Along with committing to my in-home fitness programs, meal planning has been a super important part of my journey to get my pre-baby body back. If I don’t plan out my meals for the week, then I end up making BAD choices that take me away from my goals instead of moving me closer towards them. So, for September I committed to creating a meal plan each weekend and following it during the week!

Since I am just learning how to cook, I needed to plan meals that were simple, tasty, 21 Day Fix approved and something that my picky bunch of eaters would enjoy…..and this Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe from Autumn Calabrese’s Fixate cookbook met ALL of those criteria!

It took me about 40 minutes to prep (it was my first time trying to cut most of the veggies, so I had to find some instructional videos on YouTube to help with that), 30 minutes to cook and it lasted for several days. We will DEFINITELY be seeing this one on the menu again!

Serves: 4 (~1.5 cups each)
Prep Time: 15 minutes (took me about 40 minutes)
Cook Time: 31 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 6 cups low sodium organic chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano leaves
• 1 tsp. ground chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 medium avocado
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 tsp. crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat over t0 350 F
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Place tortillas on baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until toasted and crispy. Remove from oven. When cool, break into pieces. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
6. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
7. Add tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft. Set aside
8. Add onion  mixture, 2 cups broth, and half of toasted corn tortilla pieces to blender (or food processor); cover. Blend until smooth.
9. Add blended mixture to large saucepan. Add remaining 4 cups broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-hight heat. Reduce heat to medium low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender
10. Top each serving evenly with avocado, cilantro, cheese, and remaining toasted tortilla pieces

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!