Chicken Tortilla, Chicken Tortilla, Chicken Tortilla Soup!

It's D-Feast Friday time!

I admit that some days are just too packed with after school activities.  Yesterday was one of those days.

After working all morning on the computer, my dried-up, blurry eyes couldn't take it anymore.  So, I closed up shop and moved on to the laundry...oh joy.  And in between loads I began preparing, what I call, "real" chicken!  Not from a can (I'm guilty of using canned chicken at times...) and not pre-cooked, pre-packaged.  6 honest-to-goodness breasts of raw chicken, bone-in and everything.  I was feeling almost victorious over the day already.  The chicken was roasting and I gathered the other ingredients for...chicken tortilla soup.

Now, we live in Southern California.  So the first inkling of cool weather is cause for celebration and the return of wonderful, stress-free, crock pot cooking!  It's been cold and cloudy the past few days (okay, low 70s is cold for us!)  The family started suggesting a bunch of our favorites.  Chicken tortilla soup seemed to dominate the conversation the night before.  So...soup was on!

It's soooo simple and soooo delicious.  It's low-fat and filling.  It's great as a leftover the next couple days too!  The whole family has learned to love it as much as I do.  My mantra holds true and this recipe is proof:  "Serve it, and they will eat it."  (Now, it may take a dozen times, but they WILL learn to love it!)

And, although our afternoon turned crazy with all our activities...in fact, we didn't get home until 6:45 pm...at least dinner was ready and waiting for us.  On the way home, everybody asked, "What's for dinner?"

"Chicken tortilla soup," I said.

And the chanting began:  "Chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla soup!...Chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla soup!"

Yes.  They love it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 large jar of chunky salsa
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
1 can corn, drained/rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
32 oz. water
2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked/chopped

Dump all ingredients into crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for longer.  We like to place tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl, scoop over the soup and top with grated cheese.  It's so yummy.

Now, I'm sure you could use different ingredients.  Experiment...and enjoy!

(As for the carb count...we count the chips for C and that's it!  She doesn't get much of the corn or beans in a small bowl.)