Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

I was trying to figure out what to fix for dinner and this is what I came up with!

After searching through the freezer and refrigerator, I couldn't find anything that just jumped out and said "Cook me!"  Which in it's own right is funny, because I just went to the grocery store on Friday.  Oh well.

I grabbed a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  The package was approximately 3.5 lbs so I just took out half and put the rest in the freezer for later.

I put a little EVOO in a skillet and placed the thighs in the pan to sear them on both sides for just a minute or two.  Then I added a can of low sodium chicken broth, 1/2 can of water, some diced onion, black pepper and garlic powder and brought it to a boil.  Now turn the stove down to very low and let it simmer for an hour or so.  You want the chicken to fall apart.

It smells so good!

After the chicken has cooked to perfection, get out your casserole dish, this is the best part, you don't have to dirty up a bunch of bowls.  Spray your dish with a little baking spray.

I used some rubber tipped tongs to remove the chicken from the skillet and it just shredded as I picked it up.  Save a cup of the cooking broth for later.  Place the chicken in the casserole dish and if you need to shred it more, go in with 2 forks and rip it up.

You want it to have a little bit of umpfff.  Don't go crazy with the shredding.

Now add the corn, rotel, cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 c milk, stuffing mix and cooking broth to the chicken and mix it together.  If the stuffing mix still seems too dry, add a little more cooking broth.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on 350°  Add the shredded cheese to the top and bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese has melted.

The RECIPE...

Santa Fe Chicken

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of chicken thighs

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1/2 medium diced onion

Black pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

1/2 can water

1 can whole corn (drained)

1 can Ro-tel (drained)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2 c milk

1 cup cooking broth (reserved from skillet)

1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing (chicken)

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet add olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Place chicken thighs in skillet and sear for a minute on each side.  Add chicken broth, diced onion, water, pepper and garlic powder.  Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 45 minutes to an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350°

In a 9x13 casserole dish, add chicken and shred.  Mix corn, ro-tel, soup, milk, cooking broth and stuffing together until combined well.  Add a little more broth if the stuffing seems to dry.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Add shredded cheese to top and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melty.

Enjoy!

Zombies...Oh My!

When you just thought the yellow brick road had lions, tigers and bears... well, my road isn't really yellow and it's not made of brick.  It's actually black top, there are a few mountain lions, and snakes out there and possibly a zombie or two lurking in the dark.

No.. not really.  I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but I HATE exercise.  I know I need to do it to be healthy and I usually go all in when I start a new exercise program, dvd, plan, etc...and, that lasts for about 3 days.  The weird thing is that I really really want to LOVE exercise.  I've wanted to be able to do a 5K fun run or color run and yes, maybe even a Zombie run with my friends, but I know I wouldn't make it a 1/2 mile without wanting to sit down somewhere and get a ride back to the starting line, so I could go back home and take a shower.  I don't like sweating much either. lol

Around November of last year a friend told me she was doing a 5K training.  I was like, yeah, yeah, I tried C25K (couch to 5K) I don't think I even made it a week.  She told me it was an app on her phone and it was fun.  So, of course, me wanting to hear how it could be fun asked...She told me it's a Zombie Run.  Now, I'm a huge fan of the Walking Dead, but I'm not really into being Zombie bait...

I downloaded the app on my iphone and set out on the first day with where the story begins...

The "dr." explains where they are, what's happening and that they desperately need you to help.  So, the first day, I listened and did a 1 mile walk.  I was really impressed with myself.  But, I never did the actual Week 1 Work out.  In fact I never even thought about it after that day.  It got cold outside, snowing, ice, there was always an excuse not to go for a walk.

Yesterday, the guys were hogging the tv with Nascar Racing and Drag Racing ALL DAY LONG...and I was cruising through my friends posts and saw a picture of someone who had completed a 5K run.  I was actually jealous.  I remembered the Zombie app on my phone.  I got right up, found my earbuds, dug my running shoes out of the back of my closet and without a word, walked outside.

In the back of my mind I actually heard a little voice saying 10 minutes.  I'd heard that voice before, she's the one who doesn't like exercise.

