Chicken, Broccoli, & Cheese Casserole

This is a dish that both my mom and mother-in-law have made since my husband and I were little kids. It is definitely on the heavier side, but it is delicious and so satisfying! The traditional recipe uses Campbell’s cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, but both of those contain gluten. I found an organic gluten-free brand at Sprouts and I’ve been so excited to make this recipe again!! It’s hands-down my husband’s favorite dish and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do !

Ingredients:

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups shredded chicken

1 carton/can cream of mushroom soup

1 carton/can cream of chicken soup

2 T lemon juice

1-1.5 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Then layer the broccoli and the chicken.

In a separate bowl, mix the two cream soups with the lemon juice until thoroughly mixed, then pour over the broccoli & chicken in the casserole dish.

These are the soups I found at Sprouts and they were delicious!

Then lastly, add the shredded cheese on top!

Cover with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes. Then uncover and broil for a few more minutes until the cheese gets slightly brown and crispy. You can eat this on its own or serve with rice! Hope you all enjoy!

Mama's Chili Recipe!

Yesterday evening, I decided to ring in the first rainy day of fall with my family's famous chili recipe! My mom has been making this chili recipe for years and it is a hit every single time. This is a gluten/grain free recipe, and you can easily make it paleo by omitting the kidney beans and adding extra vegetables such as zucchini, squash, or even more bell peppers! This dish tastes great, is healthy, and leaves the house smelling amazing afterwards! Here is my Mama's Chili recipe!  

Makes 4 servings

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef (we used 96/4 from Trader Joe's)

1 cup kidney beans, canned and rinsed

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, or diced tomatoes with green chiles

2 T tomato paste mixed with 1/2 a cup of water

2 t chili powder

1/2 t salt

1 t cumin

Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Chop up the onion and pepper and saute in the oil for about 5 minutes until they are browned and softened. Add the ground beef and cook thoroughly! Make sure you grind up the beef into as little pieces as possible to ensure it cooks well. Once the meat is cooked, add the tomatoes and beans. These are the brands we used! But you can definitely use whichever ones you love!

Once you add these, make a tomato "sauce" by mixing 2 T tomato paste with about 1/2 a cup of water. Add this to the pot as well.

Add the remaining seasonings (chili powder, salt, and cumin) and mix all the ingredients together. Set the burner on medium-low heat and let the chili simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally. Add some water if the mixture becomes too thick!

And here is the finished product! This was such a comforting bowl of goodness on our rainy night last night and is definitely on our menu almost weekly during the fall and winter seasons! I hope you all enjoy! Here is the nutrition info in case anyone is wondering :)

Serving size is 1/4 of the pot, or about 1.5 cups: 250 calories, 8g fat (only 2g saturated fat, the rest is from the healthy olive oil!), 17g carbs, 26g protein