Tex-Mex Chicken

Crockpot Tex-Mex Chicken

Recently, I got this recipe from a Prevention Slow Cooker Recipe book.

Let me extol the virtues of this chicken dish by telling you it has many lives:

•You can use it as taco meat.
•You can make nachos with it.
•You can freeze it for use later.
•You can make tortilla/taco soup by adding some chicken stock or broth to it.
•You can put this over baked potatoes and melt some jack cheese over top.
This is my kind of recipe. Lots of options!
Crockpot Tex-Mex Chicken
Serves: LOTS!
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Points per serving: approximately 4 (This is a complete guestimate on my part.)

Ingredients:

•2 cans (15 oz each) whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen, and a little bit less, because that's all I had)
•1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
•1 jar (16 oz) chunky salsa (I used 20 oz)
•6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen ones and added them to the crockpot still in their frozen state)
•Serving options for soft tacos: low fat sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, lime wedges, salsa, 6-in corn tortillas
1.Combine corn, beans, and 1/2 cup of salsa in the bottom of the crockpot.
2.Lay frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and beans.
3.Pour the rest of salsa over the chicken.
4.Cover.
5.Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. (Don't worry if it looks like there's too much liquid. The chicken, once shredded, will soak up a lot of the liquid.)
6.Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a large cutting board or plate. Shred chicken using two forks and return to salsa-liquid.
7.Stir shredded chicken back into salsa-liquid.
8.Serve in tacos, on top of baked potatoes, on top of nachos, or make into tortilla soup by adding extra chicken broth or stock. The options are endless!

Things I'm Loving Friday!

I missed doing my Thursday things so here goes my "Things I'm loving Friday"! I started this book this week at the suggestion of a good friend. I highly recommend it to all!

My idol, Sandra Lee! Bill got me and Melissa a subscription to her Semi-homemade magazine and I am LOVING it! Her fun and easy recipies, ideas, tablescapes and more inspire me to make everyday fun, tasty, and as pretty as possible! Life is too short not to make the most fun with what you have!

I also have a subscription to Southern Living and I enjoy reading the lovely pages to get ideas, dream, and learn about interesting things in the South!

I love my subscription to the Weight Watchers Magazine! It keeps me motivated and it's always loaded with great recipes and cupons!

Well, we are ready for the Cowtown this weekend and these are just a few things I am loving today! What are you Loving?

Goodbye to San Angelo's Hudman Drug Store

Monday, April 07, 2008
Visit to San Angelo, Texas
Known as the "Shining Star of Texas," we visited San Angelo recently, situated near the middle of the state.
Some noteworthy and unique places to see around town are:
Fort Concho, said to be the most well preserved fort today in Texas and a National Historic Landmark. It was used by buffallo soldiers from 1867 - 1889.

While in town for business, we dropped in to eat at Hudman Drug Store. The sign out front is faded now. To find it you have to look for it along Main Street. The menu is basic fare, we got the grilled ham and cheese. What we came for though was for the great shakes served from the original soda fountain, still made the same way as when it opened at 201 N. Main in 1943. Circular chairs line the fountain, by a vintage Dr. Pepper container. My wife had a chocolate shake, while I had a fresh fruit strawberry shake out of a metal cup, and was barely able to drink it all.

In back, prescriptions are still filled like they always have on a first name basis. We then went to visit Eggemeyer’s General Store, filled with locally made items, vintage signs, and specialty items. The old store wood cabinets, display cases, and counters are a sight to see.

Just down the street is M.L. Leddys, which has made leather boots and saddles since 1922. When I entered their store, the rich smell of leather invited me in. It's the only store I've seen where locally made saddles can still be purchased. The town was larger than we first thought, and has now grown to some 88,439 by last count. If visiting, be sure to stop in the above places and tell them that Southpoint sent you.

