Creamy Chicken-Noodle Skillet Casserole

Last night I made this casserole from a recipe in "Betty Crocker : The 300 Calorie Cookbook. It was super easy to make and very delicious to eat. I'm posting it here for others to enjoy (I hope the fine folks at Betty Crocker don't mind.) If you enjoy this recipe, I would recommend purchasing the cookbook mentioned above - it is filled with easy and delicious under 300 calorie recipes.

Prep time : 15 minutes
Start to finish : 25 minutes
Makes 4 servings (hmmm, three of us ate and there were no leftovers)

1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup read to eat baby cut carrots, cut lengthwise in half
1 cup frozen broccoli cuts
1 cup uncooked egg noodles (I used frozen)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (use the low-fat/reduced sodium)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
with 45 % less sodium
(I used reduced fat cream of mushroom soup)

1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken and onion in oil 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is brown and onion is just tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Uncover; simmer 5 to 8 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender.

4. If you like a thicker sauce, mix 2 tablespoons cold water with a tablespoon cornstarch and gently stir into the casserole until the sauce has thickened.

1 serving:
300 Calories (90 from fat) Total fat 10 g (Saturated Fat 2g. Trans Fat 0g)
Cholesterol 80 mg. Sodium 800 mg.
Total Carbohydrates 25 g (Dietary Fiber 3g; Sugars 3g; Protein 32 g

Life Style Change update

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. We are still embarking on the life style change I mentioned in the last posts. To date, da hubby has lost over 40 pounds, I've lost over 30 pounds, I'm not too sure about the son.

We have cut back drastically on going out to eat. Last week I made several different soups which we had some leftovers. The leftovers went into the freezer and will be ready for suppers next week. Last night I made cheese broccoli soups - low fat. The hubby & son were not too impressed. I guess they are used to the thick, heavy fat filled soups ladled out at local restaurants. Personally, I found the texture and taste superb! The basis for the soup was not actually leeks & brocolli. I must admit, I've never knowingly eaten a leek until yesterday.

Tonight I used the Betty Crocker 300 calorie cook book to prepare a delicious Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole. It was delicious. The hubby & I have been married for over 30 years - I have never seen him eat any meal without saturating the food with pepper. Tonight he did not add any pepper to his casserole - the the dish was prepared without a dash of additional spice! So much flavor and I used all low sodium products. Could it be our taste buds are adjusting to the new food rules?

Tomorrow I will post the recipe for the Chicken Noodle casserole so others can enjoy it too.

Life Style Change

In September da hubby and I embarked on a life style change. Da son has also made some slight changes and is on board with us as we attempt to lose. Da hubby has lost around 25 pounds, I've lost over 20 and da son says he has lost around 20 pounds too. Clothing is getting baggier and baggier. Da hubby wants to lose another 40 pounds, I have at 20 more to lose - who knows about da son.

Hopefully all this weight and inches lost will also result in lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure too. I go back to the doctor in March to be retested. The hard part will be getting through the holidays without slipping back to our old ways.

Poor Duke

I arrived home last week Wednesday to find a not on the counter telling me Duke was at the vet's office getting stitches. Egads - stitches, what happened. Da hubby comes out to sheepishly tell me he was cutting a fur mat off Dukes belly when he accidentally cut a hunk of skin. The amazing thing is Duke never even flinched!

Well, we went to pick Duke up a couple of hours later. The vet hand him under full anesthesia so Duke was still very sleepy and loopy. He slept the evening awy. We woke him to go out side but the boy fell asleep as soon as he came back in the house. He slept all night until 3:30 am. I awoke to the sound of Duke licking his stitches. We spent the rest of the night alternating between Duke licking his stitches and me telling him NO! When I got up several hours later, I presented Duke with his new collar - a cone shape which is supposed to keep him from reaching his stitches.

Well, the cone head worked, until yesterday. Somehow Duke has managed to get past the cone and attack the stitches. Of course everytime we catch him we tell him no, then he looks rather sheepish. I have had stitches, I know how itchy they can be as they heal. I feel so sorry for the poor dog but he is going to drive me crazy with worry this week.

The stitches come out Saturday, I wish we could roll the clock forward and get this week over with!

