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Broccoli and Chicken Bake!


 

Is there anything better than a dinner that is not only quick, but healthy AND only requires ONE dish to clean?! I think not, I definitely hit the jackpot with this find!

Recently, Green Giant came out with a whole new array of frozen veggie goodies including veggie tots! A few months ago I tried the cauliflower ones and was hooked, so I bought a few more bags and one bag of the broccoli kind. Forgetting about that purchase, those broccoli and cheese tots sat in my freezer for quite some time, during which I was more preoccupied with my other purchase-- a cast iron skillet.

Last Friday I was searching for a good skillet recipe and just so happened to stumble upon one that incorporated veggie tots! While skimming through the ingredients, I realized that, though I didn't have everything, I had the main ones in my fridge/freezer already-- including those forgotten about broccoli tots! So, to the kitchen I went to fire up that skillet and get cooking!

About 30-some minutes later, I had a delicious dinner and minimal clean-up-- and leftovers for another day!

Looking for a quick dinner option yourself? Try out my rendition of SkinnyTaste's "Skillet Chicken and Broccoli Tot Pie" below (and I apologize for the lack of measurements in some areas-- I just did them to personal taste)!

 

Broccoli and Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Chopped onion to taste

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1-3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 lb. cooked, shredded chicken breasts

Chopped broccoli to taste

Sea salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1/2 to 1 tsp dried thyme

Celery salt to taste

Dried parsley to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

1 package of Green Giant Broccoli and Cheese Veggie Tots

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2.) Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, celery salt, dried parsley and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic, cook 1 minute then add in flour. Stir, add broth, stir an additional 1 minute.

3.) Add chicken, broccoli, salt, pepper, thyme and cook over medium heat until mixture is boiling. Turn heat down to a simmer and let sit for about 3-4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.) Top with (frozen) veggie tots and place into oven until tots are crisp and golden (about 16-20 minutes).

5.) Remove from oven, allow to sit for about 1-2 minutes, then add Parmesan cheese, divide into fourths, and serve!

Nutritional info will vary, but one serving roughly comes out to 35g P/ 30g C/ 11g F

 

Simple enough, right? Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

I think next time around I may add in some shredded cheddar and maybe some other veggies (SkinnyTaste recommends celery and carrots!). What extra fix-ins do you think would go great with this meal??

 

MARIA'S FITNESS TIPS

#1 

Set goals! Set both long and short-range goals to keep yourself motivated. Be sure that the short-range goals will eventually lead you to your big-picture, long-range ones. Consider them stepping stones on the path towards something bigger.

 

#2

Do what you like to do. Don't just start doing something because everyone else is; find what you truly enjoy and do that. In the end, if you don't have a genuine interest in your workouts and lifestyle, you're going to hinder your progress.

 

#3

Switch things up! I know this may sound kind of funny after just reading #2, but as humans, we can get bored of doing the same thing over and over. As well, our muscles can get "bored" and we can plateau. Do not be afraid to try new things and incorporate change to keep you entertained and your muscles guessing!

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