Chicken and Bean Taco Soup

Okay, before I post the recipe I will say that this meal cost me about $20 to make....BUT it makes enough for 2 meals, and some leftovers.  In fact, when Katrina brought it over for supper a couple weeks ago, Dawnetta was up, so we had 3 adults and 4 kids eat it, plus there was a LARGE plastic bowl full left, which Chris made into four bowls worth of lunches that week.

SO, if I only made enough for ONE meal, it would easily fall into the $10/meal (supper meal that is) that I'm trying to challenge myself to this month.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Chicken
• 1 can Salsa
• 1 can Diced tomatoes (or you can elect to skip the salsa and use 2 cans of diced tomatoes...this is how Katrina made it.)
• 1 can Black Beans
• 1 can Pinto Beans
• 1 can Black Eyed Peas
• 1 package Taco Seasoning
• 2 packages Ranch Dressing Mix
• Fritos
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream

Put chicken in crock-pot.

Cover with salsa, and let cook on low for 8 hours.

Chicken will VERY easily pull apart.

Dump chicken content of first crock-pot into VERY large crock-pot to make room for all the add-ins.

Add corn, diced tomatoes, and pinto beans.

Add black eyed peas.

If you're feeling sassy, turn on 'Boom Boom Pow' and dance around your kitchen in between adding cans of beans to the crock pot.  

You'll be sure to make your kids laugh.

That's what is important in life, anyways, right?!

Add in the black beans.

You can't forget these two ingredients.  They are the staples of this recipe!!! 

Now that every thing is added, give it a good mix.  

Forget to take a picture of the mixed product because your husband calls on the phone, but don't realize you forgot it until you go to 'upload' pictures to recipe blog.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos, and sour cream.

Now, if you aren't a 'beans' person...don't let that shy you away.  Frankly, I'm not.  Five years ago, my mom would try to sneak refried beans into my food just to try to see if it would go 'undetected'.  

It never was.

But back to my point, when Katrina brought this down a couple weeks ago, I was THANKFUL for getting a meal prepared for us.  (I've told you guys....I have the most awesome neighbors...EVER!  But don't be jealous! :))  I was worried about the kids not liking it, but I thought I'd give it a try.  Let me tell you, I was SHOCKED by how good this was.

I think the ranch dressing mix gives it a little kick that you wouldn't expect.

Go ahead.

Give it a try.

I promise, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the goodness of this meal.

Not to mention....the simplicity of making it.

Give another point to the AWESOME-NESS of crock pot meals.