So I Remember

On Twitter, I'm one of those random people who likes to tweet my new posts, the odd things I'm doing, and my dinner plans. It just seems like the kind of thing you do on Twitter. With some regularity, I've been getting requests for the stuff that I tweet about making. I then write up what I did and email it off to whomever asked.

It serves two purposes. One, it is sharing, and sharing is always good, and two, it makes my husband happy. You see, I'm unlikely to pay complete attention to what I am making. If he likes it, I may make it again, but since I don't remember what I made, there is a chance it isn't going to be as well liked. I'm notorious for making things without the same ingredients in the house, or for tweaking them to make them healthier.

So if I write them up for others, chances are I'll remember what I did enough to be able to make them again. Everybody wins.

One of the things I'm struggling with is finding healthy options that are quick (and thus easy) for this dark and cold season. I have an extra restriction to what most have in that I not only need low fat, lower carb, but as little refined sugar as possible. It was something I brought up with the nutritionist at my appointment last week. Her response was to give me a sheet with some quick and easy ideas for meals. None of them had real portions, they were just ideas of what you can do. It turns out they may be perfect inspiration.

Which now gets me to my point. The original suggestion was for equal parts instant brown rice & water, a can of lowfat cream of chicken soup, a pound chicken breasts, and some seasoning, curry is good, Mix in a dish, bake for 45 minutes. Here is what I actually did:

1 & 1/4 (the extra 1/4 was what was left in the box and could easily be left off) instant brown rice. (Uncle Ben's)
1 & 1/4 c. water
1 can Campbells Cream of Chicken- Healthy Request variety (you don't miss the salt or fat, I swear)
2 larger chicken breasts, cubed, the smaller they are, the faster they cook
1.5 T. pure Ancho chili powder (not the mixed up cheap kind, the good stuff)
1.5 t. ground cumin
1 small can of roasted and diced mild green chilis (I've been liking the Trader Joes kind)

Mix it all up and put it in a 9 x 9 pan. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, top with a little lowfat cheese, put back in the oven until the cheese melts, serve and enjoy.

It was really tasty, theoretically proportioned right for four servings, and very filling. We had it with some green beans, both A & I had plenty to eat, M had some (darn thing is becoming a pickier eater), and we have a large serving of leftovers.

I'm thinking I could take the original suggestion of curry or try a different seasoning combination in the future. Perhaps make it all mushroomy with a different soup and lots of diced up mushrooms. (wouldn't that just be perfect for a church basement gathering) The possibilities are endless, and there are a lot more ideas on that sheet. Mmm...