Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have always been a huge fan of quick and easy meals. I threw this Chicken Tortilla Soup together in my Instant Pot and it came out soooo tasty! Here is what I used since it was what I had on hand:

• 1 Can Black Beans

• 1 Can Sweet Corn

• 1 Jar Salsa Verde (I use mild, just personal preference here)

• 1 Cup Chicken Broth

• 1 Onion

• 1 Bell Pepper (I used an orange/red pepper)

• Dash of Garlic Pepper Seasoning

• 3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

After cutting up the onion and bell pepper I threw them in the pot with Olive Oil and set for sauté. After the onions turned translucent I then threw in the chicken broth and the rest of the ingredients. I placed the chicken last and placed it on the soup setting.

My husband loved it and ate it with a corn tortilla at the bottom and both of us used greek yogurt for sour cream and of course the sprinkle of cheese on top. This again was super quick and easy and I was able to do the dishes while it cooked so no mess to clean up afterwards.

This will be one I cook again for sure, especially with fall coming up! I hope you enjoy it!!

Much Love & Light Always!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

I was looking on Pinterest for something to crush my sweet tooth craving and would help keep me on track with my nutrition. Coming to the realization that I only have this one body and it is only going to treat me as good as I treat it is a huge factor in staying more focused and on track. When I find little gems like this it definitely helps to keep me moving forward in a positive way.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

I followed the recipe I found here but added in the following:

• 1 Scoop of Collagen-9

• 2 Scoops Vanilla Life Shake

• ¼ tsp. Vanilla Paste (From Trader Joe’s)

• Chocolate Chips sprinkled on top

They came out soooo good! These could easily be an anytime bar and not just a breakfast bar. Someone suggested making these with Blueberries and I think that is an excellent idea. There will definitely be some experimenting with these and I’ll share what I come up with as I go.

Enjoy!

Much Love & Light Always!

Maple Peanut Butter Krispie Treats Experiment

Yesterday as I searched for a peanut butter krispie treat recipe I came across a recipe for some Maple Peanut Butter Krispie Treats. These looked so delicious and I was super excited to make them along with my hubby. He's been asking for peanut butter treats for a bit now so his excitement was so cute to see when I told him what I was trying out. 

As I gathered my ingredients together I was excited to try something new. Don't get me wrong, I have made krispie treats plenty of times in the past, but this was new for me. I have never made them without some type of marshmallow in it. Whether it is the fluff, mini mallows, or both, that is how I have always made them. So this was an exciting adventure for me.

Everything was coming together great, and my confidence in how they would taste was super high. The modifications I made was doubling the recipe and then with that I added in 2 C Cheerios gently crushed, 2 C Quaker squares gently crushed. When it was first added to my baking pan and we were nibbling on what was left on the spoon my husband said it tasted similar to a Whatchamacallit. He was just telling me how he would love for me to make something similar to this so.....success.

Going a step further and running with the Whatchamacallit idea I melted down 1 1/2 of the Giant Hershey bars and spread it over the top. This was sure to be the "cherry on top" and I could give my man what he was asking for. We patiently waited for the chocolate to harden but because the heat we were experiencing the chocolate was still too soft. (picture of chocolate mushroom hubby created when testing chocolate hardness below) 

With the heat and the chocolate not melting, I decided to throw them into the refrigerator to hopefully help this process. A few hours had gone by and we were excited to try these bad boys out, so with a tall glass of milk and a piece of the krispie treat I watched the hubby dig in. Excited to see what his thoughts were, I have to say I was not expecting him to come back with the statement, "They aren't crispy. There's no crunch to them." 

Crushed by this I just had to try it for myself and sure enough......No crisp! What went wrong? Was it because I put them in the fridge? Who knows, but I DO know this....the taste of them was DELICIOUS enough that I will be trying these bad boys out again and having fun experimenting with different ways of additions I can add to the mix. 

I have included the link to the original pin for those that would like to give these yummy treats a try.

Much Love and Light Always!

Link for original Pinterest recipe:

https://cookingwithcarlee.com/maple-peanut-butter-krispie-treats/