Healthy Comfort Food

As the weather slowly starts to get colder and we make our way closer to winter we all start to crave comfort food. There is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a blanket and some casserole or soup but we all know that those tend to not be the healthiest meals. Take a look at these delicious healthy comfort foods we found that you can enjoy guilt free.

Chicken Casserole

This is a delicious chicken casserole that you are sure to love! Throw it in the crockpot and go to work for the day and you will come home to a delicious meal for the entire family.

What You Need:
-2 tablespoons of butter
-1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 large, chopped, onion
-1 ½ tablespoon of flour (almond flour or cassava makes this even healthier!)
-20 ounces of chicken thighs
-3 crushed garlic gloves
-14 ounces of potatoes (roughly 2-3)
-2 sticks of diced celery
-2 diced carrots
-8 ounces of diced mushrooms
-17oz of low sodium chicken stock
-2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
-2 bay leaves

How to Make:
First, heat up your butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Once heated, add your finely chopped onion and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.
While this is cooking, combine flour and some salt and better to a bowl. Toss in your chicken thighs and toss until fully coated.
Next, add your garlic cloves and chicken to the frying pan with the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken starts to brown.
Add all ingredients from the frying pan to your slow cooker. Add in the potatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, chicken stock, mustards, and bay leaves. Stir until combined.
Cook on low for 7 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).
Before serving, remove the bay leaves.
Add casserole to bowls and serve! You can add additional mustard for taste.
Enjoy!

Crock Pot Lasagna

Lasagna is always a family favorite, especially when the weather is getting cold. This recipe is great because it’s a low calorie and low fat version- double win!

What You Need:
-2 teaspoons of olive oil
-2 finely chopped onions
-4 diced up celery sticks
-4 diced up carrots
-2 chopped garlic gloves
-14 oz. of ground beef (5% fat is possible)
-14oz of canned, chopped, tomatoes
-2 tablespoons of tomato puree
-2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon
-1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
-1 tablespoon of thyme leaves
-6 or so whole wheat lasagna sheets

To make the sauce:
-13.5 oz. of whole milk
-3.5 tablespoons of flour (almond or cassava work great!)
-1 bay leaf
-Italian seasoning to taste
-Grated Parmesan, as desired.

How to Make:
First, heat your olive oil in a large pan. Once heated up, add in your onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add in the ground beef, breaking it down into small pieces, and cooking until it is browned. Add in your tomatoes with about a quarter of the liquid, tomato puree, bouillon, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Next, in the crockpot, spoon in a layer of the meat mixture. Add the lasagna to cover as much of the meat as possible. Repeat until you’re out of meat. It usually is two total layers, but could be more depending on the size of your crockpot. Cover with lid and cook on low.
For the sauce, combine all ingredients into a saucepan on low-medium heat. Whisk all ingredients together until sauce becomes thick and the flour is completely cooked in. Take the bay leaf out and then stir in cheese.  Pour the sauce into the crockpot and spread it out so it fully covers the lasagna. You can use pre-made sauce if you choose!
Cover the lasagna and cook for about 3 hours on low until the pasta is tender. Cut and serve.
Enjoy!