First off, happy anniversary to me and my darling husband of (now) 17 years!  Here we are, from way back then.

 

 

Don’t we look about twelve? 😉

I’ve been getting excited for our special anniversary dinner out, and this year, instead of wearing the same dress I’ve worn to the last four special events I’ve attended (you can see it here), I decided to splurge and buy a new one. 🙂  I don’t have a picture of me in it yet, but I can tell you that buying it was probably one of the best, if not the best, shopping experience of my life.  That’s saying a lot for a girl who has hated shopping for her entire life!  But it was a great treat to go into a store, pull out half a dozen dresses from the Petite section, in size 4 (that still shocks me), and have them actually fit! Comfortably!

I actually had three to choose from that I really liked, and for the first time that I can remember, it was actually fun to try on dresses!  I loved having so many choices!  This is a very different experience from my past, when I spent so very, very many years being unhappy when I shopped for clothes.  You see, I am very short and small-boned, but my large size did not match up well with my small frame (5′ 2″), so I could never find anything that fit right off the rack.  Most of the time, a lot of hemming and alterations were required, and I don’t do either of those, so I usually ended up not buying anything. 🙁

With that said, you can understand why this week’s shopping experience was a real boost to my ego, and also a great affirmation of my continued healthy lifestyle choices.  But what does all this have to do with a chicken soup?  Well, this particular soup is one of my favorites, because it’s not only yummy, but it’s very low in Weight Watcher points!  And I had some this week. 🙂

 

 

The soup is actually a Weight Watcher recipe that I’ve tweaked over the years, and everyone who tries it says it’s great.  Some might call it a chicken tortilla soup, and if I knew more about cooking, I might, too.  But I don’t, so I just call it what Weight Watchers named it. 😉

 

 

We usually serve this with a side I created called “Cilantro Bread.”  Sounds fancy, right? Ha!  Not at all.  😉 One day when we were having this soup, I decided that there had to be a “Mexican” version of garlic bread.  So I made one up by taking a tortilla, sprinkling it with a little mozzarella and dried cilantro, and then broiling it for a minute before cutting it into six wedges.  I gots mad skillz, man. 😉

 

 

I didn’t take a picture of the cilantro bread because it’s just not worth it, ha ha!  But soup is darn good…and at only 7 points for a goodsized bowl (bigger than what’s in the picture–that’s just the prettiest bowl I had), it’s a great deal all the way around!

 

Considering how horrifically cold it’s been this month and this week especially, it was really nice to have this piping hot soup for dinner on Monday night (when we hit -8!).  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

 

 

South of the Border Chicken Soup

 



 
Ingredients
 
1 tsp canola oil*
1/2 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips*
1 medium onion(s), chopped
3 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 tsp Ground Cumin Seed
4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes
10 oz frozen corn kernels (or canned)
1 cup(s) salsa
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
12 chip(s) tortilla chips, baked, crushed (about 1⁄2 cup)

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.*

Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, corn, and salsa; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan; heat through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve the soup with the cheese and tortilla chips. Serves 4, and yields about 2 1/2 cups per serving.

*Sometimes, if I plan ahead, I will actually just cook the chicken in the crockpot on low most of the day with some fat-free chicken broth. It shreds nice and easily that way.