New Mom Gumbo

This is one of the easiest recipes I've ever made.  I got this from Becky, a sweet mom of five who goes to our church.  She is always cooking meals for people and loves taking gifts from the church to new moms in our congregation.  She sent me this recipe the other day, and I tried it out last weekend when we were all sick.  I'm definitely adding it to my recipe book.

Place in crock-pot:
3 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 (can be frozen or thawed)
small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt, pepper, and garlic powder
1 cup dry beans (northern or pinto) - rinse and pick out any bad beans first
4 cups water

Cook on high 3 hours.

Check beans to see if they are tender.  Use a wooden spoon and chop the chicken into pieces.  The beans should look like they are swimming in water, you may need to add more water at this point.  Cook for a couple more hours.

3 hours before you want to eat, add:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups broth
2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
corn
paprika, chili powder, salt - season to your liking

The rice will split when it is tender and ready to eat.  We enjoyed it with shredded cheese and cornbread.  Feel free to play with the recipe and change it to your family's liking.  I love that you just put everything in the crock-pot without having to cook the beans, chicken, or rice first.  Perfect for a busy new mom to make, or better yet, for someone to make and deliver to her!  Thanks, Becky!

Find more healthy recipes here: Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade