A Grateful Meal

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Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake with Kale and Mushrooms

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View of Chicken, mushroom, and kale pasta bake with sage and rosemary
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This creamy chicken pasta bake with mushrooms and kale is the perfect balance of veggies, protein, and carbs. I love it when you hit all the essentials in one meal, not to mention one pot!

View of Chicken, mushroom, and kale pasta bake with sage and rosemary

Oh, and the aroma that will come from your kitchen when you make this dish! The smell of mushrooms, sage, and rosemary are the coziest fall and winter aromas. Couple that with comfort food like creamy chicken pasta, and we have the ultimate cozy, homemade meal.

Chicken, mushroom, and kale pasta bake with sage and rosemary on a plate

This creamy chicken pasta bake is easy to make ahead of time. You can prep this meal in advance, but don’t bake it. You can refrigerate it or freeze it for another day. To freeze, wrap it in plastic wrap then tin foil, and it should keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and remove plastic wrap prior to baking.

To bake from refrigerated, simply bake for 60-90 minutes or until hot throughout. It’s perfect to prep on the weekend for an upcoming busy weeknight or to bring to a potluck. You can also split this into two 8×8 casserole dishes instead of the normal 9×13 dish.

View of Chicken, mushroom, and kale pasta bake with sage and rosemary

Don’t forget! I’m still offering spots for my one-on-one nutrition coaching! To learn more about it, schedule a free 15 minute consultation by clicking here.

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Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake with Kale and Mushrooms

View of Chicken, mushroom, and kale pasta bake with sage and rosemary
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. rigatoni pasta (or penne, bowtie, etc.)
  • 5 tbsp. oil, divided
  • 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, finely diced
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. (each) fresh sage and rosemary, finely minced
  • 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk (2%)
  • 10 oz. kale, chopped (~10 oz.)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water for 7-8 minutes (you want slightly underdone pasta as it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper. Sear chicken in pan, cooking for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden all over. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
  3. Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about 5-10 minutes or until most of water has evaporated. Add in additional tablespoon of oil if dry, and add in onion, garlic, sage, and rosemary. Saute for additional 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and aromatic. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
  4. Add in 3 more tablespoons of oil and saute for one minute. Add in flour and whisk until roux is formed. Cook roux for about 3 minutes, constantly whisking to prevent burning.
  5. Slowly whisk in broth and milk, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps until sauce forms. Once smooth, fold in kale, stirring until kale if fully wilted. Add Parmesan cheese.
  6. Mix chicken, pasta, and sauce all together and bake in a covered casserole dish (9×13) for 25 minutes.

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9×13 casserole dish

8×8 casserole dish

Large saute pan

The Benefits of Eating Healthy Without Worrying About Weight

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Woman eating fruit with text "the benefits of eating healthy without worrying about weight"

What does healthy eating look like to you? It conjures up images of something different for everyone, but most of the time, what people picture boils down to the same thing – less calories to lose weight. Weight is central to almost everyone’s idea of what “healthy” means. There are benefits of healthy eating that have nothing to do with health. Given that long-term intentional weight loss studies indicate that the majority of people will gain back the weight loss, it begs the question, what would your eating habits look like if you weren’t trying to lose weight? 

Enjoy the benefits of healthy eating without the guilt

Weight isn’t the end-all, be-all of health. Let’s imagine for a moment that your weight will remain exactly the same forever. Or, better yet, let’s imagine that weight or the scale doesn’t exist. What would you eat? Would you go crazy and eat boxes of doughnuts, dozens of fries, and wash it all down with a nice, cold soda? Maybe. We are wired to like highly-palatable foods. But for how long? Everything gets old after a while. And, there are still foods that have more nutritional value like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, etc. The fact remains that you need to take care of your body and eat and well to feel good. You still need vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water, independent of your weight. 

Overview of a meal shared with many people

Finding ways to nourish yourself without worry about weight

Worrying about your weight and micromanaging your food choices can be a risk factor for health issues all by itself. Here are a few ways to nourish yourself without the worry:

  1. Eat when you’re hungry. Sounds obvious, but think about it – how many times have you pushed your hunger aside because it “wasn’t time to eat” or you “shouldn’t be hungry”? Hunger is a natural cue that your body needs nourishment.  
  2. Eat by addition, not subtraction. What can you do to enhance the nutrition composition of a meal? Can you add in some broccoli to your favorite pasta bake? Can you include some fruit in your morning cereal? Crowd out some of the lower nutrient-dense foods with higher nutrient-dense foods. There’s only so much room in your stomach before you begin to feel full, so make sure that the nutrient-rich foods have some prime real estate. 
  3. Nourish your soul. It sounds cheesy, but you know what I’m about here. Find what fills you up. Listen to your favorite music or podcast, spend time outside, grab some coffee with a friend – find time for things that light you up. Mental health and stress management is paramount to overall health. 
  4. Get support. Not only does it take a village to raise a child, but it takes a village to stay healthy. Invite the support of your family, friends, and community to help you find ways to better care for yourself. Find a Registered Dietitian for nutrition coaching. I offer coaching and nutrition counseling for those in the Charleston-area, as well as virtually through video chat. Schedule an introduction call to see if this might serve you well. 

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

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We all need a good meatball recipe in our lives, and these Chicken Marsala Meatballs are just the ticket. That might be the Italian in me speaking, but I’m sure non-Italians agree. I also think we all need a meal that we can make without a recipe. A recipe that we have down pat and could make blindfolded. Chicken Marsala is one of those recipes for me. It was one of the first things I learned to make when I started adulting. You can’t beat braised chicken in a sweet and savory wine sauce with mushrooms. Back in those early adulting years, I used cheap cooking marsala wine from the grocery store (I mean, I wasn’t even 21 yet, people). These days, I use authentic sweet Marsala wine. Marsala wine is a fortified, higher alcohol (the I used was 18% ABV) wine hailing from the Italian island of Sicily. Wine Folly recommends a simple entry-level marsala wine ($10-15) for cooking. 

