Lighter Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Tomatoes

Good MORNING! How’s everyone doing on this fine Wednesday morning?

Things are going well over here…I’m just feeling a bit spazzy this week with trying to get things ready for HLS (already this weekend!) and organizing everything else that is my life. Gosh I wish I was better with time management…

Last night Jay and I had my in-laws over for dinner and we had this thing of beauty.

Homemade mac and cheese with chicken and tomatoes, baby! I actually just slightly adapted one of my previous mac and cheese recipes to come up with this one and I think it was enjoyed by all…at least I’m assuming so, since the four of us polished the pan clean.

(You guys can check out the recipe by scrolling down to the bottom of this post!)

My in-laws brought over some fresh corn on the cob to have with dinner and it was, by far, the best we’ve had so far this season. Dinner may have been full of starchy carbs and not super colorful…but it was pretty darn delicious.

Shortly after dinner, we finished up the evening with a little dessert.

I used up my box of “reduced guilt” brownies that I bought from Trader Joe’s last week, and prepared them with a container of black cherry Greek yogurt. They were almost more cake-like than brownies, but they still tasted fantastic along with a little ice cream.

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This morning Jay had to be up and out early for work, so I took that as a cue to really get up on time and get a head start on my day. Lately, I’ve been waiting to do my workouts until almost noon, and I really just don’t enjoy waiting that long. So today, I laced up my sneaks right away and headed down to the treadmill for a walk.

One hour, 3.5 miles, and two chapters later, I was ready for some breakfast.

It’s Waffle Wednesday!

Topped with almond butter, banana slices, cinnamon, and chia seeds. Yummmm.

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Alright, if you’ve scrolled down looking for a recipe…have no fear!

I’ve got it for ya right here.

Lighter Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Tomatoes

(adapted from my Chicken, Bacon, & Ranch Mac & Cheese)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
• 1 (15oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or, if you can find it, use a Mac & Cheese blend)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Mac & Cheese blend)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Mac & Cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta, chicken, and diced tomatoes.
3. Preheat broiler. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Broil 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts.  Enjoy!

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Tagged as: corn on the cob, iced coffee, in-laws, light mac & cheese recipe, lighter mac and cheese with chicken and tomatoes, trader joe's brownie mix, treadmill walk, waffles