Cold Weather = Beefy Nacho Soup Dinner

If you live anywhere near the path of Jonas (the snowstorm, not the brothers) this past weekend, you were keenly aware of how freaking cold it was. We didn't get any snow but we had highs in the low 40s with windchills in the 20s and 30s. I realize that for my family and friends up north that's called a blustery winter day, but in these parts it's called stay inside by the fire and eat all of the warm comfort  foods you can get your hands on.

#truth

Since I am a transplant, Indiana born and bred, but raised in Tennessee, and a current resident of Alabama, I feel like I can laugh at both sides. However the pursuit of comfort foods when it's cold outside is one thing I think we can all agree on. I really wanted to make soup on Saturday to warm me up from the inside out, but I wanted something different that wouldn't take all day in the crockpot and that we'd end up having to eat for dinner and lunch for the next 5 days. This is always something I think about since it's just the 2 of us. 

Certain things I can make knowing that we will devour the entire pot (looking at you Crockpot Potato Soup), but I hate to make a crock pot of something new because neither one of us are very good leftover eaters when it comes to things we aren't wild about. The solution? Enter one of my all time favorite recipe blogs: Plain Chicken. Her recipes are among some of our favorites, including Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup, Pecan Pie Brownies, Cool Ranch Chicken Tacos, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, and at least 100 other recipes I have pinned from her blog.  Including this newbie: 

Saturday's dinner, Beefy Nacho Soup. It was quick, easy, and absolutely delicious! Normally I don't go for beaney soups, but I left most of them in, and added a can of corn to my soup because I love corn. I topped it with some shredded cheese and Tostito's Cantina Chipotle Thins chips and it was delicious! We have one small bowl left of it that will most likely become my lunch one day this week. SO if you're looking for a quick delicious soup, you need to try this one. 

Since we've got a little bit of warmer weather this week, I am going the opposite direction for dinners this week. I'm actually going out on a limb for myself, and am making...........salmon. I'm not a fan of fishy fish (I just started eating tuna steaks last year), so salmon is a big stretch for me. We had some over Christmas at Eric's Mom's house - Eric loved it and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would - so in the spirit of eating healthy for our latest Biggest Loser Competition, I decided there's no time like the present. Wish me luck and hope I don't over cook it. This was the one warning my MIL gave me about cooking salmon - it was the only advice she had on making it so I figure it's a biggie!