Chicken marsala meatballs with a bottle of marsala wine in the background

Instead of adding the mushrooms in the sauce with these Chicken Marsala Meatballs, I decided to put the mushrooms in the meatballs to bump up the flavor and keep them from drying out as mushrooms hold a ton a taste but a lot of water too. Plus, you can sneak in a vegetable. Non-mushroom lovers may be reluctant to see the mushrooms in the sauce, but now they won’t even know they are there! They’ll just taste the great flavor, and you can make them into mushroom lovers by telling them afterward there were mushrooms in the meatballs. I love tricking people into liking things they thought they hated. It’s so much fun. 

Overview of chicken marsala meatballs with parsley garnish

These meatballs could be used as an entree or as an appetizer. These would make the perfect party food for any potluck or gathering. The sauce sticks to the meatballs well, so you just have to plate them up and stick some toothpicks in them for easy serving. 

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Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Close up of chicken marsala meatballs garnished with parsley
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Ingredients

  • 8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 3/4cup of marsala wine
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca powder, as needed
  • Chopped parsley, optional (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped (it’s ok if the pieces aren’t uniform). Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil,  then the ground mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms until their liquid fully evaporated about 7-10 minutes. Turn off heat and set pan aside to cool slightly.
  2. Add ground chicken, egg, panko, parmesan, garlic/onion powder in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked, ground mushrooms and mix everything together until just combined. Set aside mushroom pan for making sauce. Roll into small meatballs (should yield about 30-35 meatballs). 
  3. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Bake meatballs for about 18-20 minutes or until meatballs cooked through. 
  4. Meanwhile, reheat the pan used to cook mushrooms. Pour the Marsala wine into the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out some of the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes or until sauce is reduced – about 3-5 minutes. If sauce is needing thickening, mix the cornstarch (or tapioca powder) with just enough cold water to dissolve. Add to cornstarch slurry to sauce to thicken enough to coat meatballs. Add meatballs to skillet to coat. Garnish with chopped parsley (if using).

Umami Bomb Burger

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This post contains affiliate links, which pays me a small commission at no cost to you.

Umami = Pure Comfort Food

I can’t think of anything more comforting that a big juicy burger on a soft bun, slathered in tangy condiments, on a hot summer day. Many of the flavors that make a burger so darn delicious are thanks to umami flavors. Umami is widely considered the “fifth” taste, the other four being sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. Umami derives its flavor from the naturally occurring amino acid, glutamic acid (or “glutamate”). Glutamic acid occurs naturally in richly flavored foods such as beef, black beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, miso, etc. Since I just listed the majority of the ingredients in this burger; hence, the Umami Bomb Burger.

Umami Bomb Burger

Flavorful and Healthy

Red meat is umami rich, but often gets a bad rap. I like to include all foods in moderation, including red meat. #allfoodsfit – so to “moderate” my consumption of red meat, I went halfsies with the beans and made a half-veggie burger. Black beans are also rich in umami flavor AND rich in fiber. Just 1/2 cup is ~8 grams of fiber – which is 30% of the recommended daily amount. This burger is all about the balance. When paired up with some simple roasted potatoes, I’ve got the traditional burger and fries but in much healthier way.

Mushrooms + Miso = Umami Love

In addition to the red meat and black beans, I added some dried mushrooms. By reconstituting in water for a few minutes, it releases tons of rich flavor. If you’re not a mushroom fan stay with me. It’s more of an extra meat-y taste that the mushrooms give rather than the typical earthy mushroom flavor.

Regular mayo would do you just fine in this burger, but who wants fine? I want out-of-this-world. If you can find miso in your local grocery store, go for it. I go to a local Asian market to buy it. Miso is readily available on Amazon. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Since making this burger, I’ve found myself mixing miso + mayo together for all sorts of dishes. It’s the new sriracha mayo in my book.

Grill or Sear?

I hear there’s quite a debate on the best way to cook a burger, to sear or to grill? Searing fans argue that it keeps the juices of a burger from running out. Grilling enthusiasts counter that the grill adds that classic smokiness to the patties. Wherever you land on this debate, I would recommend for these burgers you go with a sear method in a screaming hot skillet.  Because of the beans, it may not stand up to the grill grate. Plus, less chance of losing all those umami flavors in the drip pan. It’s liquid gold.

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Umami Bomb Burger

  • Yield: 6 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 oz. dried mushrooms (like porcini)
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend (or 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper)
  • 1 lb of ground beef (>90% lean)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of light colored oil (canola or grapeseed oil)
  • 6 burger buns
  • 1/2 cup mayo (light)
  • 1 tablespoon miso

Instructions

  1. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
  2. Place black beans in food processor and pulse a few times.
  3. Drain dried mushrooms well and add to food processor bowl with the bean mixture. Pulse a few more times until a paste forms, but a few black beans remain intact.
  4. Heat skillet over medium high heat with oil.
  5. Place mushroom/bean mixture in a separate bowl. Add seasoning blend, ground beef, and egg. Mix gently with hands until even distributed.
  6. Form into 6 patties and sear in skillet for 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
  7. Mix mayo and miso together in a bowl.
  8. Serve burgers on buns with miso mayo divided evenly.
  9. Enjoy!