Copyright Southpoint.com 2008

Week of Feb. 14th Quiet Time Guide

MONDAY, February 14th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “If in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God.” (Romans 4:2)
Passage: Psalm 34:1-8

It’s a fairly common thought in the world that God has a pair of scales and on those scales He puts our good deeds on one side and our bad deeds on the other. If our good outweighs the bad, we get into heaven. If not, well . . . you know. If that picture was accurate and if you made it into heaven, then you would have something to brag about because it would have proven you were better than those who didn’t get in.
But it doesn’t work that way. Abraham knew it. King David knew it. God doesn’t offer us a home in heaven because of how good we are. He offers us a home in heaven because of how good He is. He doesn’t forgive sin because of any work we do. He forgives sin because of the work Jesus Christ did on the cross. On this day which focuses on love for others, spend some time right now and express your love for God. He has already expressed His love for you.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)

TUESDAY, February 15th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)
Passage: Psalm 32:1-5

Justified. The word is a legal term. It indicates that you have been declared innocent of any charge against you and that you are considered to be someone who has completely obeyed the law. In spiritual terms, it means that God views you as perfect. He has no record of a wrong word ever spoken. He has no record of any wrong action ever taken. He has no record of a wrong thought ever being imagined.
Justified. Just-as-if-I-had-never-sinned. Now I know I’ve sinned. You know you’ve sinned. But when you exercised faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God no longer considered that you or I had sinned. Our sins are covered by Jesus. Our record has been replaced by His. Now, tell God thank you and then go live in a way that shows God your appreciation and that seeks to be a reflection of Christ to the world.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)

WEDNESDAY, February 16th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised . . .” (Romans 4:11a)
Passage: Matthew 28:16-20

When you were born, you had the seed of your biological parents in you and there was no effort on your part that made you their child. Now there is nothing you can do to remove yourself from being their biological child, or cause you to be more of an offspring biologically than you already are. The things that you do in life, your eating habits, exercise, education, social relationships, etc., are all part of making you the best person you can be, but they don’t add to or alter your position as a biological child of your parents.
That physical reality is a picture of the reality of spiritual birth. When you put your faith in Jesus, God planted His seed (the Holy Spirit) in you and you became a child of God – period. Baptism as a public identification with Christ, Worship, Bible Study, prayer, service and stewardship are important things you should do to show your love for Christ and to become the best you can be, but they don’t add to or take away from you being justified in the eyes of God.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
THURSDAY, February 17th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “. . . He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17b)
Passage: Colossians 1:15-20

Abraham was given a purpose by God to be a blessing to the world. He was given promises by God of land and descendants. At the time those promises were made, Abraham didn’t own any property and he was far away from the land God promised. He also was about 75 years old and his wife Sarah was well past the age of having children. But God said it and Abraham believed God.
What is your view of God? Do you believe He is limited or do you believe that he is the Creator of the Universe and all we see and that He has the power to do anything He has promised to do? Abraham believed the latter and when you stand by faith on the promises God has made in His Word, you will be living just like Abraham. Believe!

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
FRIDAY, February 18th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead . . . Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,” (Romans 4:19-20)
Passage: Luke 18:18-27

Face it. There are some things you cannot do. Now, faith it. There is nothing that God cannot do. God calls people to do what they cannot do on their own. He is pleased when people acknowledge they cannot do His work on their own. God equips people to do His work and when it is accomplished, He receives the glory.
Abraham and Sarah admitted they couldn’t have children, but God gave them Isaac. David admitted he was just a shepherd boy, but God made him a great King. Mary admitted she couldn’t have a child without a husband, but God overshadowed her and Jesus, our Savior, was born. God has things that He wants you to do. Don’t limit him by stopping at your problem. Be available to His power and let Him do His work in and through you.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)

SATURDAY, February 19th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness . . .” (Romans 4:23-24a)
Passage: I John 1:1-4

Do you ever have the thought that there are some super saints in the world that God uses and then there are people like you? That’s not true. God doesn’t have “super” saints. Every child of God is a saint. Every child of God is special in His eyes and loved just as much as every one of His other children. Every child of God has a purpose and a call to fulfill in touching their world for Christ.
It was reported that Billy Graham was once asked, “Who is the greatest Christian who ever lived?” He replied, “Probably some precious elderly saint that no one has ever heard of.” Billy knew that his ministry was dependent upon the prayers and giving of thousands of anonymous saints and that they shared just as much in the success of his ministry as he did – perhaps in reality, even more. Be the best you can be for Christ. You are a special saint and no one else can do exactly what God calls you to do.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)

Things I'm Loving Thursday!

