Fast & Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

I have been wanting to make soup for months now, and just haven't found the time to do so. So when my friend Amanda introduced me to www.pintrest.com I became inspired to finally make some Delicious soup!

Fast & Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

2 bone in skinless chicken breast (De-boned and skinned - reserve extra pieces in a baggy to make your own chicken stock later)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Chili's
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can of corn
1 onion chopped (I used my Quick Chef Pro to get a fine chop on my onion)
2 Cans of Chicken stock (30 oz of your own homemade stock)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2  Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Lime
1 - 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro

Garnish with:
Avocado Spears
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
Rinse all beans and corn in a colander before placing in crock pot with Diced Tomatoes, Chicken Stock, Water, Onion, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, and Cumin. Stir together to blend flavors.

De-bone, and skin chicken breast (doing it yourself can save a ton of money - plus watch for my Stock recipe to see how you can put these leftovers to great use! Freeze until ready to make stock).

Place chicken breast in crock pot and set on High for 5-7 hours. My chicken was ready in 5.5 hours as I split them in half before placing them in my soup mixture. Use a meat Thermometer to ensure your chicken is fully cooked.

When chicken is cooked, remove from crock pot and shred with two forks. The chicken will be very tender so make it the consistency you will enjoy most! Put the shredded chicken back into the soup mixture and stir together. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes for the chicken or while you prep your Cilantro Lime Sour Cream.

Put sour cream in a serving bowl, and add zest and juice of 1/2 a lime. Add fresh cilantro and mix together.

Garnish to taste! For a creamy soup add 2-3 tablespoons of Cilantro Sour Cream to soup and mix together! This adds a great fresh flavor to your broth.

Freeze uneaten soup in Vent N' Serve Soup mug for lunch later this week. Or in a Vent N' Serve dish for multiple servings and serve with in the next few weeks! This is a soup that is sure to please everyone in the family!

Trade Show Lunch Special

Today I am at an all day RV Supersale selling Tupperware! I am crazy excited for the sale because they organization that put it all together supplied me with a pop-up trailer that I was allowed to stock with Tupperware so guests can see how much space they can save using Tupperware products when camping.

As I set up my booth earlier in the week I saw the Fabulous Fries, Wings, and More food truck that was parked right next to the Corndog/Foot long hotdog food truck (possibly my favorite fair going food). So I decided that I defiantly had to pack myself lunch/snack or I could kiss all of my profits "good bye" and my waste line "hello!"

So, last night I decided to use half the uncooked chicken breast that was left over from our "Date Night Fondue Dinner" and cooked it using my Tupperware Smart Steamer. To be honest I have been a bit skeptical of using my Smart Steamer ever since I overcooked shrimp my first time using it. Being a frugal foodie I hate throwing away food and hated watching all my shrimp get tossed in the garbage. (Even though I knew it was complete operator error in the cooking process). Which made the half chicken breast seem like on ok experiment.

Within 13 minutes I had a perfectly cooked chicken breast - moist and juicy! I let it cool, and went for my Modular Mate that is filled with Ziploc baggy of the left over pasta that has not been cooked yet, and was just too much for us to eat when we originally used it. I grabbed a bag of "O" shaped pasta and put it in my new Pasta Maker. As my chicken cooled my pasta cooked and I cleaned the kitchen.

12 minutes later I strained my pasta "O's" and put them into a serving bowl to cool a bit. While my pasta cooled I cut my chicken into small chunks and threw them in with the pasta. I grabbed a stem of grapes and cut them in half and tossed them in too. I did the same with a few stalks of celery.

Still letting everything cool, I started making my dressing. Not wanting just regular old Miracle Whip in my salad (though I do Love Miracle Whip). I instead used my Whip and Prep and mixed together Hellman’s Mayo, Poppy seed dressing, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. I dumped it all into my pasta salad. I mixed everything together and wala - I had a delicious Waldorf inspired salad. That has kept me away from the Hotdog Truck.

I truly love not throwing away good food, and this salad was a great way to utilize my uneaten food!

Allie's Chicken & Grape Salad
1 - 2 cups uncooked pasta
1/2 - 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup grapes (or as many as you would like)
1 - 2 Stalks Celery

Dressing:
1/2 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Poppy seed dressing
Splash of Apple Cider Vinegar

Using Smart Steamer cook chicken for 11 - 13 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that chicken is thoroughly cooked for safety. Using Tupperware's Pasta Maker make your favorite type of pasta - cook for 12 minutes and strain. Combine all ingredients.

Mix all dressing ingredients together in the Whip and Prep and add to rest of ingredients. I like to make extra dressing to add later or just before I eat my salad as some of the pasta absorbs the dressing prior to getting to eat it.

Stores in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tis the Season for Fruits and Veggies

Unfortunately, the cost of these Delicious and nutritious treats keeps going up, and up! So, how can you keep your produce expenses from breaking the bank?

Keep an eye out for sale prices: look at your local grocery stores advertised price on seasonal produce. Knowing what you want to purchase and how much it will be is easier if you check out the stores advertised price.

Store your produce appropriately: Know the proper way to store each item. I have found that by throwing everything in the crisper at the bottom of my fridge inevitably leads to those items getting thrown out a week later when I replace them with their newer, fresher counterparts. One great way of keeping produce fresher longer is to utilize Tupperware's Fridge Smart products.

