Chicken Tamale Bake

Fun fact about Allison.

I hate the word "bake" when used to describe what we all know as a casserole. Can't we just call it a casserole? Why not?

Guess what? Dishes known as "bakes" are just as delicious as casseroles.

I probably could have eaten the entire pan of this myself. Um, hello? Cornbread? Yep.

Good thing I preach portion control.

Skinny Broccoli Mac and Cheese {recipe}

This is another Skinnytaste inspired recipe. Gina...that girl has a gift. I'm so glad to have found her blog months ago!

With cooler Fall weather approaching, we all put up our grills and lawn chairs to move back inside to enjoy comfort food. Many casseroles, soups, and crockpot recipes become our once again, favorites. This mac and cheese is a great addition to that collection of feel good food. It is surprisingly light and doesn't "weigh you down" as many pasta dishes too. I also really liked the broccoli as an added veggie. 

Again, I will use my husband as my rating scale (because he has a palate of a 6 year old. Love you!) and he enjoyed it. He would have preferred I skip the last step of putting it in the over to bake as he likes a "runnier" mac and cheese. Baking it caused it to become more like a casserole, but I think it would be great either way! 

Skinny Broccoli Mac and Cheese

adapted from Skinnytaste

Gina's calorie breakdown looks something like this:
Servings: 8 Serving Size: 1 cup Calories: 314.9


12 oz high fiber elbows
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light butter (I used Brummel and Brown)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth
2 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar
salt and fresh pepper to taste
12 oz broccoli florets (I used a pre-cut bag of fresh found in the salad aisle)


If you don't choose to bake it, skip these 3 ingredients.
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray

As you can see, I keep Great Value in business.

Preheat oven to 375° (if you don't want to bake it, skip this step).Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray (again, if you don't want to bake it, skip this step).




In a large skillet, melt both butters then add the onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes. 

Add flour and cook  until the flour is golden and well combined. 

Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raise heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.






Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted.Taste then add more salt and pepper if desired. Combine cooked macaroni and broccoli with sauce and combine well. 

If you don't want to bake it, you are done here! But, if you want to pop it in the oven to get a nice, golden brown crust on top, keep reading! 


 Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top.Bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week! 

Mexican Casserole

Sunday's are cheat days in our house. Cheat day=eat whatever you want...as much as you want...and let loose. These days cheat day just doesn't do a whole lot for me. Not that I'm left longing for something else horrible for me that Sunday just didn't provide, just that I find myself liking to eat healthy. I always pay for the crap I eat on Sunday come Monday morning. It just doesn't seem worth it.

This Sunday I made mexican. Wise loves mexican food. He considers a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel mexican food, so he's not hard to please. I made sort of a casserole/burrito filling/dip. Its great in tortillas or eaten with tortilla chips. Sadly, I didn't take a picture, but here is the recipe.

Easy Mexican Casserole

1 lb ground beef (I buy organic, grass fed, locally raised beef)
2 14.5oz cans of refried beans
1 small can of diced green chilies
1 small can sliced olives
1 bottle taco sauce (You can also use salsa if that's all  you have on hand)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used monterrey jack and cheddar)

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef. In a bowl, mix refried beans and chilies together. Spray your casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer cooked beef on the bottom in an even layer. Then spread your bean/chilie mixture over the beans in a nice, even layer. Sprinkle olives (or don't, I know many people don't like them) over beans. Pour entire bottle of taco sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake a 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You are really just heating everything through. Cheese will be bubbly! I let mine sit out for a few minutes. I find that is best when cooking anything in a casserole dish. Serve with tortilla chips, taco toppings, queso (if you are my husband), or tortillas for burritos!


In addition to the mexican casserole, I managed to kill 4 mini cinnamon rolls for breakfast, a bowl of Cherrios for lunch, and an 8 pack of Oreos with milk before bed.