Busy Days

Our days have been very busy lately. And on some of our busiest days, meals have been quite tricky to put together. We are both full time students and I work in between classes and sometimes late into the evening. There is always homework to be done as well as everyday chores around the house. But we still need to eat. So what have we been doing? Hello, Crock Pot!

This beautiful kitchen masterpiece has been a great help on those very busy days. Potato Chowder last week and Taco Soup today. Here is the VERY easy recipe:

Crock Pot Taco Soup
Servings: A lot. It fills our whole 6 quart crock pot almost completely and will feed us for several meals.
Cook Time: Depends on how soon you want to eat it!

Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 package taco  seasoning
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1-2 cans water (Depends on how thick you want it. I sometimes will not even put a whole can in)
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown ground beef over medium heat, drain excess fat. Add meat, diced onions, seasonings and everything in the cans (including water/juice) and how ever much extra water you want to your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8. (Or however long you want it to cook! If you want it ready in less than 4 hours I would put it on high but for anything more than that, low would probably suffice. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream and eat with tortilla chips. Great meal for a busy day!

(I have also made this in a large stock pot on the stove. Directions are the same but cook time is lowered to about half an hour of low simmering over medium heat.)

PS. I only know a few crock pot recipes but am looking for more. If you have one that your family likes and would like to share I would LOVE to try it!

Have a great day!