Super Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Today was a day of trying to rest some for me and also trying to troubleshoot a computer issue for my mom, so I needed a quick and easy dinner. Since our weather here today definitely falls into the chilly category, I felt like a nice hot and hearty soup would be just the thing. Inspired by my love of the Chicken Tortilla soup from Chick-Fil-A, I grabbed an online recipe that approximated it and gave it a try. It turned out so tasty that I had two bowls! Without further ado...

Super Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can sweet corn, drained
• 1 small can green enchilada sauce 
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can chicken broth
• 2 10oz cans cooked chicken chunks, drained and broken up into smaller pieces
• 1 package taco seasoning mix

Combine cream of chicken soup and chicken broth in a stock pot (or very large sauce pan) and stir over medium high heat until the soup and broth are well mixed together. Add the enchilada sauce and taco seasoning mix to the pot and stir again until the taco seasoning mix is completely incorporated. Open and drain your chicken and shred the chunks with a fork before adding them to the pot (I just did the shredding right in the can to keep from dirtying another dish). Open and drain the black beans, pinto beans, and corn. You can also drain your tomatoes if you like, but I didn't because I got the kind with garlic and onion added and though the liquid would add a nice flavour. Add both beans, corn, and tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium and let simmer for at least a half hour before serving with shredded mexican blend cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it a little bit to suit your taste, health needs, and what you have on hand. If you like it hotter, use the medium or hot enchilada sauce. If you want to have less sodium, use lower sodium broth in place of regular or the lower sodium taco seasoning mix. If you'd rather not use canned corn and you have a bag of frozen on hand, use that. You could also use leftover chicken, beans, or corn from a previous meal.

I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe. It's definitely one we'll be keeping the meal rotation during these colder months.

What kinds of cold weather meals do you like to prepare? Do you have any quick and easy go-to recipes that are always a big hit in your house? 

A Week in the Life - My Daybook Online Journal

I'm going to try something new with regard to keeping track of day to day life. It's called a Daybook. I've seen several bloggers who do this and have yet to be able to find a format that I really like, but I do find the idea of prompts appealing, because it helps you think about things constructively rather than just casting about in your mind for memories of the week.

The main reason I want to do this is because, to quote Jenny at The Littlest Way, "the little things that seem insignificant in the day to day" are important to remember because they "end up being the things of importance in the long run." I want to have a record of the mundanity of life so that when I am old and gray and wondering where all the years went, I can look back and remember and tell my grown children and (hopefully) grandchildren about all the things that made up the fabric of life for me and for my family. Another reason I want to do this is to follow through with a goal (#oneword365 -- follow) to write a little each day in 2015 (#oneword365 -- write).

As I've said previously, I have always struggled with keeping a journal on a consistent basis despite a desire to record life in this way, but I think with this blog and this more structured way of writing about things, I may have hit on something I can finally do with some consistency. I think I'm going to start with some of Jenny's prompts that she uses for her daybook and I may switch it up as I go.

Next up -- my first entry in my new daybook!

Day Fifteen: Poetry, Music, and Yummies!

Given the intensity of my story and the fact that I've been working on it almost non-stop for two weeks, I've decided to take a break from it for today. Instead, I wanted to share three things with you that are personal but not related to depression. Hope you enjoy!