Bad Mommy and Uninspired Cooking

I'm behind. I'm terribly behind.

So much has happened in the last month – Easter, anniversaries, parties, events. It's overwhelming to think of all I have to say. Almost so overwhelming that I'm avoiding a post.

Fortunately, I've been awful at taking pictures of these things, so I really don't have that many photos to post. I'm starting to think that my phone camera is taking place of my nice DSLR because I always have it handy and because it actually takes really nice photos using the Instagram app. I'm a little Instagram crazy!

I've got a download post in the hopper, but I wanted to go ahead and share a recipe that I made recently and was very impressed with. I'll start by saying that I go through phases of being inspired in the kitchen and well, um, not-so-inspired. Lately, I've been in the not-so-inspired category. When I'm in these phases, meal planning is day to day (not the usual once-a-week, well-planned-out, big trip to the grocery store). I stumbled across a crockpot chicken taco recipe on Pinterest a while back, then found the recipe I used on Tasty Kitchen Blog. This is one of those recipes that is great for uninspired cooking nights when you just want something simple and easy, or for busy folks, or folks that work and don't have a lot of time for weeknight meal prep, or folks that just simply don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. The best part of this recipe is that most families will get not one, but two easy meals out of this recipe!

Oh, and let me apologize for no photos in this post {I told you I was bad at taking pictures recently}.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos {With Leftovers for Tortilla Soup}
Courtesy Tasty Kitchen Blog

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa (16 oz)

Dump all ingredients into a crockpot, stir and cook on high for 4 hours. The best part is the chicken can even still be frozen, no need to thaw! Stir periodically. Once the chicken shreds easily with a fork, it is done. Shred the chicken and return to the sauce. Serve with tortillas, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Add guacamole, refried beans and Spanish rice on the side.

Once you eat that deliciousness up. Save the leftover chicken in a sealable container in the freezer. When you are ready for another easy meal, pull leftover chicken out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge or defrost in your microwave. I veered a little from the Tasty Kitchen recipe on the soup because I didn't have cilantro or lime {but would like to try adding these to it} and because I like a bit thicker, creamier tortilla soup {see below for my version}.

Tortilla Soup

Based on Tasty Kitchen Blog recipe

Leftover shredded chicken from above {approx. 1 cup or more if you have it}

1 32 oz. box of chicken broth

1 can of mild Rotel (I subbed Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, because it was what I had on hand and because I have little ones that don't like too much kick)

1 can of corn

1 can of cream of chicken soup {adds just a bit of creaminess to the soup and helps thicken it up}

tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

green onions (if you have them)

Dump first five ingredients in the pot and heat over med-high heat while stirring. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions and tortilla chips and serve!

Since the crockpot chicken does take 4 hours, it's definitely not a last minute meal idea, however the soup is a good last minute idea. And the prep time on both meals is minutes.

Easy meals, no blogging...I don't know what is up with this mommy. A year and a half into this stay-at-home mom thing and I'm already falling off the wagon. Next I'll be eating bon bons and watching daytime television. Everyone needs a break from time to time, right? Well, better run for now and at least go get some housework accomplished!