Enchilada Soup LunchBot Thermal Bento for Fall!

Enchilada Soup LunchBot Thermal Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Everyone is talking about the upcoming fall weather, and I'm starting to get excited about fall soups. So even though it's not exactly cold yet, we're having chicken enchilada soup (see the recipe and method I used here). As usual, I added a lot of nontraditional extras such as zucchini, carrots, corn, celery, and leeks. It was good (if a tad bit spicy). I served TinySprite's portion over rice, and she ate hers without too much complaint over the heat. I get to use the LunchBots Thermal food jar for this bento, and packed it along with a side container of white peach, grapes and strawberry. Happy Fall!
Added to What's For Lunch.

Chicken Enchilada Soup Bento

Chicken Enchilada Soup Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I made use of the crockpot to make this one; it's great to toss everything in in the morning, and then I'm free to run in and out of the house the rest of the afternoon. The kids have the usual assortment of afterschool activities this quarter, and there's always that one day (or two) that you can barely get everyone dropped off/picked up in time. Remember when we were kids and if we wanted to join an afterschool activity we had to ride our bikes there and just make sure to get home in time for dinner? Times have sure changed!
Anyway, this one is a shortcut enchilada soup. I LOVE Mexican soups (especially posole) and this one is actually kind of healthy since it uses chicken breast meat. I found the quickie recipe at Tastingspoons. I packed this hearty serving for MisterMan (TinySprite got similar -- she loved it too!), topped with cheddar stars in his LunchBot thermal jar. I sent along an Eco Dipper holding some cara cara orange chunks, blueberries, blackberries and a grape tomato. Delish!
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Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup (from Tastingspoons)

3T butter
3T flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups lowfat milk
10 oz. enchilada sauce
15 oz. black beans
14 oz. Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
10 oz. corn
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped (my addition)
2 whole boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, continuously until smooth. Remove from heat and add broth and 1/2 cup milk, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil, cook until thickened. In a large bowl, mix together with enchilada sauce. Gradually whisk in remaining milk until smooth. Set aside.
In a crockpot, combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. Cover, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
When you are ready to serve, remove chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup and mix together. Top with cheese, avocado, chopped green onions, sour cream, cilantro, or crushed tortilla chips, as you desire.

Added to What's For Lunch.

Enchiladas of Love Bento

Enchiladas of Love Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

The kids get chicken enchiladas today, made with corn tortillas and filled with shredded chicken, onions, olives and cheese; smothered with red sauce and topped with more cheese. I packed MisterMan's in the rectangular two-tiered EcoLunchbox. The enchiladas lay on a bed of lettuce, with cilantro and tortilla "I love you" cutouts. I used the teeny tiny alphabet cutters that I think I found at Daiso. All the letters fit on three round plastic wheels, so there aren't a bunch of little letter cutters to get lost. It's so convenient! The upper tier contains cottage cheese with sunflower seeds and blueberries, alongside a handful of homegrown tomatoes, dinosaur egg pluot, strawberry and grapes.

Enchiladas Bento

Enchiladas Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Both kids took leftover enchiladas for bento today. I made a big batch so there would be lots of leftovers. These are filled with shredded boiled chicken, onions and cheese, rolled in corn tortillas, then smothered in red sauce (not homemade), mounded with more cheese, and then baked. The adult version had diced green chiles inside too. I topped MisterMan's bento with chopped cilantro and tortilla ship cutouts, while TinySprite's had little flower shapes. I also pre-cut hers for easier eating since this is not a very "neat" meal. Both kids got an assortment of fruit and veggies alongside. I put in those cute airplane and balloon picks (actually bookmarks) because, I don't know, that way there would be a transportation theme or something. Easy!