Dinner Tonight

Tonight we are having one of my favorite FAVORITE dinners.  There are many reasons it's one of the best:

1.  It's easy.
2.  It's tasty.
3.  It's healthy and low-Points (I'm counting Points because I'm doing Weight Watchers--more about that in the November post).
4.  The boys like it (that's a huge bonus).
5.  It goes in the crock pot so nothing to do last-minute.

Salsa Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken
Taco seasoning
Salsa
Black beans (drained and rinsed)
Frozen corn
Sour cream
shredded cheese
rice/tortillas/tortilla chips

Directions:

1.  Put the chicken in your crock pot.  I did not include amounts because it's really up to you and really easy to alter based on what you've got.  Today I did 3 boneless, skinless breasts.  I put them in frozen but it's fine if they're thawed.

2.  Sprinkle on taco seasoning.  If you're using store-bought, plan for about a package per pound.  But, can I encourage you to make your own?  It's REALLY easy and in mine and Jimmy's opinions, tastes much better.  Here's my recipe:

• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder (I just throw in some dried minced onion b/c it's what I've got on hand)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (omitted today because I didn't have any)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

3.  Cover or mostly cover the chicken with salsa.  Today I just threw in one jar of salsa, minus the actual jar.  I've cooked this with the chicken anywhere from 1/2-completely submerged in salsa and it's great every time.

4.  Cook on high or low until the chicken is cooked through (today I'm cooking it on high because I didn't get it in the crock pot until about 12:30.  I'm hoping it will be done in 5 hours but I'll check it periodically).

5.  Shred chicken with a fork right in the crock pot.  Add in black beans and frozen corn and keep heating until they're heated through.

6.  Serve over rice or tortilla chips, or as taco meat.  If over rice, we put sour cream and shredded cheddar on top.  I'm omitting those right now because I'm going dairy-free for a while and also because that's where you really rack up on the WW Points.  But it's still good without them!  We also sometimes substitute low-fat plain yogurt for sour cream and you really can't tell the difference.  We're all about using what we've got on hand :)

We usually serve this with a salad, but it goes well with almost any vegetable.

Enjoy!