keep calm & make a casserole.

hey everyone!

glad you enjoyed the random questions from last night.  several of you didn’t like the first question, but these are the things i think about, people, i can’t hide my strange thoughts from you.

anyway, it sounds like most of you would rather freeze to death than burn to death. the consensus is that you would just fall asleep and go numb. i agree. here are my answers to all the questions:

1. would you rather burn to death or freeze to death? freeze. see above for reason.

2. what was the last green food you ate? i am eating green beans right this very minute.

3. how many pillows do you sleep with? one, but sometimes it ends up being none if i throw it off the bed unknowingly in my sleep. marshall sleeps with zero pillows—instead, he uses a blanket as a pillow.

4. do you have any phobias? claustrophobia!!!!!!!!! i also hate spiders.

5. what was the last thing you took a photo of? the recipe i am about to show you…

as i mentioned, i was feeling less than 100% yesterday. i am still feeling a little blah, thanks to those of you who sent get well wishes. no idea what’s going on there.  the good news is that they were able to fix our furnace! after about 4 hours of shivering and waiting around for the repairman to arrive, that is.  but instead of complaining, i kept calm and did what i do best—made a casserole.

bobby flay was throwing it down on the food network and it was a battle for the best lobster mac & cheese. this put the idea of mac & cheese in marshall’s head, so that was his special dinner request. i rose from my nap, cracked a kombucha and got to work..

four cheese chicken mac.

makes six big servings

ingredients:

• 6 oz whole wheat elbow macaroni (cooked in salted water)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled & shredded
• 1 large bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 1/4 (give or take) cottage cheese, blended
• 4 laughing cow cheese wedges
• 2/3 cup (give or take) shredded colby jack cheese
• 1/3 cup (give or take) shredded parmesan or asiago cheese
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk of choice (i used skim)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt + pepper to taste
• whole wheat panko bread crumbs
• more cheese for sprinkling purposes

directions:

after preparing your macaroni and chicken, put a pot on the stove over medium heat.  spray it with oil and toss in the green onions.

sauté for a few minutes while you blend and grate your cheeses.

 

turn the heat to low and add your cheese and milk to the pot—you don’t want to scorch it, so low and slow is the key!

go ahead and add the basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.. taste it and make sure it is to your satisfaction. add more of something if you want.. but at this point it is a little too late to add less, so i hope you like it.

add your chicken and noodles to the pot and mix well.

 

pour mixture into a 9×9 baking dish.

sprinkle with cheese if you want (trust me, you want.)

top with bread crumbs.

i found these whole wheat panko bread crumbs at whole foods.

 

 

cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until you can’t possibly wait any longer for your husband to get home from the gym.

enjoy!

i really think this may be the best casserole yet. i just got done eating the leftovers for lunch and i am in casserole heaven.

make it. i dare you.

Q~

finish the sentence according to your mood today:  “keep calm and _______________”

xo. janetha g.

 

p.s. here are the nutritionals for those who asked.. per serving= 440 calories, 42g protein, 31g carbs, 16g fat.. no, i didn’t say it was good for you!