Creamy Chicken Brocolli Casserole

We don't eat many creamy dishes because we don't eat much dairy, but a friend posted this and I had to try it...plus, it's healthy! My husband and I really enjoyed it, but my daughter just thought it was ok (she isn't used to creamy things and said she would have rather had "regular chicken and brocolli"). I am also thinking of using this main idea to make a healthy green bean casserole for Thanksgiving Dinner!

3 chicken breasts (or, you could use leftover whole chicken from a roasted chicken)
2 heads broccoli (the farmer's market have a lot lately)
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used regular and portabello, but any would be tasty)
1 Tbsp. organic butter
1/3 jar grapeseed oil vegenaise (Whole Foods or Valley Natural-Refrigerated)
4-6 oz raw, organic jack cheese (shredded)
1 cup raw almonds, shredded

1. Season (sea salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, etc.) and cook the chicken-I baked it in the oven or you could grill it. Dice into bite sized pieces.
2. Steam the broccoli and set aside.
3. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter (you could also throw in carrots, zucchini, or anything else you like).
4. In a large bowl, mix the vegenaise and most of the jack cheese together well. Add in the chicken, cut broccoli, and onion/mushroom mixture.
5. Pour the contents into a medium to large casserole pan and top with shredded almonds (I food processed them) and the remaining handful of cheese.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I think you could also add any vegetable or add brown rice or brown rice pasta if you wanted, but I thought it was quite tasty as it was. The almonds gave it a nice sweet crunch!

Weekly Meal Plan 8/22-8/27

Here is our meal plan for this week!

Monday:
Lunch-Lunch with friends
Dinner-Leftovers from the weekend
Snacks-Energy Bars, Brownies, Mexican layer dip with fresh guac (talk at the office snacks)

Tuesday:
Lunch-Chicken Nuggets and Baked Veggies, steamed brocolli and cauliflower with lots of sea salt
Dinner-At a friend's house

Wednesday:
Lunch-Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Chickpeas
Dinner-Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken, organic corn on the cob, roasted root veggies

Thursday:
Lunch-Leftover chicken and veggies
Dinner-Brocolli Chicken Casserole (new one I'm trying)

Friday:
Lunch-Chicken Marsala with leftover veggies,Raw cookies
Dinner-Grilled whole chicken, Salads

Saturday:
Lunch-leftovers
Dinner-Out

Shopping List (draft)

Okay, so I have finally started a shopping list, but I need to finish it (it will always be a work in progress). I also need to find a way to better upload this or put it into a better chart but at least here will give you an idea of a few things (mostly from Target), and I promise to get you a better list soon!

Item and Description:		Price-Target	Price-Valley Natural	Price-Whole Foods	Price-Cub	Price-Rainbow	Price-Walmart	Other/Comments
Organic Eggs		3.79/doz.
*Find a local farm		(they run sales often)
Silk Almond Milk		$3.04
Silk Coconut		$3.29
Almond Breeze Almond Milk		$3.04
So Delicious Coconut Milk			$3.34
Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream		$3.99/pint	$5.99	$5.00
Mary's Gone Crackers		$3.99
Diced Tomatoes		$1.69-$2.89
Brown Rice Pasta		$3.69	$4.99				$3.59
Organic Canned Beans		$1.79
*Whole Foods Store Brand runs great sales
Organicville BBQ Sauce		$4.29
*They also have ketchup
Laura's Lean Beef-Target only		$5.29-6.29
		*They run sales often
Meyer Beef		$4.79
Bare Chicken-Target only		$5.99/14 oz
Harvestland Chicken							Whole Chicken-$1.57/lb
						$8.99	Frozen Breasts-Ind. Wrapped-36 oz/$9.48
Harvestland Ground Turkey							$3.19/lb

Coconut Blueberry Muffins

I don't eat muffins very often at all, mostly because they are full of flour and sugar and are not good for you at all. But, the other day, we bought a huge container of blueberries so I decided to search for a healthy and yummy recipe. I found this one, but altered it quite a bit and it worked (sometimes that doesn't always work out)! My 3 year old even said, "Mommy, thanks for the yummy cupcake!"

6 organic eggs
1 stick organic butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup raw organic honey (you could also try agave or raw maple syrup as well)
2/3 cup organic coconut flour
2 scoops Mila Chia Seed (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. baking powder
4-6 Tbsp. water
1 cup blueberries (or if you're like me I used way more than that)-or any berries you like!

1. Whisk the eggs, add the melted butter, vanilla, and sea salt and continue whisking until well combined.
2. Add the honey (or other sweetener) and whisk in well.
3. Add the dry ingredients (coconut flour, chia, and baking powder) and continue whisking (batter will be somewhat thin at first but will thicken up).
4. Whisk in the water 1 Tbsp. at a time to desired thickness.
5. Fold in the blueberries carefully (I used fresh berries, but I am sure you could also do frozen).
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and slightly golden brown on top.
*This made me 12 muffins, plus one mini-loaf.
*Be sure to line muffin tins or else grease them with coconut oil or butter.

I can't wait to try them with raspberries (my favorite berry) next time! They are very tasty and not "heavy" tasting, perfect for breakfast with some fresh fruit or a smoothie, or great for an afternoon snack (I just had to try them)!

Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breasts

To say this was easy is an understatement! I was getting bored with some of our common meals: salads, grilled chicken, taco soup, etc. so I decided to mix it up and create a "fancy" wild rice stuffed chicken breast. It was simple and took minutes to prepare, and it got four thumbs up from my family (two from my hubby and two from my daughter)!

3 large, chicken breasts trimmed
3/4 cup organic wild rice (I used the quick cooking kind)
Raw, organic cheese (I had sharp cheddar on hand so I used that)
Handful diced mushrooms
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Poultry Seasoning (any kind without msg)

1. First, I melted the coconut oil in an 8 x 8 glass baking dish.
2. Sliced the chicken down the middle until almost separated, then season both sides of the chicken.
3. Stuff the chicken breasts with 1/4 cup wild rice (more or less to your liking), a few diced mushrooms, and 1-2 slices of raw cheese. Fold closed the chicken and hold together with a toothpick.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes, broiling for the last 5 minutes to get that golden brown look.

You could also try other stuffing options, such as sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, or other veggies! We enjoyed these with fresh, steamed veggies!

Weekly Meal Plan 7/31-8/6

Sunday:
Lunch-Chipotle with family
Dinner-Grilled Chicken Drumsticks, roasted baby red potatoes, cucumber salad

Monday:
Lunch-leftovers
Dinner-Salsa Chicken Black Bean Soup

Tuesday:
Lunch-Omelets w/ fresh csa veggies, sauteed baby red potatoes
Dinner-Enchiladas with leftover Black Bean Soup

Wednesday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Sausages, Steamed Carrots and Cauliflower, Roasted Chickpeas
Dinner-Spinach Brown Rice Spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce (save half in the freezer for next week)

Thursday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Salad w/ fresh csa veggies and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing
Dinner-Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Friday:
Lunch-Chicken Fajitas with Rice
Dinner-Baked Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Zucchini

Saturday (hubby out of town):
Lunch-Eat Out
Dinner-Leftovers from the week

Snacks:
Almond Pecan Bars
Rhubarb Crisp
Trail Mix
Other Snack Ideas-These are great to just keep around the house!

Reminder: Involved your kids in meal planning and the preparing of the meal. I know that it takes a lot longer to have a 3 year old helper, but when my daughter has even a small part in making or choosing the meal, she is almost guaranteed to eat it without any complaints!