Easy Recipe: Pumpkin Soup

I'll give a brief update before discussing this amazing new recipe! Adjusting to my new work schedule has gone well; however, now when I get home, there's the dinner-bathtime-bedtime rush, leaving little "quality" time to hang out with my precious Z. I feel guilty, but that never goes away, because it's a mom thing. When I cook, I either rely on my crockpot to do the work for me, or I need a recipe that's fast and healthy. I found a winner! This pumpkin soup is perfect for the gorgeous fall weather we've been having. It isn't too pumpkiny for those who don't enjoy the taste of pumpkin, and it certainly isn't sweet like pumpkin pie, but savory instead. My wonderful husband made a fresh baguette (one of the many perks of a French husband!) and it went very well with the soup.

Ingredients

(Note: I doubled the recipe to take some for lunch. Below is the original recipe.)

1-15 ounce can pumpkin
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
1 apple, cut into small cubes
3 pieces turkey bacon
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
bread
butter

In a stock pot, combine the pumpkin, chicken broth, and cream. Cook on medium heat, stirring well for 5 minutes, then simmer. Sauté the apple in a little bit (1/2 tablespoon) of butter until soft. Cook the turkey bacon according to the package directions. 

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle cheese on top of the soup, then place the sautéed apples and crumbled bacon. Serve with bread. Enjoy!

Easy Taco Salad

If you’re like me, you look for healthy recipes that you can make with little cleanup in 15 minutes or less and that everyone will love. Such recipes are pretty hard to come by, until now. My mom has been making this meal for years. In fact, the only time we ever got Doritos when I was growing up was when she made this, so I think that’s partially why I enjoy this meal so much. It’s fast, healthy, easy, and everyone’s happy. How can you get any better than that?

Ingredients

1/2 bag of lettuce

1/2 bag of spinach

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 white onion, diced

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 can of red kidney beans

¼ to ½ cup of lite Italian dressing (to taste)

Doritos

Instructions

Cook the turkey in a skillet until browned. Add the can of beans to the skillet without draining and allow to simmer on low heat. Meanwhile, mix lettuce, spinach, onion, tomato, and avocado. Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and toss. Add the meat and beans without draining the liquid and toss again. Crumble a handful of Doritos over the salad. Serve with Doritos. Enjoy! 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

We painted our kitchen cabinets over the weekend (will post about that soon!) so our house, and especially our kitchen, is a huge mess. I needed a quick and easy dinner idea that involved little cooking and preparation so I could try and get some order restored to the household. This recipe was fast, easy, and best of all, the only prep was throwing everything in my beloved crockpot.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar of salsa, any flavor (I used mild)

2/3 cup of water

Whole wheat tortillas

Taco toppings such as: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, onion, corn, black beans, sour cream, etc.

Put chicken in the crockpot and cover with the salsa and water. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and return to the crockpot. Put meat and toppings in whole wheat tortillas. Enjoy!