Tex-Mex Chicken with Beans

I can pretty much always count on Martha Stewart for recipes. I made a few changes and turned the original recipe into a slow cooker freezer meal. Also, I added extra seasoning, my favorite all purpose seasoning: Joe's Stuff. Use whatever seasoning you would for chicken or for a Tex-Mex dish. Taco seasoning would actually be really good here. In fact, I'm going to add some when I cook up the other bag. I have noticed that some of the slow cooker freezer meals can be a bit bland for our taste, so I've started adding in more seasoning.

Ingredients

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed
1 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1 1/2 cups)
4 tablespoons mild enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons Joe's Stuff or your favorite seasoning - taco seasoning would be great!
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving

Directions

1. Write on 2 gallon sized freezer bags: †ex-Mex Chicken with Beans, the date, and the following instructions:   Cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.) Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream.  
2. Chop onion, cilantro and bell peppers - divide between bags
3. Season chicken with salt, pepper and your choice of seasoning - divide between bags
4.  Stir together beans, salsa, chilies, flour and 1 cup water - divide between bags
5. Press the air out of the bags and seal them shut. Lay them flat in your freezer

Taco Soup

My Dad called today looking for a taco soup recipe. Did I have one? Of course! He wanted to know if it was easy and good. I said, "Dad, it's Paula Deen's". Enough said.

This recipe is the very first thing I made as a married woman that tasted really good. Her original recipe calls for olives, but my husband hates olives, so we don't use them. It makes a ton so it's a perfect recipe to half into two freezer meals.

Image and original recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and Food Network

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onion
2 (15.5 oz.) cans pinto beans
1 (15.5 oz.) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can tomatoes with chilies
2 (4.5 oz.) cans diced green chilies
1 (1 1/4 oz.) package taco seasoning
1 (1 oz.) package ranch salad dressing mix
Serve with: Corn chips, sour cream and shredded cheese

Directions

1. Write on two gallon freezer bags: Taco Soup, the date, and the following instructions: Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with chips, sour cream and shredded cheese.
2. Brown meat and cook onions in a skillet, set aside to cool.
3. Divide canned goods, meat and seasoning packets between the two bags.
4. Press the air of the bags and seal them shut. Lay them flat in your freezer.