The costume…Halloween is all about the costume. I’m not a high stress person in general, but every year I pull my hair out over what I’m going to be for Halloween. Yes, I realize I am a grown woman and mother of three kids, but who is to say I can’t have fun too.  Maybe subconsciously I think if I dress up then maybe I will get tossed some candy as we are trick or treating.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been Snow White, a 70′s girl, and Cruella Deville. Last year I was Octomom. I had a long black wig, big lips, and eight baby dolls hanging precariously off my body. A couple of babies were strapped to my leg and others in a baby sling. I won best costume at my Halloween party so I guess the pressure is on for this year.

All my boys are wearing Star Wars themed costumes. So far we have a Jedi, Darth Vader, and a little Ewok baby waddling around the house. All signs are pointing to Princess Leah for me. In fact, I don’t see any way around it. But I have a feeling I will get my money’s worth out of a Princess Leah costume with this house full of boys.

With the sugar overload inevitable, enjoy this chicken enchilada chowder to bring your family’s sugar level down. My family devours this every time I make it. It’s a no brainer meal that tastes just like enchiladas without all of the hard work. Throw everything in the slow cooker on Halloween and forget about it for a couple of hours while you try to keep your kids from killing each other with their lightsabers and while you try to not eat all the candy that you’re supposed to be handing out to the trick-or-treaters. Okay, maybe that’s just what I will be doing.

As if you could make this soup any easier, here’s a little time saving trick I use to shred the chicken. Once you have your warm cooked chicken, simply place it in a bowl, and with a hand mixer beat the heck out of it. It surprisingly shreds with ease in under 30 seconds. You will never shred chicken by hand again. (pictures: chicken, shredding-chicken, and shredded chicken)

Christy joined the Tablespoon team to share her recipes and inspire family food fun. Watch her Tablespoon member profile for great new recipes!