Day 16

I am feeling much better today than yesterday...after juicing all day I'm really starting to feel back on track with everything! I also got my first workout in this morning.  I did Day 1 of the Couch to 5k as well as some strength training and abs.  My energy is up quite a bit after adding food back into my diet and I can't wait to start hitting up the gym again.  What I really love about the program is you only have to get to the gym 3 times a week, but you can obviously go as many times as you like. Very doable for a nursing student who works part time.

Now for my Chicken Enchilada Soup! I have shared this with a couple of people before who fell in love with it at as well.  I adapted it from The Pioneer Woman as well as this recipe from All Recipes.  You can add a couple cups of cheese for a creamier texture, but this time I was going for healthy!

Ingredients

3 Whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Cup Diced Onion

1 Green or Red Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeno (Optional)

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 16 oz. Can Enchilada Sauce (Mild or Hot)

2 15 oz. Cans Black Beans, Drained (If you don't like black beans, frozen corn would work great)

1 16 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes

1 teaspoon Salt

1-2 teaspoons Chili Powder

1-2 teaspoons Cumin

½ teaspoon Garlic Powder

32 oz Low Sodium Chicken Stock

4 Cups Water

I know it seems like a ton of ingredients, but you probably already have most of them in your pantry already. Plus this makes a HUGE pot of soup, I literally freeze half and still have the other half for lunch all week.

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat.

Add onions, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.  Saute ingredients until the onions are translucent.  

Stir in salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and shredded chicken breasts. 

Pour in chicken stock, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, water, and rinsed black beans.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

You will want to simmer at least 30-45 minutes uncovered.  Then it’s finished!

(If you want a thicker soup, add 3-4 tablespoons flour after sautéing the onions, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.  Allow it to cook out for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.)

I love to garnish with:

Sour Cream

Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese

Diced Avocado

Tortilla Chips