Slow Cooker Chicken and Black Beans

Life has gotten very hectic for me lately.  Not only did I finally throw my abusive (mostly emotionally abusive, but still abusive) husband out, but I'm still homeschooling my four kids, taking them to their activities, managing the household and the homestead, continuing this blog (such as it is without my currently having a camera), and my Zumba career is really starting to take off.  In the next few weeks, I'll be up to about eleven Zumba classes per week!  Talk about tiring!  Through all this, I still have to somehow keep myself and my four kids fed.  Particularly with my level of physical activity, missing meals is just not an option!

The major issue is when do I find time to make the wholesome meals that my family needs?  I'm turning increasingly to slow-cookers to make the magic meals appear.  What I'm most likely going to start doing is take an afternoon every week or two to bag the ingredients up for a couple weeks worth of slow-cooker meals in gallon freezer bags, then pop them in the freezer until the night before I need them, then stick one in the fridge to thaw before ultimately sticking the goodies in the slow cooker the day wee need them.

This is one meal that would be suitable for such preparation and is really good (I used home-canned corn and salsa).  With largely canned ingredients, this particular meal isn't too hard to throw together the day it is needed either.

Chicken & Black Beans

  

Adapted from Slow Cooking All Year 'Round: More than 225 of our favorite recipes for the slow cooker, plus time-saving tricks & tips for everyone's favorite kitchen helper! (Everyday Cookbook Collection)

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen or canned corn

2 cups salsa

8-oz cream cheese, cubed
cooked rice

Place chicken in slow cooker.  Add beans and corn and top with salsa.  Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  Add cream cheese and cook for about 30 minutes more, or until cream cheese is melted.  Stir before serving.  Serve over cooked rice.  Serves 4 to 5.