Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili w/ Homemade Cheesy Mexican Cornbread... YUM!

So it's a cold, rainy 68 degree weather day here in the Carolinas. I wanted to come up with a nice, savory-comforting type of meal for my family and this is what I came up with... My Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili :-). I looked in my freezer and grabbed 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, frozen corn and other ingredients and created this finger licking recipe! Give it a try!

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can of chili beans
• ½ to 3/4 cup of Green/ Red/ Yellow Peppers, chopped
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 ½ cups of frozen corn kernels
• 1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (depending on the size of the can)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Dash of salt, black pepper or cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup of water

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, green/red/yellow peppers, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, water and taco seasoning in a crockpot and stir. Slice chicken breasts in half, season with salt & pepper and brown them with olive oil in a skillet. Place chicken on top of mixture in the crock pot and cover. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. One hour before serving, remove chicken and shred with a fork. Place the shredded chicken back into the crockpot, stir and allow it to cook for the final hour. Serve it plain or over rice, topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro or crunchy tortilla chips. ENJOY! 

You can find a similar recipe on Skinny Taste (click on the word skinny taste to find that recipe)... I assure you, mine will taste much better :-)

Cheesy Mexican Cornbread
This recipe can be as simple or as complex as you'd like it to be... If you'd like to make the quick & simple version, use the recipe below:

• 1 package of corn muffin mix (Jiffy or whatever you'd like)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of milk or Mexican Crema
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chili's
• 1/2 cup of Mexican cheese blend
• Jalapeno Peppers for some "kick"(optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease/butter your dish (I use a glass pie dish), blend all of your ingredients, poor into pan, top it with a little more Mexican cheese blend, bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

For the more time consuming version, I use the made from scratch recipe that can be found on the outside of your yellow cornmeal packaging. Prepare it per the directions and add in your tomatoes, chili's, jalapeno's and cheese.... ENJOY!

Lot's to share... School Pics, Lunch Date, Fitness and Food!!!

Hi All!  I've been super busy as usual but life is good and I am totally blessed!  The kids are still in full swing with soccer and football throughout this month.  November will be a tournament month and a close to another season for them.  Next up.... basketball for all 3 kiddos!  Should be REALLY good!  Stay tuned for that.  Sooooo, my super wonderful kiddos had their school pics taken a few weeks ago and I recently received their proofs!  I was immediately surprised when I clicked on the link and viewed their pics.  I fell in loooooove with them!  All I could do was oooooooh and ahhhhhhh when I saw their smiling faces.  They are growing up before my eyes.  We may actually order some pics this year.  Normally we skip that process due to being unsatisfied with the quality but this year it's a different story :-).  Take a look...

 

(Left to Right... Baby girl~Kindergarten, My eldest daughter~3rd Grade, My Son~5th Grade)

 

Sooooo, on a fitness level i'm continuing with Insanity!!! I'm currently on day 9 and i'm breezing my way through it!  This time around it's much easier and not much of a challenge.  I have to make sure that I just stick with it and push myself as much as possible in order to get a quality calorie burn with good results. I am making sure I get in some extra cardio both on my treadmill and outdoors with a variety of activities. I am also maintaining my current strength building regimen.  I lift weights at least 2x's a week (upper body and lower body) and I try to do a walk/jog combo at least 3x's a week.  So far, so good!

 

 

Hubby has been fortunate to be home/in the country for the past several weeks.  We've been making the most of it by finding time to spend quality time together whenever possible.  We do quite a few lunch dates (while the kids are in school) and find that it's the best way to fulfill our need to get out and about and have adult time :-).  Yesterday, we were able to see a movie (Taken 2) and indulge in a delicious lunch with dessert to top it off.  Take a look at our yummy dessert....

 

 

Hot fudge, molten lava sundae with vanilla ice cream, caramel, nuts and whipped cream!!  I only ate a few spoonfuls but it was simply DELICIOUS!!!!

 

Ok, lastly i'd like to share a pic of my delicious crockpot spicy 3 bean turkey chili!!!  I served it over white rice with a side of my homemade cheesy mexican cornbread.  The chili simmered in my crockpot for 5 hours and it was here waiting on us as soon as we got back home from a chilly soccr practice.  The kids had turkey chili dogs and thanked me over and over for making this chili.  It's always a hit and we always have left overs to enjoy the next day. 

 

 

I don't have an exact recipe or measurements for my chili or cornbread BUT here's what's in it...  its lengthy but simple. I basically browned my turkey in a separate pan and threw it in the crockpot with crushed and whole tomatoes, sauce, chili powder (you can also use a chili package by McCormick and add whatever else you'd like), onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, green chili's, a little sugar (to take away some heat) and whatever else I had in my spice cabinet.... added a little water, stirred it .... added in corn (frozen), washed and cooked black beans, pinto beans, chili beans (u can use kidney beans too)... canned beans work just fine if your pressed for time or frozen beans. I put a lid on it and left it alone. Made my rice and homemade cornbread (1 egg, cornmeal (about 1 1/2 cups), diced green chili's, tomatoes and onions, a pinch of salt and sugar, oil and 2% milk (1 cup), a handful of shredded low fat cheese both in the mixture and on top).. baked at 425 for 15-20 minutes and that was it. I may have left out something but u get what I'm saying. Have fun with it and make it your own :-)