Fridge Smarts are designed to keep produce fresher longer by allowing a specific amount of air into the product. There is a guide that allows you to ensure you are using the appropriate amount of air flow for each item you are putting in your system. I have had strawberries last for 12 days. Romaine lettuce 3 weeks! It is a great way to save money by not throwing away your fruits and vegetables before you get the chance to enjoy them!

Through July 8th, 2011 you can get 2 sets of 4 Fridge Smart containers for $72.00 (plus shipping and handling). Find a friend and split the set and enjoy fresh produce all summer long and into the winter!

http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/Tupperware/index.aspx?pagename=shopmain&fsid=20720ed3-e2f1-4cda-b578-0a22914fc690&storeid=1033893&circularid=17469
 All orders called into me by Thursday, July 7th will get a free gift with purchase on me! Just mention my blog posting for the deal!

It's Tea Time! It's Tea Time!

"I'm Late! I'm Late! For a very important date! No time to say 'Hello' Goodbye! I'm Late! I'm Late! I'm Late!"

I would have to say Alice In Wonderland was one of my favorite stories growing up! My favorite party of course was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Who wouldn't want to have tea with such an amazing character! So with my wedding coming up I have decided to host my first Tea Party! It is in honor of the amazing women who are supporting me by being apart of Chris and my big day by being apart of my bridal party.

These girls mean so much to me and have done so much for me, that throwing them a party seemed completely justified! I am blessed to have them in my life and am very excited to spend an evening drinking tea, and eating finger foods!

So, in preparation I am searching for recipes that would be fit for a Queen. As a part of the party I have requested they dress up - giving a spectacular prize to our best dressed winner. I plan on wearing my old Halloween costume that happens to be "The Queen of Cards" - did I mention I love Alice in Wonderland?

The Tea Party was a huge success - I made three kinds of finger sandwiches including: Egg Salad, Ham Salad, and Lemon & Dill Cucumber sandwiches (all Delicious)!

I wanted the atmosphere to be perfect for the occasion so I planned my table scape in advance! While working at a vendor fair I found a garden sculpture that had a tea pot in the middle flower pots, and glass bottles all stacked on top of each other. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and knew I had to have it for the party!

This photo was taken by my friend Rachel

These are the napkin rings I made for the wedding!



You can not have a tea party without tea hats!



      The flower pot on the end was the price for the best dressed tea party attendant! My Sister-in-Law Abby won one of the pots - she had a sun hat that she attached tea bags too! Way too creative! My Cousin Rhonda won the second pot for her homemade flower hat! They were both very deserving of the grand prize! Plus they looked AMAZING!

All in all, I will be hosting another tea party very soon! I absolutely loved it!!!

                                       

The Bride is Back at it!

I am officially home from my honeymoon! Chris and I went to Florida for 10 days! It was absolutely an amazing trip! And, it followed and AMAZING Wedding Day!! We could not have asked to have a better day!

Now, I am recharged and ready to get myself out there again with my Tupperware Business! Having taken a break since May 18th, I am defiantly ready to hit the ground running! And, now that I do not have a wedding to plan, I will be able to post loads more information about Tupperware - and of course loads of new recipes! 

In fact, I have a pile of recipes that I have had in a pile to try out. I never post a recipe before trying it first, so I'm going to be putting on my Tupperware apron - and having at it! This summer my goal is to try at least 2 new recipes a week, and to continue to build my Tupperware Recipe Book!

Our First Easter!

Today Chris and I are hosting our family's Easter Celebration! It will be the first Holiday that we are hosting at our house. This week also marks the 1 year anniversary of us purchasing our first home, and getting Engaged!!

We are very excited to have our family over, and of course it gives me a great reason to try out some new recipes! Today I am making Ranch Deviled Eggs, it is a recipe that I found in Pillsbury's 2008 Annual Recipes.

I am a huge fan of Deviled Eggs and love adding new twists to them! The only thing I hate about making them is peeling off the shells - but who does like that job? I hope the family enjoys the new variation today!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Sewing Lessons + Lots of Ideas = CRAFT ROOM!

This last winter my friend Stacy taught me how to use my sewing machine. A feat I always imagined taking days, even months to learn, and she taught me in one night! Now you may be thinking, "What? A redhead who can't sew?" It is true. As a girl scout my mom (also not a sewer) helped me glue my badges on my vest for the badge ceremony.

So I thought for sure my sewing lesson would not get me very far in the world of sewing. But, after one night and half of an apron later - I was in love! I found a new hobby that I think will help express my creativity!

After a week and a half of working on two projects in my kitchen, my fiance told me he wanted to eat dinner at the kitchen table so I would have to find a new location to work on my new skill. This led me to turning our spare room, which since our move became a "catch all" for all the belongings that we had no home for, into a CRAFT ROOM!

The Craft Room is slowly turning into a room that I will be able to escape and work on my newly acquired sewing skills, and also work on scrapbooking (another hobby that I enjoy). My next task to help me complete my room is to get it painted! Since all the walls in my house are currently white - I look forward to having a bit of fun in this room, and really bringing it to life!