Chilly Weather and Chicken Soup

It is finally starting to feel like winter in Denver this week, and I am oh so excited. I have been wearing my North Face parka in protest of the 60 degree weather, and now it has paid off!

We actually got some snow last night, and it is currently a balmy 17 degrees outside.

Yesterday was a busy day of homework, studying, nannying and a final, so I decided to give us something to look forward to at the end of the day. Something that smells and tastes delicious to be precise: Crock pot chicken tortilla soup.

It was so easy to make:

•  Mix up some spices - I used cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little salt
• Drizzle a little olive oil and some of your spices over a package of chicken breasts. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the veggies that you want in your soup. It really depends on what you like, I used:
• one can of corn (drained)
• one can of black beans (drained) 
• one green bell pepper (diced)
• one half yellow onion(diced) (I cooked the bell pepper and onion on the stove with some of the spices before adding them to the crock pot)
•  and one can of crushed tomatoes (not drained)
• Once your chicken is done, shred it with two forks.
• Add everything to the crock pot, as well as the rest of your spices (add these to taste)
• Cook on low for really however many hours you would like. Everything is cooked so you don't have to worry about raw chicken or anything like that. I let mine go from noon to about 7:00 and it was so delicious. 
• Top with whatever you would like! I used sour cream, cilantro, a bit of cheese and some tortilla chip pieces. 

The perfect end to a cold and busy day!