Tea's Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Bake

I got this of of Sparkpeople.com. We tried it tonight, and it was super yummy! Todd even liked it, and the kids gobbled it up. I'm trying to be healthier, but I've been craving Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo. This satisfied the craving! Yay! I'm posting it with the modifications I made.

Ingredients

1.5 LB Chicken Breasts - Boneless, Skinless 3 Cups - Albertsons Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta 12 OZ Broccoli Florets (I just estimated the amount) 3/4 Cup - Onions, raw, chopped (I completely forgot to add this...woops) 8-10 mushrooms, sliced 2 TBSP - Country Crock, Shedd's Spread Country Crock Plus Calcium & Vitamins (just used butter) 3 Cups - Albertsons Fat Free Mozzarella Shredded Cheese (couldn't find this so I used Weight Watcher's brand reduced fat mozzarella) 6 OZ - 1/3 Less Fat Neufchatel Cream Cheese 12 oz - Chicken Broth - Low Fat - Low Sodium (I just used one can MINUS 1/3 cup)

Directions

(Instead of the directions below, I grilled the chicken on the grill, cut it up, and added it at the end with everything else...really added to the flavor!)

Prep - Cut raw chicken into bite-size chunks. Cut broccoli into bite-size florets. Heat oven to 375*F. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli the last 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Melt butter, and add chicken, onions, and mushrooms. (if you're grilling chicken, just saute the mushrooms, garlic, and onions and add the broth and cheese to that); cook 3 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, saute 1 minute Stir in broth; simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 minute or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1.5 cups mozzarella. Drain pasta and broccoli. Add to chicken mixture, mix lightly (add chicken now if using grilled). Spoon into a 9x13 pan coated with PAM. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Serve. Number of Servings: 4 Nutritional Info (not sure how they figured this or how accurate it is) Servings Per Recipe: 4 Amount Per Serving Calories: 338.9 Total Fat: 8.7 g Cholesterol: 37.5 mg Sodium: 988.1 mg Total Carbs: 30.5 g Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g Protein: 30.7 g Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MOUSESB. Number of Servings: 4

Banana Bran Muffins

Okay, sorry I didn't post this last week, but life is crazy. I have more "healthy" recipes I'll try to post soon, and I'll try to find some 5 ingredient ones, but I always make things too complicated and honestly don't think I have anything with only 5 ingredients! :) In the meantime, here's a yummy muffin recipe that I found that is actually pretty good considering how healthy it is, and the kids love them! They're MUCH better the next day than they are right out of the oven...I know, seems backwards, but it's true! :)

Banana Bran Muffins

1/2 c. natural applesauce (sweetened with apple juice...I used cinnamon flavored)
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 c. milk (I used 1%)
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (we have a mill, so I ground my own...you could use the stuff from the store, though)
1/4 c. wheat germ ( I buy this in bulk at WinCo...TONS of fiber and filling)
1/4 c. crushed bran flakes ( I crushed it until it was all crumbs and then measured 1/4 c. crumbs)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375 for regular muffins or to 400 for mini muffins ( I made mini muffins because they're a great size for my kids)
Grease muffin tins or spray with PAM or line with liners
Beat bananas, applesauce, and brown sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients, beat until smooth. Add nuts if desired (walnuts might be yummy).
Pour into prepared tins
For regular sized muffins, bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For mini muffins, bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.
Let cool on a rack and then place completely cooled muffins in a gallon sized ziploc bag overnight.

Hope you like them if you try them...I think they're pretty good, the kids love them, and Todd took one bite and spit it out! :)