When the weather turns cold, I turn to warm foods for comfort. This Blender Tortilla Soup could not be easier to make and store with a few of my designated holiday must-have items that I’ll share with you today!
I’m always in the mood for soup. However, I’m not always in the mood to make soup. Sigh. Can you relate? There are many times when I wish I had a personal chef, especially after a long, hard day when I wish my food could just magically appear in front of me on a silver platter. 🙂
The monotony of waiting for the veggie and broth concoction to boil, then simmer, and then cool to a temperature that won’t scald my mouth is at times just too much. When that hunger hits on a cold evening, sometimes I just need a warm meal, pronto!
So, this is where a few of my most favorite things come into play. Now I’m not going to be able to get the image of Julie Andrews singing “These are a few of my favorite things” to the von Trapp kids, out of my head. 🙂
Anyway, I digress, it’s this time of year that really brings into focus not only what I’m grateful for (which is so many things), but what I’m going to give to those I love.
And since I tend to give people on my gift list things that I adore and that make my life easier, I wanted to call out some of those fabulous items that I received in my November Acorn Box just in case they could be helpful to you as well. 🙂 And hopefully none of my close relatives and friends will read this post, or there goes the surprise. Ha!
I mentioned how I really enjoy eating soup but don’t always feel like making it. Nutri Ninja With Auto IQ to the rescue! I just added some hot chicken broth, some veggies, and seasonings to it, blended it for a few seconds, and voila! Dinner was served. And I’m pretty sure it was one of the easiest meals I’ve ever made. 🙂 The amazing, powerful Nutri Ninja With Auto IQ is available at Walmart and Walmart.com.I love that it has two auto IQ settings on it for blending both fresh and frozen ingredients. It handled my solid ingredients like the carrots, just like a champ and produced a perfectly-textured soup just waiting to be eaten.
You can bet I’ll be whipping my Nutri Ninja out again and again when the holiday company arrives. I already see some Peppermint Chocolate Milk Shakes in my future! 🙂
{BLENDER TORTILLA SOUP}
1 slice red pepper
1 slice onion
1 slice jalapeño, seeds removed
1 slice tomato
1/2 large carrot or about 5 baby carrots
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
pinch of salt
2 sprigs cilantro
2 c. chicken broth, hot (I made mine with 2 c. hot water and 2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules)Pulse all items together in the Nutri Ninja and then blend for a few seconds until desired texture is reached.
Toppings: avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, crushed tortilla chips
Prepping for the soup was so easy with my colorful Chicago Cutlery Knife Set. I’m obsessed with keeping great knives at my fingertips for all my cooking needs, but I don’t like to spend a fortune on them. These knives are very affordable at Walmart. I like the serrated blades for cutting baguettes and tomatoes and the straight edged blades for cutting veggies like carrots, onions and peppers for today’s soup recipe. And, the brightly-colored handles just make me happy while I’m slaving away in the kitchen. 🙂
I always like to send my husband to work with yummy leftovers, so I’ll be making another batch of this tasty blender soup and adding it to this handy dandy Rubbermaid 5-cup Premier Food Storage container. I’m pretty sure his coworkers will be jealous of the festive modern Christmas tree design I created on top with some Scotch washi tape and my Sharpie Extreme Marker Set. They write boldly on surfaces and resist fading, so they’re perfect not only for crafts but also for labeling items around the house. I like to use these markers to note the date the leftovers were stored to prevent food spoilage. A little bit of organization goes a long way!I have a huge drawer in my kitchen devoted just to food storage containers, and this Rubbermaid beauty will take its place right at the top! It’s so easy to wash and reuse and is perfect for keeping leftovers like today’s soup fresh! And, it’s so convenient for my husband to just grab out of the refrigerator on his way out the door in the morning.
I also love these Rubbermaid containers for small craft supply storage because they’re clear, so I can see what’s inside, and they stack so nicely!
I’ve been thinking about what “that perfect gift” is for everyone on my list, and I know just who these organic teas from the Signature Tea Company will be going to! I don’t drink coffee, but I occasionally enjoy a cup of herbal tea, especially when I’m not feeling well. I really enjoy the peppermint variety.When I saw these teas, I immediately thought of our wonderful new “neighbors” here in the mountains. I put it in quotations because they aren’t right next door, but they’re about as close as neighbors get around these parts. 🙂 They’re the sweetest older couple who have taken my children under their wings and into their loving arms as their grandkids since they don’t have any of their own. They’ve been so welcoming and kind to us, and we just adore them. Because the temperatures at our elevation plummet to levels that should be illegal, I’m sure they’ll enjoy a warm, soothing cup of tea or twenty over the next few months! And I’ll be sipping on the Peppermint Herbal Tea for sure! These Signature Tea Company teas can be found at Walmart.
I hope I’ve provided you with a little holiday gift-giving inspiration if you’re in a rut! 🙂 I hope you are enjoying this wonderful time of year and that you can take some time to savor it (that’s my goal, at least) because it comes and goes so quickly!
This was a sponsored conversation on behalf of Acorn Influence. All opinions and excitement are my own.
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