Pear Tree

The year we moved into our house I went to K-Mart to buy "decorations" for our yard. It was the end of the planting season and a clearance sale was ending in the yard and garden department. Two sad looking sticks sat, waiting for a new home. As I looked at the sorry little twigs I asked the clerk if they were still alive. The clerk responded by snaping the end of one of the branches, showing me there was still a little life. As she snapped the twig, she told me the story had a money back guarantee. She said we could plant the tree and if it died within a year they would cheerfully replace the tree or refund my money.

I told the clerk I would have to think about it. She responded by telling me not to wait too long because the man was supposed to come that night to haul everything away. I offered to haul the twigs away - and they would not have to pay me. In the end, I decided that $5.00 apiece was not a bad price, after all, they had a money back guarantee.

I brought those two little twigs home & my hubby planted on outside our back door and the second on about 15 feet away. The next spring the tree outside our front door showed signs of life but the poor other twig was definitely dead. My husband dug it up and headed back to K-Mart. As he left, I told him I wanted another Bradford Pear to replace it. We needed two Bradford Pear trees close by if we hoped to produce pears.

My husband arrived at K-Mart with receipt in hand but the poor little twig still had the $29.95 price tag hanging on the branch. The clerk informed my husband that they did not have any Bradford Pear trees in stock so she would refund his money. She rang up $29.95 (plus tax) and handed it to my husband. Being the honest person that he is, he showed her the receipt for $5.00. She told him the store's policy is to refund the full price since we would have to go elsewhere to find a replacement.

Fortunately, we never replaced that tree. The remaining twig grew and grew. There would not have been room for two trees in the small space. The remaining twig grew more until it was a big tree. The big tree grew more. Every year we would trim branches to prevent the tree from hitting the house. We would trim branches so we could walk under the tree. We would trim branches so the tree wouldn't be lopsided. The tree provided shade at the end of our deck. The tree provided privacy. We could sit on the deck and people walking on the street couldn't see us on our deck. The tree also provided shade for a small garden of special plants at it's base. In the spring Robins would build nests in the pear tree.

Tonight, the pitiful little twig that grew into a big beautiful tree blew down. Fortunately, it blew down without damaging our house, cars or the neighbors house or cars. No people were hurt. My husband and son managed to cut the rest of the tree down without getting hurt or causing any damage.

We will miss this tree. The Robins will return in the spring and will miss their branches. R.I.P. beautiful pear tree.

One Week Later....

I've had the scratchy throat, cough, sneezes and sniffles for one week now. It is time for this crud to leave. This morning, after lounging too long in bed, I decided to get out of the house. Da hubby, who is working 3rd shift, was sound alseep as I tiptoed out of the house. My first stop was at Grand Traverse Pie Company. I ordered a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. The oatmeal was served with blueberries, pecans, brown sugar and milk - all on the side. Absolutely delicious. After consuming my breakfast, I drove down the road to the Sweetwater Market. It is actually not a market but a small group of people selling organic and healthy items. I purchased peppermint soap, biscuits for the dog, apple/chicken sausages and ground chicken - from free range chickens. In the process of making my purchases, I had delightful conversations with several of the vendors. One lady has a daughter who is also serving in the Peace Corps and it was fun listening to her stories of her daughter's work.

After leaving the market I traveled to the strip mall where Hobby Lobby was calling my name. I happened to browse through the framing section where I found shadow type frames were on sale - 1/2 off!!! How could I resist. I still have the momentos from our trip overseas that need to be preserved. What a perfect way. And, since I saved so much on that purchase, I decided I needed (well wanted) two new craft books.

My day was completed with a trip to Snap Fitness where I spent 30 minutes on the recumbent bicycle, 15 minutes on the Cybex weight machines and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill. My efforts burned over 400 calories!

U of M and MSU are playing football, they are in the 3rd quarter. I think I shall retire to the sewing cave to be productive and listen to the final quarters of the big game.

Day 6 of Coughs, Sniffles & Sneezes

I woke up Saturday morning with a scratchy throat. Sunday the sniffles and sneezes hit. By Monday I was coughing, sniffling and sneezing. It hasn't gotten any better. Yesterday, I came home from work, changed into my work-out clothes and laid down for a short nap. My plan was to get up a half hour later and go to Zumba class. Instead, I woke up 4 hours later, feeling worse than when I got home.

Of course, taking a nap like that, my night was broken into fits of sleep. Did I learn from my mistake? Nope. Today I got home from work and took a two hour nap. Hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight.

I just want to feel better. I want to be able to exercise. Tomorrow night is a Zumba fund raiser for breast cancer research. I would really like to participate but it would be difficult if I am coughing the whole time.

Sticky Notes

Some of my teachers have a new reading practice with their students. As the students read, they keep sticky notes close at hand. If the student has comments or questions about something they read, they write them on a sticky note and stick the note on the page. This is a good practice to help students build stronger reading skills but quite often the students forget to remove the sticky notes from their library books when they return them.

I have a very small window of time for checking in and shelving library books. Unfortunately, it take up valuable time removing all of the sticky notes. Several weeks ago I reminded my students to please remove the notes before returning their library books.

Last week all of the notes were removed except two. One note was blank but the 2nd note was addressed to me:

Dear Mrs. Ogama
You are cool.
I Love to
read Books

Shiann M

How sweet is that! The note may have slowed me down a bit but it sure made my day!

My History with Oatmeal

Growing up, I was the youngest in the household. I was always the last one to roll out of bed in the morning. My mother, a June Cleaver wanna be, usually prepared breakfast for the family in the morning. My mom & dad always ate breakfast first, then my brother, then me. On oatmeal mornings, my oatmeal was left in the pan. By the time I ate it, it was cool, thick and lumpy. Mom also poured my juice when she poured the rest. My orange juice was always warm. Consequently, I grew up thinking oatmeal should be doused with two tablespoons of sugar, floating in a pool of milk, cool, bland and lumpy and served with warm orange juice. As an adult, I continued this way of thinking....until recently.

I've looked at recipes for oatmeal with added ingredients but never dared try the recipes. I have substituted raisins for 2 tablespoons of sugar but never added anything more. I met Kate Woods on line this summer (a whole other story). Kate writes a blog - in one of her posts she tells about her love of oatmeal. I've decided to follow Kate's suggestions and dress up my oatmeal - and I'm glad I did.

For breakfast this morning I had oatmeal with 1/4 cup warm homemade applesauce, 1/8 cup raisins and some walnuts sprinkled on top. In addition to the oatmeal, I had a small glass of ice cold Trop 50 orange juice and a large mug of pumpkin spiced coffee. The coffee was fresh pressed in my French press I received from a friend during a swap on recipezaar and served in the mug the oldest daughter painted for me.

Breakfast today not only "broke the fast" but it also came with good memories of times past.

Dancing with the Stars and Rain

The new season of Dancing With the Stars began this week. I love watching DWTS. I was glued to the TV Monday night - opening night of the show. I immediately fell in love with some of the stars and, at the same time, hoped certain other stars would be sent home soon.

Tuesday after work I came home, changed my clothes & headed to to the gym before dinner so I would be home for DWTS at 8 pm. Well, I got to the Jeep & didn't have my keys so I went back in the house to grab my keys. I drove to the gym - about 15 minutes from home. Upon arrival in the gym parking lot I realized I forgot my gym pass key - the key that opens the door for me. Drat, I drove back home. By the time I arrived at home I realized I was really tired and opted to take a nap instead. After a 30 minutes nap, I got up & fixed supper for da hubby & me. After supper I decided to go back to the gym.

I had a pretty good work-out - 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, 30 minutes on the weight machines and then I headed to the treadmill. After 5 minutes on the treadmill, DWTS came on TV. Oh-oh!!! I gave it a little thought and then changed my treadmill time from 20 minutes to 55 minutes and proceeded to walk & watch DWTS. Soon I realized the show was going to go 2 hours that night so I calculated what time I would have to leave to get home before the first people were told they were safe this week. Unfortunately, about 15 minutes before I planned exit, the facility lost satellite reception and the TV's went mute.

I quickly changed my shoes, grabbed my purse and headed to the exit. That is when I realized it was raining - buckets!!! I made a mad dash to the Jeep which fortunately was parked in the first row straight out from the exit. It was raining so hard I was drenched by the time I unlocked the Jeep door. I made the decision to drive through the "hood" instead of taking the business loop home. Talk about terror - branches had fallen and the roads were flooded. All I could think was a branch was going to fall down and through the soft top of the Jeep. I managed to make it home unscathed. I rushed in the house & turned on the TV. I made it in time to hear who the first "safe" couples were. I sat through the final hour of DWTS in my wet clothes - afraid I would miss something important if I left the room to change.

I think I will be more cautious about timing next week.