OM NOM NOM - 1st Savory Saturday

This here is a picture of what I made for dinner tonight. I would like to note first that the prep took FOREVER. I got the recipe from this cookbook that I love, Cooking Light. I love Cooking Light because several months ago, August 12th, acutally, I joined a site called MyFitnessPal in order to lose some weight I had hanging around. (Haha.) Since then, I have lost eight pounds through diet and exercise (although some came back during the holidays). MyFitnessPal calculates your weight, how much you want to lose, and how often you plan to work out and then gives you a calorie limit for each day. I have found it effective.

To do this, I cook low calorie meals and do exercise videos. I have a particular brand that I'm in love with: Ten Minute Solutions. They allow you to create workouts based on ten minute sessions. So, you can do one session, or do like me and put together three sessions for a thirty minute workout. I like it a lot and it lets me exercise without paying a membership fee for something.

Back to the dinner, which is what this post was supposed to be about. Here is the recipe, should you wish to try it out, 'cause this Cooking Light recipe only has 276 calories for one serving. Sweet.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole - From Cooking Light: "The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites"

3 quarts water
1 (12 oz.) package broccoli florets
4 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (fresh)
Dash of nutmeg
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
Cooking Spray

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add broccoli; cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chicken to boiling water; reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces; add chicken to bowl with broccoli.
3. Combine evaporated milk, flour salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, soup, and 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until well combined. Add mayonnaise mixture to broccoli mixture; stir gently until combined.
4. Spoon mixture in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400 for 50 minutes or until mixture bubbles at edges and cheese begins to brown.
Yield: 8 servings (Serving size 1 cup)

Note to all those that make this: Make sure you use mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip. Miracle Whip is mostly just miraculous for sandwiches. It's ok, but definitely off for casseroles. Also, make sure you have Parmesan cheese, and not 4 blend Mexican style cheese. That throws it off a little as well. One last thing, this takes forever long to prep and cook. Weekends are the best idea if you are in a rush.

Overall, I give this recipe a 3 out of 5, with a possibility for a 4 when I cook it correctly. I was thinking that the blog could have recipes on Saturday or Sunday and pictures of what I have cooked. We can call it...Savory Saturday or Savory Sunday! ALLITERATION.
I dub this day, the 8th of January, our first Savory Saturday! Huzzah!

Go eat some cookies. Loves.