With the start of the New Year and the snow falling steadily down, I’m beginning the hunt for some healthy recipes that my family will enjoy eating and will fill us up, but won’t be loaded down in calories. I finagled with a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup and enjoyed this deliciousness as I prepared for New Year’s Eve festivities.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Chicken preparation
- 1 whole roaster chicken
- 1 cup water
- Spices (based on taste, I limit the salt)
Remove the innards. Place chicken and spices in crockpot. Cover in one cup of water. Cook on low for eight hours. When done, remove chicken, toss out bones and skin. Strain broth and set to the side. This is a very simple way to fill up your freezer with basic chicken for other recipes and broth to use later as well. If I find a great sale on whole chicken, I stock up and use this as the base for a variety of other recipes.
Soup preparation
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced small
- 1 Tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 small jar of mild salsa (we like ours smoother rather than chunky)
- ½ packet of fajita seasoning mix (I use cumin and a variety of other spices like garlic)
- Chicken and broth from crockpot
- ½ bag of frozen roasted corn (We use Trader Joe’s variety)
To garnish:
- Chips, light sour cream, cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese
Saute onion and carrots until onions are translucent in olive oil in a soup pot. Add chicken broth, spices, and jar of salsa. Bring to a boil. Add corn and shred chicken into soup. Let simmer for about 30 minutes and you’re ready to serve. You also can transfer to a crockpot on warm to have ready for dinner in a few hours.
We like to top ours with the garnishes above. Provided that you measure the proper serving sizes of garnishes, you have a low-calorie, delicious tasting soup for those cold weather days. I also recommend adding a variety of beans, such as black or cannellini, to add fiber. I didn’t have any on hand, but plan to add them when I defrost the soups I stored this weekend.
What’s your favorite cold weather soup? Is there a light version? If you are looking to slim down a recipe that you currently use, check Pinterest for some low-calorie versions of your favorites. See more great ideas on our boards over at Chicago Parent’s Pinterest page.
