Chicken, Artichoke, and Mushroom Casserole

Since we've been home from Hawaii, I've had the urge to cook some of my favorite recipes...plus some. It always feels good to return from a trip and be able eat the comforts of home again. The first day home I made my Pumpkin Bean Chili which lasted for a couple days. It tasted so good especially being back in cold weather. I make this recipe probably twice a month in the winter since it's a favorite. Then I made a batch of Clean Cream of Mushroom Soup, another favorite. That was consumed immediately. These two recipes were a real switch from all our Hawaiian vacation food, although we are still eating fresh pineapple daily. I had received a whole new batch of recipes from Hannah Freese, RD for the month of February so I decided to make this new recipe from her and we loved it. It definitely turns boring chicken breasts into an exciting concoction of flavors. I have so many frozen chicken breasts in the freezer from grocery stores sales and "BOGO" promotions but they don't seem to get eaten very quickly. I used the Trader's Joes frozen artichoke hearts, cauliflower rice and fresh sliced mushrooms so this dish is very simple. And we all like simple, right? After all our Valentine's celebrations, I feel like I want simple and healthy right now. I had my "chocolate fix" this Valentine's Day when the grandkids came over and we made my favorite chocolate cake but we made them into individual heart cakes so they could decorate each one.

and then serve them to our guests which was almost as much fun.

We had extra batter so we made the rest into cupcakes...more decorating.

We celebrated Valentine's Day on Super Bowl Sunday which made for a fun day of ongoing festivities.

Of course, we had our usual betting board which was a little smaller this year since it wasn't the big money-making board we usually have for our big Super Bowl parties of the past (before covid). It was still fun, especially since the 6-year-old won. Beginner's luck.

Then on actual Valentine's Day, my sister invited us over to her house for a lovely surf and turf dinner which was a real treat. And, of course, we always have lots of catching up to do after our Hawaii trip and with the holidays now behind us. Our dinner started off with crab cocktail from our local Guemes Island and homemade cocktail sauce. So good!

My brother-in-law barbecued beef tenderloin steaks which were accompanied with a lovely green salad and a side dish of broccoli au gratin. A most perfect meal.

I brought over additional chocolate heart cakes, cupcakes and my Valentine's Cookies that I made again this year. There is never any shortage of desserts around here on Valentine's Day.

Now that we are done celebrating all our loved ones, we can get back to our healthy eating lifestyle once again. This Chicken, Artichoke and Mushroom Casserole is an excellent recipe to start with using those chicken breasts you have in your freezer and wondering what to do with them. Or just keep celebrating your loved ones and fix them this recipe. They'll love you for it even if it isn't Valentine's Day. 💖

Serves 4

3 cups cauliflower rice

3 cups mushrooms, sliced

1-1/2 cups artichoke hearts

1 tsp. grd. sage

1 tsp. sea salt

3/4 cup whole milk

1-1/2 pound chicken breasts

3 oz. medium cheddar cheese, shreddred

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

2. Add the cauliflower rice, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sage, sea salt, and milk to a casserole dish. Mix well to combine.

3. Add the chicken breasts on top of the mixture, then sprinkle cheese over everything.

4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover the dish and cook for another 15 minutes or until cooked through.

5. I sliced the chicken breast before serving. Divide everything evenly between plates and enjoy.

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