Choosy Moms Choose....

....Jiff? Is that what you were thinking? Well, the popular commercial does end that way, but since I am allergic to peanuts and have no expertise on peanut butter this post is definitely not about choosy moms choosing Jiff. It is about:

Choosy Moms Choosing: healthy, easy, delicious recipes and great exercise choices. If you're like me, you're not just only a choosy mom,

But a:

Busy mom, Working woman, Wife, College Student, or maybe every single one of those fits you! I know busy mom, working woman, and wife describes my category. So how do I have time eat clean, healthy recipes while eliminating processed foods and find time to work out?

I use easy recipes like the one below. Don't think I'm wonder woman or have excessive amounts of energy. Believe I don't! I try to find ways to make my life EASIER while at the same time still healthy. I have to be able to have dinner prepare/ cooked, house cleaned, workout in, daily devotions done, baby played with, napped, and ready for daycare, and get myself ready all before I leave for work at 12:15 Mon-Thurs. Once I walk out that door, I typically won't be back until about 7pm. So if I want my family to eat healthy, nutritious foods, its up to me to do the leg work.

Yummy vegetables lining the bottom!

Here is one recipe I tried today that I loved for its simplicity, tastiness, and adaptability!

Chicken Tortilla Soup:
adapted from: jonandjenmiller.blogspot.com

What You Need:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cans unsalted diced tomatoes (fresh)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 white beans or great northerns
10-15 Brussels sprouts, stemmed and chopped in half
1-2 handfuls of spinach, shredded 
1 onion, chopped
2 cans low-sodium, 99% fat free chicken broth
1-2 cups water
4 Tbsp Taco Seasoning(Costco has a great mix!)
OR
1 Tbsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp chile powder, 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 1 Tbsp dried cilantro


Toasted flour tortillas or tortilla chips
sour cream
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

What to Do:

Put chopped onion, Brussels sprouts, spinach, cans of beans, tomato, chicken broth, water, and spices in Crock Pot and stir to mix. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they're at least partly submerged in liquid. Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken in the Crock Pot. Stir to combine everything.

 If using toasted tortillas, put one toasted tortilla in the bottom of a bowl and spoon soup on top. If using tortilla chips, put soup in bowl and a few tortilla chips on top. Top either bowl with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Tupperware for lunches; little baggies inside freezer baggy for individual servings!

Just a few reasons this recipe is amazing:
You can sneak extra veggies: the original recipe mentioned nothing of Brussels sprouts and spinach, but I wanted my veggies cooked in all at once and you can't even taste them (in case you have a picky eater)!
I took out the corn because I'm allergic to it and because I did not think an extra starch/ carb was necessary. This recipe could easily be adapted for vegetarians/ vegans by adding the corn back in, taking out the chicken, swapping the broth for chicken broth, and adding extra veggies like chopped carrots, zucchini, or yellow squash.
This makes A LOT of food so I kept some in the fridge for lunch tomorrow and put the rest in individual serving size freezer bags to be kept for a quick lunch or dinner. I love to freeze things for busy days. This ensures that my family will still eat healthy, delicious, wholesome meals and still get variety day to day.

FYI: the hubby said, "Wow Babe, this dinner is legit!"

I'll take that as a job well done!