Zero Point Taco Soup
After the holidays I switched back to Weight Watchers for a few reasons. I was tired of cheese and wanted a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. They changed the program again, and instead of color plans, there is only one plan – yay! Corn and popcorn are now zero-point foods, as are beans. I love popcorn and had been missing beans. And they were having a sale: Ten months for $10/month.
Zero-point foods are those you may eat without tracking or limitation, and it includes all fruits except avocados and olives, and all vegetables except potatoes.
Of course I joined a WW facebook group for tips and recipes, and discovered this gem. It’s easy to make, it’s inexpensive and filling, and the whole family loves it – there are never any leftovers.
It’s great with rice, cornbread or Mamaliga, tortillas, tortilla chips, sour cream, or plain non-fat yogurt, which is also zero points.
The ingredients are all in the photograph:
- Two frozen chicken breasts
- Two cans tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon chicken boullion
- 1 can corn, drained
- 2 cans beans of choice, drained
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 envelope taco seasoning mix
- 2 cups water
I love this hand-held colander for draining cans of anything!
Put all ingredients except the chicken into a crockpot and mix well. Add the chicken, nestling it into the mixture so that it is mostly covered. Cover and cook on high for six hours. Remove chicken, shred, and put it back into the pot. That’s it!
I’ve always used frozen chicken for this recipe, but if I had fresh I would cook it on low for the six hours. I buy chicken breasts in bulk and freeze them in packages of two for this and other recipes. You can use any kind of canned beans, except green, for this – red, black, white, northern, Garbanzo, kidney, etc. You can use any intensity of seasoning, or even a packet of chili spices if you prefer.
This is a great recipe for busy people; I just don’t know what I would do without my crockpot! I’ve had the one in the photo for several years, and I’ve always owned Rival pots – back in the day they used to publish great recipe booklets as well! Now they’re manufactured under the brand name Crock-Pot. If mine ever wears out I’ve got my eye on the one below, as I love the colors, but especially the “warm” setting for my busy family with varied schedules!