Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's fall , and fall weather means... SOUP !!! I love soup, especially when its made in the instant pot, because it's so fast. I could write up a lot of things about how much I love this season , but let's just get to the recipe, shall we ? ;)

What you'll need:

Olive Oil

3 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 packet of taco seasoning

3 cups of chicken broth

1 can of corn drained

1 can of GOYA black bean soup

1 can of Rotel

2TBS. of Tomatoe paste

2 oz. of cream cheese

Toppings:

Fresh Lime Juice

Cilantro

Shredded cheese

Push the "Saute" button on your IP.

Add a couple TBS. of olive oil

While your IP is heating up cut the fat off of you chicken breasts, and slice lengthwise 

Add a packet of your favorite taco seasoning....

And coat the chicken. Don't worry if a lot of the seasoning stays in the dish, don't throw it away, we will use it.

Once the chicken is coated, toss it into the IP and let it sear a bit on both sides. You're not cooking it through, just sealing in the juices and seasoning.

While the chicken is searing,  pour your broth into the dish that had the chicken to get the leftover seasoning out of the dish. I use this broth because its quick , and it allows me to ALWAYS have some broth on hand.

Make sure you watch your food and don't forget about it like I did lol If your pan does get coated at the bottom, make sure you scrape the bottom or the heat will not distribute properly, and your IP will not seal.

Pour the broth over the chicken

Hit the manual button

And set the timer to 8 minutes

Make sure your knob is set to sealing. If it's on venting, it won't seal.

While your chicken is cooking, go ahead and mix in all the other ingredients.

Now, you can use any can of black beans, but I PROMISE this is the best one. Make sure you DON'T drain it. 

Add in the corn

Rotel

And tomato paste.

Once your IP is done cooking the chicken, use the quick release method by turning the knob to venting.

Once all the steam is released, pull out the chicken and set aside.

Add all the veggies to the broth, close the lid, push the manual button and set to 3 minutes.

While the IP is cooking, shred the chicken.

Once the veggies are finished , do the quick release again, and turn the knob to venting. Open the lid, and add in the shredded chicken and cream cheese. Stir it really well. The cream cheese makes this soup so creamy,        Mmmmmmmm.

I KNOW this isn't the most appetizing picture, but since I'm not a professional photographer, you're just gonna have to trust me that its really delicious.

Pour yourself a bowl, and add your toppings. My favorite ones are cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and fresh lime juice.

This quite possibly my favorite soup. Add a side of crunchy tortilla chips , and you've got a bowl full of goodness.

Enjoy ! 

Great Makeup Brushes For LESS

Let me first start off by saying that I am NOT a makeup artist, or even just "good" at doing makeup. My expertise is in making sure that I don't look dead ! For most days I keep my Makeup (and my brushes)  to a minimum. But my one brush that I had been using for YEARS, was falling apart and shedding everywhere. I considered repurchasing it, but I also was curious what else was out there. Even though I don't go all out, using ONE brush for all my eye shadow, and ONE brush for my foundation, bronzer , and blush...just wasn't cutting it :(

Then I found these brushes on Amazon:

OH,

MY.

GOODNESS.

This set of TEN brushes was only $10. I couldn't believe it, but all the reviews said they were stellar, especially for the price.

The larger brushes have the names on the handles:

But the smaller ones do not. I believe these are all meant to be used for the face, but I can totally see myself using the smaller ones for eye shadow as well.

I also really appreciated that they put the names on the back of the packaging with suggestions on what to use each brush for.

Now, I can't attest to how they stand up against high end brushes, but they are incredibly soft, versatile, and affordable....I really don't need anything else !

You can't even buy E.L.F. brushes for that cheap. Their nicer ones are at least $3 a piece ! I could buy a new set every YEAR if I had to replace them , and still come out smelling like a rose . You get the picture though. I'm going to show you how I used them to do my makeup.  I didn't edit or apply filters to any of the photos of my skin, so you can really see how these brushes apply the makeup. I don't apply my makeup so I look like a new person when I'm done. I want to still look like myself, just a bit more polished .

Let begin:

Bare Clean face, and bed head :

I took the small flat angled brush to apply my concealer under my eyes, around my nose and chin, and anywhere I had spots.......

So like, everywhere....

I Blended it out 

Blend it out really well, not AT ALL like I did.

Nope, still not blended enough lol 

Next I applied my FAVORITE foundation by Root Pretty

I used the Flat Brush to tap it all over my Skin , and then blended it in, sort of :)

I applied my Original Bronze Powder, also from Root Pretty, along my cheekbones, hairline, sides of my nose, and jawline; with the tapered brush. I really liked having that pointed end , because I felt like having that small brush, made it easier to apply bronzer without getting it all over, making me look like a muddied mess.

And I used the Round powder Brush to blend it all in, FINALLY.......

I filled in my brows, and added some mascara.

What a difference right ?

BEFORE:                                  AFTER:

Now, Root Pretty didn't pay me anything or send me any products. I have been using them for years , because they are all natural, affordable, great ! I love how the products help to even out my skin tone, but still let it shine through. I DO however have a referral link that will give you 10% off if you ever want to try it. If not , it's all good ! Its just a way of saying "thank you" to their customers for helping to share about their company :)

Enjoy, 

Sthefanie 

Instant pot black beans , kielbasa, and rice "soup"

Ready for another yummy recipe ? Last post I showed you how to use the instant pot, and make some yummy rice ! The great thing about making a bunch of rice all out once, is that it freezes really well, and you can pull it out whenever you need rice for another recipe....like this one !!

Now mind you, I am no photographer. I can't make a picture of grilled cheese look like some french chef's masterpiece...so you're gonna just have to trust me when I say that this is yuuuumy ;) 

And its crazy easy to make too, so win win ! 

So here is what you need :

 Cooked rice

 1 Can of Goya black bean soup

1 package of kielbasa

2 TBS. of tomato paste (not pictured because again, not a photographer)

2 cups of chicken broth 

*Feel free to add some other items like a can of corn and a can of Rotel. It makes this dish even heartier. Today ,  I just didn't want to be picking out "red stuff" from the bowl of a certain daughter of mine :D

And toppings :

Fresh Limes ( seriously, PLEASE don't use the bottled lime flavored cleaner)

Shredded Cheese

Crispy Onions 

This is so easy to make, that I feel silly calling it a recipe, but its too yummy not to share ! 

First, push the Saute button to warm up your pot

And make sure its on normal

Cut up the kielbasa, and let those bad boys brown....

Now cancel the saute button

 Add the can of Goya black bean soup. Do NOT skimp and get some "other" brand, or just a can of Goya black beans...it needs to be the soup !

Add two heaping TBS. of tomato paste

 And two cups of chicken broth.

( oops, forgot to photograph that :)

Stir it all together and turn the pot on manual for 2 minutes.

When it's done, all the flavors will be infused into the beans.When you open the lid, the soup may seem rather "watery", but remember, you're going to be adding it to rice ! Warm up a bowl of rice, and ladle that goodness on top of it. If you want it to be more soupy, ladle more liquid onto the rice.

Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top ( really, don't skip this step !) and sprinkle , or dump, on the shredded cheese and crispy onions.

TADAAAA you made a thing, and its yummy ! 

And tomorrow , if you have left overs, you know what is really delicioso ? Quesadillas !!

You're welcome ! 

Now go make some yummy food ! 

XO,

Sthefanie