Southwestern Chicken Soup (In the slow cooker!)

It is raining babies in our world. We have had four friends have babies in the past month and two more due in the next two weeks. Two of my best friends are now preggers too--even my hair dresser is pregnant! (We are still on the fence on having baby number three, so no new baby news to report here.) There is nothing more amazing than the arrival of a new baby--they are truly God's little miracles. But let's be honest, being a mom of a newborn is not easy. No book could ever prepare you for the way it feels to be sleep deprived breast feeding and watching infomercials at 2am--Kind of like a zombie cow! This is why every new mom needs an extra set of hands. I was super excited to go meet one of my friend Laurie's new baby last week and didn't want to show up empty handed. This Southwestern Chicken Soup was the answer. So easy to freeze and reheat in the midst of a crazy day. Cheers to you new mamas--you deserve it!

Here's What You Need: (Serves 8)

32-46oz of low sodium chicken stock (depending on how brothy you want it)
1 chicken breast
14oz fire roasted tomatoes
14oz of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels
1 large zuchini, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsps each paprika and adobo*
1 tsp each Mexican oregano and cumin
Cilantro (optional)
Queso fresco* (optional)
Here's What You Do:

Now this is why I love the slow cooker-throw everything in, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours. Ta da! Top with crumbled queso contijo and diced cilantro.

*If you don't have adobo feel free to substitute with another Southwestern/Mexican spice that you do have on hand. *Find Mexican queso fresco, which is the consistency of feta, in the gourmet cheese section at your grocery store or at an Hispanic grocery store. Kid Tip:
Sometimes chunky soup can be a harder sell for kids. You can give them tortilla chips to break on top to make it more fun. You can also strain some of the veggies and put them into a quesadilla or stir into a cooked rice.

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