice according to package directions. Melt butter in a large pot, add onions and saute.
Add all other ingredients to pot, except flour and half and half. 
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Cook and freeze.


Meal prep: To serve, thaw and add to large sauce pan. 
Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Just before serving whisk together flour and half and half.
Add to soup and heat through until thickened.
* Be sure to set aside and label flour and half and half for this meal!

Instead of thawing and placing the soup in a sauce pan I just threw the frozen soup into he crock pot, set to low, for about 7 hours. After the seven hours I added the whisked flour and half and half. The flour/half and half mix was then poured into the crock pot and stirred. I then left the soup to cook for another half hour, on low. Talk about a hearty meal that will easily serve eight! Source: Dreaming of Poultry