I turned on the app and the "dr" explained what I was doing. First a 10 minute walk.  uh oh,  that voice came back.  just 10 minutes.  Then the "dr" said we were going to do drills of 1 minute walking and 15 seconds of running (10 times).

I made it through the 10 minute warm up walk, just fine.  That voice was starting to get louder, she wanted to go back in the house because she was getting a little winded.  But I wanted to see if I could do the drills, so I kept going.  I finished all 10 drills.  The voice inside my head was screaming the entire time.  STOP, STOP, STOP.  I didn't stop, I was sweating, I was gasping for breath, but I didn't stop.  Then the "dr" said, now I want you to do a 10 minute free form run.  You pick how much running and walking you do.  So, I walked for about a minute and then, starting running.  I told myself to run to the next mailbox,  I made it to the mailbox, run to the next driveway, I made it to the driveway, go to that tree shadow, go to the horses...I just kept going.  In all honesty, that little run was probably only 1 minute, but I did it.  I kept pushing farther and farther and then I noticed that the voice in my head that kept telling me to quit wasn't screaming any more.  I walked a little bit more and then I'd run, pushing myself a little more each time.  Before I knew it, the "dr" was saying great job.  You've completed day 1.  She told me to stretch, and take a shower and for my good work to take the next day off.

I walked back in the house 38 minutes later, my phone showed I had gone 1.85 miles in that amount of time. My face was the color of a beet and I was breathing really hard, but I went in and took my cool shower and I felt so freakin proud of myself.

Even though the "dr" told me to take the day off, I think I'm going to go outside and do it all over again.  I've got to get my training completed so I can progress to the Zombie missions.  I might not be able to kill the Zombies, but I will definitely be able to out run them.

If you want to join me on my 5K mission, come on over to my support group on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/healthy.choices.WLS/

Find the app on your phone, register at https://www.zombiesrungame.com/ that will let you share your training stats with the group.

I personally need all the motivation and support I can get, lets be accountable to each other.

What do you lean on when you're mad?

I don't get mad very often, in fact in the last couple of years I could probably count my mad days on 1 hand.  Usually, I'm not so much mad but instead my feelings are hurt.  In the past when this happened I would go to the kitchen and start looking for something to calm my nerves.  Something sweet or salty, it really didn't matter.  After my cabinet raid I'd feel better for a little while.  But the pain always returned.

Well, today I got my feelings hurt.  I spent most of the day cleaning house and working my Skinny Fiber job.  Had my plan for dinner and was just sitting down to knit a few rows when David came home.

I started fixing dinner, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.  THEN....

He proceeded to tell me what I didn't get done instead of saying something positive. He told me the kitchen floor was dirty, apparently a penny had been laying in the floor next to the baseboard for 2 days.

He works hard, in a hot shop all day and yes, I have the privilege of staying home.  I take care of the house and cook and all the other domestic chores.  I had planned to mop the kitchen floor, but I put it off.  I thought about it all day long and should have just gone in there and gotten it over with.  Mopping is one job I absolutely hate.  Apparently, he'd had a bad day and I got the brunt of it.

So, with my feelings hurt, I went into the kitchen.  While I was getting dinner ready.  I caught myself browsing through the refrigerator.  I thought to myself, what in the world are you doing.  You are going to eat dinner in about 30 minutes.  I paced around the kitchen for a few minutes and decided to mop the kitchen floor.  I pulled all the chairs and table out of the kitchen and swept up the dust bunnies that were hiding under the chairs, and mopped.  I guess when you're upset and mopping you put more force and effort into the back and forth motion.  I worked up a big sweat and got it finished by the time the oven timer went off.

I plated his for for him, I usually just tell him dinners ready... moved the table and chairs back into the kitchen and told him to come eat.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this... When you're stressed, upset, feelings hurt or just plain ol mad.  If you usually go to the kitchen to make yourself feel better, try mopping.

I actually feel much better now.  I got an ugly chore completed, I didn't stress eat and my feelings are feeling just fine.