HG's Chicken Pot Pie

Growing up I loved Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite kind of pot pie was not homemade, but from Marie Callendar. That woman knows how to cook. :) However, I couldn't even tell you the last time I ate one, have you seen the "nutritional" info on those puppies? Go take a quick peak. 430 Calories... 30.6g of Fat (12.6 saturated)...1041.3mg Sodium... YIKES! So as soon as I found Kickin' Chicken Pot Pie in HG's book, I marked it to make right away.

This recipe has 4 ingredients and is super simple to make. It does taste pretty close to a real pot pie. I did make a few changes.. added more veggies, added a tiny bit of chicken broth and greek yogurt. Next time I make it I think I might try it out with Cream of Chicken Soup rather than celery. Even with my changes though, I know it is still MUCH healthier than other chicken pot pie options out there.

HG's Kickin' Chicken Pot Pie



8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used Birdseye SteamFresh Baby Potato Blend)
1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery
3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared) I wanted a thick crust so I used the entire thing.
Because I added more than 3c veggies, I also mixed in about 1/4 c reduced sodium chicken broth and maybe 2 tbsp of greek yogurt and some S&P.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside.

Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through).

While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish. Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 4. Serving Size: 1/4th pie (approx. 7 oz.)

Nutritional Info for the Original Recipe:
Calories: 210
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 800mg
Carbs: 24g
Fiber: 2.5g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 16.5g

Just for Nikki...

I received a comment on facebook today mentioning the fact I haven't blogged in forever. So thanks to Nikki I'm blogging.


We've been very busy traveling for Christmas and New Years since my family and my husband's family are both out of town. I've also been busy playing with my new kitchen goodies and trying to relax. My fav food related gifts:


Cuisinart 7 Cup Food Processor
An awesome food scale that weighs food and also gives the nutritional value.


I've become obsessed with weighing EVERYTHING. Who knew calorie counting could be so fun. I got some smaller kitchen gadgets too and I have some BB&B gift cards that are just burning holes in my pockets.


Anyhow, my friend Jamie gave me the Hungry Girl cookbook. I'm sure most of you know of HG. If not, go to her website. The book is full of easy low fat and low calorie recipes. Depending on who you ask, they aren't all exactly healthy seeing as she recommends lots of fat free/imitation type of ingredients. (She's not a nutritionist... just hungry!) I know for some people this is great while others would prefer using real ingredients. I'm right smack dab in the middle of this. My diet usually consists of both. I real ingredients like Butter as opposed to that mysterious margarine. But, I might eat a 100 Calorie Pack to satisfy a craving. In the future, I'm not sure if I'll follow every recipe to a T, but I'll definitely use it as a guide. The book is also good for portion control. It seems most of the recipes are for 1-5 servings. HG also includes little facts about food that will make you think twice before stuffing your face with a huge platter of nachos at the next happy hour.


I've tried a couple recipes and they've been pretty good. My favorite so far is the Big Fat Greek Pita. It's perfect for lunch. My lunches usually consist of some sort of raw veggie/hummus/pita type of concoction. This was a great way to change it up without ruining my eating habits for the day.


Big Fat Greek Pita
Source: Hungry Girl Book


Image from HG Newsletter 10/26/06


Ingredients


1 Whole wheat (or high-fiber) pita
2 oz fat-free plain Greek Yogurt
1 small onion - sliced
1/2 cup sliced red and green bell peppers
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
S&P, oregano, and garlic powder, to taste
Optional: Red Pepper Flakes


Directions


In a small dish, combine yogurt with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder (season to taste). Add red pepper flakes for a super-spicy pita.


In a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cook onions and peppers over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes.


Add spinach and tomatoes, and cook until spinach wilts


Remove from heat, and mix veggies with yogurt sauce. Cut pita in half and stuff with veggie mix