Quick Chicken Pot Pie

I don't know about the rest of you girls out there but, I get cravings and let me tell you, I have to give in occasionally.  So, here I am, making chicken pot pie... NOM

This recipe is really easy to make and delicious.  Surprisingly, it's less than 500 calories per serving too!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 3/4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 16 oz mixed frozen veggies, thawed and drained
• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded and chunked
• 1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium saucepan (at least 2 quarts), melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions, salt, and pepper.  Cook until the onions are tender. 
3. Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly until well blended and the roux is complete.
4. Gradually add the milk and chicken broth.  Stir occasionally until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
5. Add the mixed veggies and chicken to the saucepan.  Remove from heat.
6. Spray a 9x13 glass pan with Pam Olive Oil.  Spread the mixture into the pan and top with the crescent rolls.  
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the crust the is desired golden brown.

ENJOY!

Spinach Mushroom Onion Pasta

Have any of you ever watched Chopped on Food Network?  I tend to watch it when I am bored.  Well, my boyfriend and I are traveling this weekend, and hate wasting food, so we haven't done much grocery shopping the past few days.  Luckily, I have watched chopped enough to find this empty refrigerator a great challenge, not a "take-out" opportunity.

So, I threw together a pasta dish.  The only meat we had available to us was chicken.  We had some mushrooms and onions cut up (that I eat in omelets every morning), of course garlic (I am a firm believer in "everyone should have garlic laying around"), and some spinach from salads left over. Then, to the cabinet... what do I see?  A box of thin spaghetti from while ago.

I usually make my own sauce (growing up in a part-Italian family makes you learn to hate all of the jar sauces at the grocery store).  Well, poop, I don't have any of the ingredients for an Alfredo sauce... well why not just a garlic and olive oil sauce?  Sounds good!

Ingredients (none of these have been measured, I went off of taste):

chopped onion
sliced mushroom
chopped spinach
chicken breasts
garlic powder
minced garlic
onion powder
basil
oregano
salt
pepper
cooked pasta
Parmesan cheese (if desired)

Directions:

1. Coat the chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
2. Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, add approx. 1 tbsp minced garlic, place over medium heat.  Cook the chicken breasts until fully cooked. 
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet.  Add about 1 tbsp of minced garlic and cover the bottom with olive oil.  Add as many onions and mushrooms as you want. Allow to cook for 2-4 minutes (so the mushroom and onion are the desired tenderness).  Add as much spinach and pasta as you want.
4. Once the pasta has warmed up and the spinach begins to wilt, remove from heat.  Serve with a piece of chicken and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

I was surprised at how easy and fun this was to challenge myself to make!  

ENJOY!