Growing Your Own Herbs with Gro-ables!

This post brought to you by Gro-ables. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Can I admit something to you?  I’m NOT a gardener.  My dad will totally attest to this, because I ruined his garden more than once as a teenager when he left me in charge of watering while he was out of town.  I married someone who is good at it, but me? Not so much.  However, I LOVE fresh herbs, so when I heard about Gro-ables, I was so excited about giving them a try!!

Gro-ables is a new product from Miracle Gro that’s easy to use, and designed for the beginning gardner.  (Or one with a black thumb.  ☺ ) It’s perfect for growing edibles—herbs and vegetables–and they’ve simplified the process so it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or confusing.  I love that it takes the guesswork out of gardening, and that I can enjoy all the yummy benefits of growing your own edilbles.  It’s also super affordable–a seed pod ranges from $1.29-$1.49 depending on where you live–and you can grow them inside or outside.

I adore cilantro, and fortunately, my kids have all inherited that love…except one. ☺  It’s one of those things that’s always in my fridge, and I’m thrilled to be able to grown my own fresh cilantro! It adds a freshness to so many recipes, including one of our favorites…Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Oh my—my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  It’s wonderful to be able to turn homegrown ingredients into homemade meals.

Tortilla Soup

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cubed (I just stick them in frozen and shred them later)

1 onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 can petite diced tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded chopped

4 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 mild green chile, seeded and chopped (or 1 small can chopped green chiles)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 T. vegetable oil

8-10 corn tortillas, halved and cut into 1/4 inch strips

2 T. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Monterey Jack cheese

Combine chicken, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, green chile, and black beans in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. Heat oil in a large skillet and add tortilla strips. Cook, stirring over medium heat until crisp and drain on paper towels. To serve, sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese in the bottom of each bowl. Spoon tortilla soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips and fresh cilantro.

I LOVE LOVE this soup, and you can bet it will be top on my list when my cilantro is ready to eat. I also want to make Southwest Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing from Two Peas and their Pod…YUM!!!

If you’re garden-challenged like I am, or have always wanted to grow your own vegetables and herbs, I hope you’ll give Gro-ables a try along with me!!  You can also watch this Gro-ables video for more info.

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