Recovering....

As my title says, slowly but surely, I'm on the road to recovery.  This infection has just knocked me for a loop.  But, I felt encouraged when my hunger somewhat returned last night.  I'm still not able to really stomach something other than waffles, but when I get to feeling better, I'm making this again.

And ps. I'm thankful for antibiotics.  =)

Creamy. Cheesy. And Alfredo-y?

Can I even use that?  Oh yeah, I just did.

No, I definitely didn't make the sauce.  I took a little help from the store....well, my mailbox.

As a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a free sample of Classico's new Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce to try in exchange for a post.  Both myself and 1-2 enjoyed this easy sauce.  I'm usually a stickler for bottled sauces like this.  I am SUPER afraid of the ingredients I can't pronounce, especially because they are going into my body.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was much more natural...it had things like Parmesan cheese, cream, and butter in its ingredients list.  Things I can definitely pronounce.  I need to also admit that I'm allergic to wine (the sulfites in it are the culprit) and some of the light sauces have wine in them.  Eww...I don't want to eat a pasta sauce and then end up in the emergency room.

No bueno.

Now, I've made the full fat version.  But, if I want to keep my girly figure, I can't eat that every time I want a plate of creamy goodness.  This was definitely the next best thing.  To me, it didn't taste like a regular jarred sauce.  It had the creamy texture and very subtle flavor that I loved when I made my version.  This one is a keeper and had 1-2 declaring over and over again, "this one is a keeper babe".  I happen to think it was a keeper too, babe ;)

I also took a little help from my freezer.  Sometimes (well, rarely), I try to cook my meat ahead.  I had taken a pound of chicken strips and cut them into chunks, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked them through....then let them cool and froze them.  This really helps when I want to prep my meal fast.  Seriously, this meal came together in the time it took to make the pasta (which is about 9 minutes...so with water boiling, maybe 15 minutes).

And I know it was wayyy less calories than what you'd find at an Italian restaurant.  That makes me feel good about eating it.  I also started daydreaming of the other ways to use this sauce...over chicken in a baked chicken dish with rice, and even on a pizza!  I think the pizza idea may be my next venture with this sauce.  This was a great way to get a quick, easy meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Try it for yourself and see!

Enjoy!
See you Friday~
B


Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken tenders, chopped and cooked, and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 bag steamable broccoli florets
1 lb box pasta (I used medium shells for this dish)
salt
1 jar Classico Light Alfredo Sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (optional, for serving)

Directions:
1.  Bring 4-6 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.  Once water comes to a boil, salt the water and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return back to pan.
2.  Warm chicken in the microwave (if you are taking it out of the freezer like me).  If you are just fixing the chicken, chop the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces, salt and pepper your chicken and cook until no longer pink over medium/medium high heat in a large skillet.  Add warmed chicken to pasta.
3.  Pour alfredo sauce in chicken and pasta and mix thoroughly.  Steam broccoli according to directions on package.  When finished, pour broccoli from bag into pasta mixture and stir to combine.  Serve.  (I allowed the hot pasta, chicken, and broccoli to warm the sauce through...but if you wanted to warm it first, put it in a small sauce pan over low heat to warm it before you add it to your pasta and chicken mixture).  Top with Parmesan cheese to serve if desired.