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Super Easy, Really Tasty Tortilla Soup

When I put it out there to the Facebook world that I was looking for a tortilla soup recipe, I wasn’t sure what kind of response I would get. First of all…thank you to everyone who sent me their recipes! Secondly…holy moly there are lots of different ways to make tortilla soup! I decided to take bits and pieces from different recipes and make one up myself. Daring, I know. Since this was a new kind of adventure, I thought I’d share it with you, no matter how it turned out.

Tortilla Soup
Yields: 6 servings
Total Time: approx. 1/2 hour, start to finish

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cooked
6 Corn Tortillas
2 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1-1/2 Cups Salsa
1/4 Cup Sour Cream

Serve With:
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 Degrees. Take 2 of the tortillas and slice them in thin strips, place on a baking stone or cookie sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, checking and tossing again and salting if desired halfway through.

While you’re at it, chop up the remaining 4 tortillas into bite size pieces, set aside.

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, sauté the chicken on medium heat in a little bit of olive oil.

(I did this mostly to break up the chicken)

Add the chicken broth, black beans corn and tortilla pieces. Stir well.

In a food processor, or a blender if you’re lazy like me, combine the salsa and sour cream.

Add it to your soup. Stir well.

At this point, you may wish to season it with different spices. I used some red pepper flakes and a touch of salt.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Dish it up and top with the crispy tortilla strips.

I also served it up with some shredded cheese, sour cream and sliced avocado along with a nice, big salad.

I got so caught up in my excitement to eat it that I forgot to take a photo of the soup all dished up and topped with cheese and sour cream.

Andy really enjoyed the soup (WIN!) and you know it’s good when he goes back for a second HUGE bowl AND takes some for lunch the next day. My husband? Not a leftover guy.

And for the double win? One serving of this soup, including cheese and sour cream on top was only 350 calories!

Things I will try next time: chopped onion sauteed with the chicken. And maybe some garlic, because really, garlic makes nearly everything better.

WW: Uncle Love

Here’s to a new week!

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Well, I forgot to weigh myself at the gym last Friday, so I have no “weight update”. What I do have is an “I ate well all week and I worked out really hard on Tuesday could hardly walk for the next two, rocked it at the gym on Friday then ate like crap all weekend” update.

The week went great. I ate well, drank lots of water, less coffee. Took a new class on Tuesday that totally kicked my butt in the best way possible. It was a good kind of hurt that I experienced for the nest 2 days, not the “I feel like I just gave birth” kind of hurt that the spin class had me feeling. But, after that, I seriously could hardly walk, so the new plan is to to my own work out on Monday, Power class on Tuesday, then cardio and Centergy class on Friday.

I thought I was eating pretty well through the weekend until I logged into myfitnesspal on Saturday night to log my calories for the day and I about fainted when I saw just how many calories made up the Oriental Chicken Salad from Applebee’s. Ho-ly crap people, having that many calories in a SALAD should be illegal…and I only ate half of it. (I shared the other half with the lovely Miss Julia) I’m not kidding, my eyes bugged out of my head when I typed in “.5” of the 1 salad serving and it came back that I had consumed 635 calories. Six-hundred-and-thrty-five. On a half of a salad. That means if I would have eaten the entire thing, that would have been the only thing I could have eaten all day.

Add that to the fact that Rylee and I had an ice cream treat after our hot dog and french fry dinner (for the win…not) and you’ve got a recipe for holy-crap-I need to do some yoga and run around the house for 15 minutes to burn some of this crap off. And yes, that’s what I did. I ran laps in my living room…Ry thought it was hilarious. Oh, and now that I think of it, when I was at my brother’s competition on Saturday I walked up and down the stairs like 6 times because Ry had to “go potty”…only she was kidding. That should count for something, right?

At least Sunday it was nice enough outside that we spent nearly the entire afternoon exploring and digging and chasing. I drank lots of water. Then I ended the weekend with a healthy dinner of roasted chicken, a small portion of mashed red potatoes and lite Ceasar salad. Oh yea…and another bowl of ice cream. FAIL.

So yea…here’s to a new week!

Let’s Talk About Modesty

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Or lack there of perhaps?

No worries, I’m not here to judge. If you run around naked, that’s your gig. This is merely my observations regarding the subject.

As I’ve been to the gym more frequently, I’ve been thinking more and more about it.

What makes someone modest? Or not?

In no way do I consider myself an ultra-conservative modest person. When in the ladies locker room at the gym, I don’t feel the need to use one of the changing stalls to change in and out of my workout clothes/prep for my shower, but at the same time, I don’t go walking around the locker room completely free-ballin’ sans towel. {And yes, I know women can’t “free ball” but you know what I mean}

I haven’t always been this way. Before I had Rylee I was super modest. I was a member at a different gym just after Andy and I were married and I always remember thinking how I couldn’t believe all these women just walked around buck-ass nekked like it was nothing. Most of the time I wouldn’t even change at the gym. And if I did, I most definitely would not shower.

Andy and I would have long conversations about it too. He thought I was dumb for even caring. “The women aren’t there to stare at your boobies, you know.” But I just couldn’t shake it. It made me super squeamish. Even talking about it did.

He never had any problem changing or showering at the gym. Or even sitting in the steam room with nothing but a towel on. {I still can’t work myself up to do that.} He grew up going to the gym, so it was no big thing. He was taught it was no big deal and he could be comfortable in his own skin.

I’m sure that’s where it all stems from. I wasn’t raised in an environment where I even knew what “not modest” was. I remember in the 6th grade being terrified because we had to {GASP!} dress down for PE.

Here’s where this all comes together…I need to foster an attitude of comfort and freedom and pride for who she is for my daughter. I don’t want Rylee to have to wait until she bears a child to be comfortable in her own skin. I don’t want Rylee to ever be embarrassed or shy or whatever about something as trivial as having to change her clothes in front of people. {When appropriate, of course. I for sure don’t want a streaker on my hands.}

Although, even if she does go and join some nudist colony someday, I’m sure I’ll love her just the same.

Fashion Police Friday – January 28, 2011

Somewhere In The Middle

Mostly Average Accounts of the World's Okayest Mom.