Skinny Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole

Dinner time -- dinner time, wanting something different, but with bitter cold temperatures and another inch of snow from a late winter storm, I wanted some comfort food.  But “comfort food” doesn’t always equate to good for you, and with us trying hard to be on the healthier bandwagon, I felt like I needed inspiration.  I went through Pinterest… first, looking under “chicken” recipes, followed by “chicken casserole” recipes.  Everything kept coming up with “cream of something” to be used, and that just seems too anti-healthy.  It sometimes makes the same noise as the cranberry jelly come out of the can, and it makes me think of it squishing through my arteries.  Next search was for “healthy chicken casserole” and I came across this one.  It filled the bill – warm, comforting, and shockingly healthier than I thought it would be.  I didn’t believe it was until I entered all of the ingredients into MyFitnessPal.  And what is the best part – it was DELICIOUS!  It even got the Jimmy seal of approval.  Can’t wait for Catherine to come home tomorrow night and try it!

• 1½ cups jasmine rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
  
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
  (I used one package of frozen broccoli florets)
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder
  
• 5 tsp. flour
• 2 cups milk, divided
  (I used fat free Hood Smart Milk)
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
  (I didn't have any light, so I used regular, which is factored in the nutritional data below)
• 8oz. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1¼ tsp. garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a large pot then add rice; Cover then turn heat down to medium-low.
2. When rice has 5 minutes left to cook add broccoli and green onions on top to steam.
3. Meanwhile, heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add chicken, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then sauté until no longer pink.
5. Remove to a plate and set aside then very carefully wipe out skillet with a dry paper towel.
6. Turn heat down to medium then whisk together flour and ½ cup milk in a small bowl.
7. Pour mixture into skillet then add remaining 1½ cups milk.
8. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened, 7-10 minutes.
9. Remove skillet from heat then add ¾ of the shredded cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and stir until smooth.
10. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
11. Combine cooked rice and broccoli mixture with cheese sauce then scoop mixture into a nonstick sprayed 9×13” baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
12. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then let casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yields about 8 servings

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats blog

Nutritional Information:

 

White Chicken/Turkey Chili

This winter just will not end… after a week of Jimmy and Catherine both being sick, I have been on pins and needles as I do whatever I can to ward it off.  Between Vitamin C and Zinc, after another cold day, I figured we needed a good hearty soup.  I looked on Pinterest for an idea of what I could do with the leftover rotisserie turkey that we had had the night before and I found this recipe.  Jimmy, not being a super spicy fan, actually said that this was an awesome dinner – it gave some spice but more in a throat warming kind of way, then in a mouth-on-fire way.  Turns out, nutritionally, other than the sodium, it’s really good for you too!  Can’t wait to have more for lunch with the leftovers!

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, shredded
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 oz. canned jalapenos, diced (with juice)
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 1 box (32 oz.) chicken broth
• 4 oz. chicken or turkey stock
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice (about half of 1 lime)
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, sauté the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.
2. Once the onion is done, add chicken/turkey, beans, corn, canned jalapenos (with juice from can), and cumin to the large pot.
3. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth and stock.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce.
5. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from a half of lime.
6. Add ½ cup of chopped cilantro if you desire.
7. Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.
8. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded pepper jack cheese, avocado or tortilla chips. 

Makes (7) 1-Cup Servings

Nutritional Information:

Chicken & Corn Chowder

After a 2-day snow storm with about 10" of snow and bitterly cold temperatures ranging from subzero to single digits, no one was in the mood to go out.  No one was in the mood to do much of anything, other than stay snuggled under blankets and think warm thoughts.  I saw this recipe on the Facebook page that I began subscribing to -- RecipeGirl.  This is such a delicious, hearty soup, and the best part -- it's healthy.  Although I'm not fully on the New Year's D-word bandwagon, it's nice to have an easy, oh-so-good recipe to try and get me hoisted up on it.

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ½ of 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can corn kernels
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken (or turkey)
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• Green onion, thinly sliced (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven set over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, celery, red pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the corn and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Place the flour in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the soup, along with the salt and pepper.
7. Cook, whisking frequently, until the soup is thickened, about 15 minutes.
8. Stir in the chicken, cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper.
9. Stir until the cheese is melted.
10. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes

Yields 6 Servings (1 ¼ cups each):  Calories 218.5 / Total Fat 6.6g / Saturated Fat 2.4g / Cholesterol 13.0mg / Sodium 844.3mg / Total Carbohydrates 25.2g / Fiber 1.7g / Sugars 9.0g / Protein 15.6g / WW (Old Points) 5 / WW (Points+) 6

Adapted from Cookin’ Canuck blog