Things I'm loving this Thursday! This movie is a must see, along with "The King's Speech". I went to see Tron in 3D with my guys, husband, son, and nephew. Was I surprised when I too LOVED it! The older wiser Flynn, (Jeff Bridges) reminded me so much of my oldest big brother Marc. He is very wise, calm, insightful, meditative, and self sacrificing! Go see it!
I am still basking in the afterglow from my wonderful visit to Disney World in January! This is truly a magical place you can go to relax, recharge, recreate, be pampered, indulge, exercise, walk miles and miles (which we really love to do intentionally!), play golf, shop, eat 5 star food and be a kid again and again! Such a good investment!
Absolutely the BEST hand cream for winter dry hurting hands! I use it every night!
I take one every day at lunch! A must do which I swear gives me tons of energy!
Wonderful new I-phone app called DAF assistant! So fun today when my high school stutter used it and was able to speak without stuttering! Amazing!!!!!
Such a delicious yet light little treat! Only 2 points on Weight Watchers even if you eat the whole package (of a small package of course!) These are the things I'm loving this Thursday!
What are you loving today?

How about, "Things I'm Loving Friday!"

With four days off work due to bad weather, I forgot it was Thursday yesterday so how about, "Things I'm Loving on Friday!"
I am LOVING being off work almost all week due to ice an beautiful, powdery, blanketing SNOW! Yes, I still live in Texas! This has been so nice! It reminds Bill and I of when we married in January of 1982. When we returned from our honeymoon and arrived back in Waco where I was in grad school and Bill was working for Baylor, a similar Northerner came through and shut the town down for a week! It was like we got an extended honeymoon except that I had to study for my Comprehensive Graduate Exams but still it was fun to be shut in and all cozy with my brand new husband in our little apartment in Waco!
I am loving cooking and loving feeding Bill, Brad, and my nephew Matt! Men are so good at expressing appreciation for food! It is so sweet and just encourages me to keep it up!
Gina's Skinny Recipes is my favorite website for tasty but healthy recipes!
I am loving sleeping late and having a second cup of coffee each morning! I am loving having the laundry ALL done and put away at the same time! I am loving having time to sit and read a book! Right now I am reading Karen Kingsbury's book, "Unlocked". It is Christian fiction and a great story about Holden, a high school boy who is locked in a prison of Autism. He is bullied at school by kids who see that he is very different. Ella Reynolds is a popular girl who was friends with Holden as a child. She believes miracles can happen and that friendship, faith, and the power of song might be strong enough to break through to Holden, through his prison of Autism. Great read. I also love reading John Grisham novels, and Terry Blackstock. Mystery until the very end is what makes their reads worthwhile.
I am loving that my brother Blake is bringing a beautiful Airstream trailer to DFW tomorrow which he has created for the Tito's tailgate at the Superbowl. It is truly a work of art! Blake is amazingly talented and this trailer/storefront for Tito's is proof of his abilities! I am just praying they can get it here safely on these messy roads.
I love that the Schwan Frozen Food Salesman made it across these awful roads to my house today! I bought Steaks, veggies, sweet potatoe fries, potato skins to have with steaks and veggies during the Superbowl!

Being Right With God

MONDAY, January 31st

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew? . . . Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” (Romans 3:1-2)
Passage: Psalm 147:12-20

Being raised in a Christian family and being taken regularly to church doesn’t make you a Christian or cause God to love you anymore than He loves everybody else. But if you were raised that way, you were blessed. If you are raising your children that way, they are blessed. Week in and week out, those who grew up attending church were hearing the Word of God taught and preached. What a blessing.
Most people in the world have either not heard the Word of God, or have limited access to the Word of God. Many believers in other countries would be amazed at the number of Bibles that we have in our homes and the freedom of worship that we have in the United States. They would not understand how we could take such privilege for granted or how we could prioritize other things above receiving God’s Word. Consider the blessing you have been given and thank God for it.


Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
TUESDAY, February 1st

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all!” (Romans 3:3-4a)
Passage: Hebrews 4:1-11

At one time, church sanctuaries across Europe were filled with people coming to hear God’s Word. Today, many of those sanctuaries are museums and many others are nearly empty as less than 10% of the population attend each week. The situation in America is not much better, with attendance averaging less than 30% of the population and declining. The problem is not in the Word of God. The problem is in the will of man. When a person hears the Word, but doesn’t exercise faith, his heart will become hardened. The gospel will start to seem irrelevant to his life and he will either make church attendance a ritual or he will reject it altogether and give his time to something else.
But God wants much better for you. He loves you and has given you His Word to allow you to know Him and to let Him transform you and use you for His purposes. Love Him. Listen to His voice. Let Him lead you in His ways.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
WEDNESDAY, February 2nd

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:12)
Passage: Psalm 53:1-3

The young man came forward after the service and told the preacher he wanted to be saved. The preacher told him he first needed to admit that he was a sinner and asked him to share some ways he had sinned. The young man said he couldn’t think of any. The preacher told him to guess and said that when he guessed, he got it right!
The good Paul is describing is not a goodness of being ethical or kind or helping out someone in need. It is a goodness that indicates absolute perfection and a motive that always seeks the glory of God. No one is good like that on his or her own. Recognizing that you cannot stand before God on the basis of your own goodness is not negative. It’s positive. It means that you are right where you need to be in order for the Spirit of God to make you what He designed you to be.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
THURSDAY, February 3rd

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
Passage: Galatians 2:15-21

You’re driving on a road going 50 miles per hour. Everything seems good and there’s no problem you can see. Then you see the sign. The speed limit is 40. Now you’ve got a problem. You are breaking the law. So you begin to slow down, but it’s too late. The police officer caught you on radar doing 50. Now you can promise that from then on, you will never speed, but it won’t take away the fact that you did speed and you broke the law.
We may think that our lives are okay, but the fact is, they are not. The Word of God lays out God’s perfect standards and when we look at them, we see that we have failed. We are all sinners. That’s why we need a Savior. That’s why we need Jesus.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
FRIDAY, February 4th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, . . . This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22)
Passage: John 3:11-18

Absolutely amazing. How else can you really describe it? You don’t become right with God by being religious or by obeying all of “the rules”. You become right with God by simply placing your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You trust that His death on the cross paid the penalty for your sin. You believe he rose from the tomb and you receive Him as your Lord.
You and I were in an impossible and hopeless situation on our own. Eternity was in front of us, but it was an eternity separated from God because of our sin. But God loved you so much that He was willing to come to earth and die for you in order that you might live with Him forever. That kind of love deserves your love in return. That kind of love deserves your devotion. Reflect a moment on the magnitude of God’s love and set your heart to live a devoted life today.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)

SATURDAY, February 5th

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (3 minutes) “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. . .” (Romans 3:27a)
Passage: Galatians 6:11-16

A number of years ago I was taken on a tour of the new facilities at one of the largest churches in America. Throughout the tour, the person I was with kept referring to things being either the biggest or one of the biggest things in any church in the country. They had the biggest auditorium. They had the biggest mirror in the foyer. The list went on and on. It was impressive and the boasting was humanly understandable. We like to be part of something big and it’s natural that we should be proud of our school, our church, our city, our state and our country, etc.
But get things in perspective. We are not better than anyone else because of our size or our achievements. We are not loved by God more than others because of the church we belong to or the activities we do. We are love by God . . . period. We are saved by God purely because of His grace poured out through our faith in Jesus Christ. If we are going boast, let us boast in Him, His love, His work on the cross and in the changes He has made in our lives.

Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)