Chicken Tortilla Soup

So another healthy recipe. I've made Mexican food a lot this week. I think it's healthy because the spices give it the flavor. This soup was good, but I wasn't full afterwards. I desperately wanted to make brownies! So much for cooking healthy! I haven't made it to the kitchen to make them yet. I might make it through the night without them...MIGHT! This soup was a little bland. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that I used cumin seeds instead of ground cumin.

This recipe was in the section of the cookbook titled "Relax while it cooks." This couldn't have been further from the truth for me tonight! I'm not saying that it will be for you though! First, it took me forever to chop my veggies! My food chopper wasn't cooperating and I reverted back to my trusty old knife and cutting board! Then, I realized I didn't have any chicken broth! Ugh! I always make my grocery list off of my menu for the week and somehow I missed this one! Luckily, Charlie worked from home today and he ran to Harris Teeter for me! Then...I was misreading the recipe. I thought she said to use a crock pot, which I thought was strange...and my chicken wasn't cooking in the 4 minutes it was supposed to. So 2 1/2 hours later we ate! At least I got some cleaning done during that 2 1/2 hours. AND! As I type this recipe I realize that this was supposed to have cheese in it! How did I miss that as well! I think I need to go to bed...obviously my brain isn't working today!

Charlie and I both put the cheese on our soup for lunch leftovers and found it much better!

My healthy tip I learned this time...when cooking veggies cook them in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray instead of oil. It worked wonders and saved calories!

Here's the breakdown on the healthy aspects of this recipe:

• Bake the tortillas instead of frying them


• Using reduced fat cheese, and less of it


• Eliminating the oil for cooking veggies

Calories before...402
after...275

Fat before...20
after...4

Per serving...serves 6


Chicken Tortilla Soup
Source: More Healthy Homestyle Cooking

6 corn tortillas (6" diameter)
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 C fat-free chicken broth
10 oz frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 tomatoes, chopped (we only used 1)
6 T shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Cut the tortillas in half and then in short strips. Lay in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Coat a large pot with nonstick spray and warm over medium-low heat. Add the chicken, peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes or the chicken isn't pink. Add the broth, corn and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Place a layer of tomatoes in a bowl. Scatter tortilla strips on top. Ladle the soup on top. Top with more tortilla strips and cheese.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

I get lots of emails with recipes from various sources. I usually skim them, look for something I would make, and either delete or star them for later. This one popped up from Betty Crocker around the new year when Charlie was asking me when I was going to start cooking healthy. We've had this conversation so many times in our marriage and we've only been married 6 months! :) But this week, I've really tried to pick things that are healthy. The first thing that caught my eye on this recipe was "healthified." So technically, they've taken something that isn't usually healthy and made some substitutions to make it healthier! YAY! That's my kind of recipe! This made a lot and was more than enough for dinner, lunches tomorrow, and at least one more night's dinner. We both really liked it too!

Mexican Pasta Skillet

Source: Betty Crocker

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar (16 oz) salsa

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 1/2 C water

2 C uncooked elbow macaroni

1 C frozen corn (I used 1 1/2 C)

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

Brown the ground beef. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and corn. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and let the cheese melt 1-2 minutes.

***According to Betty, there are 6 servings at 370 calories each.

Beef Taco Bake

I made this awhile back and was surprised that I didn't already have it on the blog! We've made it both ways, with flour and corn tortillas. The first time was with flour. We thought it needed more crunch. Although, it was so long in between the two times I've made it, it's too hard to compare! So you tell me which you like better!

Beef Taco Bake

Source: Real Mom Kitchen

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10 oz) Tomato Soup

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

1 C salsa

1/2 C milk

6 flour tortillas or 8 corn, cut into 1" strips

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the meat until browned and drain the fat. Add the soup, seasoning, salsa, milk, tortillas, and half the cheese. Spoon into a baking dish. Cover.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Enchiladas

This is one of those recipes I've been eating all my life! So I'm going to make my mom the source! She made these growing up and they are delicious! We have a few recipes in our family that our from my mom making them and all her children know how to make them and DO! We love them...one day I will post her pasta salad! Okay, so I don't have a recipe for this one, it's just one I know how to make. So bare with me as I try to give you measurements and such. And mom, chime in if I've messed something up!

Also, I remember my brother not liking these when we were kids and she reserved some of the meat and made him a taco. So, if you're kids don't like it there's an option!

Enchiladas
Source: Mom

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can Enchilada Sauce (probably small, but I always buy the larger one because I can't remember and then don't need it all!)
Shredded Cheese - Cheddar, Taco, whatever you prefer. (you probably need half a bag, but maybe a whole bag)
Soft Tortillas -about 8

Brown the ground beef and drain the fat. Mix in the taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water. (Like you are making taco meat). Pour some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Enough to coat the bottom. Pour a little enchilada sauce on a tortilla. Add a scoop of meat. Top with cheese. Fold the ends of the tortilla in and roll the rest up. Lay in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Continue until you are out of meat. Pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with cheese. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes (or so)!

Mexican Rice Casserole

My husband LOVES rice! I could feed him rice for dinner every night and he would be happy. In fact, before we were married I think he ate rice every night. Needless to say, when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it for him. This recipe makes a ton! You could probably half it, although I would just half the rice and the tomato sauce. I would keep the meat the same. This would also be great to take to a potluck because it is good, easy, and makes so much! This picture isn't the greatest! I definitely don't have my sister's photography talents, BUT I hate a recipe without a picture...so here you go!

Mexican Rice Casserole
Source: $5 Dinners

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
2 cups of rice
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or enough to cover the top of the casserole)

Cook rice according to package directions. Brown meat and drain off fat. Add taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water. Stir in tomato sauce. Combine rice and meat sauce in a large casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake in oven at 350° for 10-15 minutes.