Eating Well In A Jiffy

Time is often short at our house, just like it is at yours but that doesn't mean I short change the family on nutritious meals.  It takes a commitment to eating healthy, nutritious meals.  So after I got home from an overnight college visit with my son yesterday afternoon,  I was back out the door in 40 minutes to the grocery where I stocked up on food to last a few days.  I had a meal plan and shopping list for three days which included breakfast and lunches.  I got home about 6 p.m. and made a good dinner.

To do this, you need to be organized and have several go to recipes that are easy and quick to prepare.  Sometimes you have to rely on partially prepared foods and leftovers to ease things along, like I did last night.  I had some leftover butternut squash soup which served as one of our vegetables.  I purchased a roasted chicken from the grocery for the chicken and broccoli casserole I made.  (One roasted chicken can sometimes yield enough meat for two meals.)  I used frozen broccoli rather than chop up fresh.

I did compromise my morals a bit last night as I used a jarred Alfredo sauce (higher in fat than I'd like) and I topped the casserole with buttered bread crumbs (which I rarely do).  Still a nice hot dinner was on the table with a little effort on my part.  Here is the photo and recipe.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
1/4 cup butter melted
3 cups of cubed sourdough or other bread, whole wheat would be better
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or less
3 cups broccoli florets or chopped broccoli
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup drained and chopped roasted red bell pepper
1 10 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup sour cream, use low fat
2 Tbsp. sherry
Drizzle butter over bread crumbs.  Set aside.  Heat oven to 400.  Combine broccoli and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl.  Spoon mixture into a greased 2 quart baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes then top with bread crumbs and cheese.  Continue baking until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

I also surprised my family with a lovely green smoothie last night. If you'd like the recipe and to find out what's in it, check out my other blog tomorrow on jonesboro.com.  You can find out who liked it and who didn't.