Broccoli Chicken Casserole -- Guest Post from City Girl, Country Life

Lynzie and I are living it up in England and my sweet friends are keeping the blogs up and running while I'm gone! Check out this great recipe from my friend, Letitia, at City Girl, Country Life!

IT'S FALL!  

I can't help but to start thinking about all the things 

I LOVE about fall!! The food, the smells, the food, the beautiful landscape that peers out my windows, THE FOOD!  Wonderful comfort foods...

This yummy casserole is pure comfort food that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It's super easy to make and there's no better way to end the day (after a long day of doing school, errands, taking care of the house and chauffeuring the kids around 

town all day!) than with a tasty, comforting meal.

   This can be put together in the morning and placed in the fridge until dinner time or it's quick enough to start in the evening.  Either way, your family will have a healthy, yummy meal on the table.

*see below about freezing this casserole

  

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• butter, for the baking dish
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 cups cooked white rice (you can use brown rice, if you prefer)
• One 10-ounce can/box condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream (you can use light sour cream)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can use light mayo or vegenaise)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with butter.
• Place the chicken in a large pot with water to cover. Add some salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the chicken until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until cool.  Shred.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and boil 5 minutes.
• Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish. Make a second layer with the broccoli. (Make rice using chicken broth for even more flavor!)
• In a large bowl, mix the chicken soup, the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, shredded chicken, half the cheddar and some salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining cheddar. 
• Bake for 40 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe feeds a small army!  

Serve with warm bread and butter or garlic bread and a green salad!  YUM!!   

                   SHRED OR CUT UP CHICKEN

CUT UP FLORETS INTO BITE SIZE PIECES

MIX INGREDIENTS TOGETHER

START LAYERING RICE

THEN BROCCOLI

THEN CHICKEN MIXTURE...AND BAKE

This is a great freezer meal! Put in freezer at this point! Make 2...one for now and one for later!

If you plan to make this and freeze it, you will need a couple things to help you out---

• Sharpie to label container (you will forget what it is!)
• Aluminum container with lid.

*If baking straight from the freezer, extend cooking time an extra 20-30 mins.  Ovens will vary.

Making casseroles healthy is simple to do---

A few simple swaps like using fresh whole foods

and brown rice can boost the nutritional value.  

Here's a little tip: If you don't want to use a low fat cheese, use sharp cheddar.  Because it is stronger in flavor, you use less!  It's a great way to get that cheesy flavor without using a whole lot of cheese.

This article first appeared on City Girl Country Life in August 2015.

Big Family Blessed: The Oldest Daughter in a Family of Nine Kids Shares Her Perspective

I'm excited to be featuring my daughter, Lynzie, as a guest blogger today. God sure knew what he was doing when he sent this patient and encouraging girl to be my oldest. Today she's sharing her perspective on what it's like growing up as the oldest sibling in a big family. Lynzie blogs at Thoughts from a Young Writer.

Being the oldest of nine kids is such a blessing! I love being grown-up to each of them, even though my first brother is a year younger. I have so many fun memories with each of them. At times they do get on my nerves, but that’s just life.


I love creating things with them; like the day I helped place stickers on Liam’s model car.

Each one of them has a dream, a goal that they want in their lives, and I get to be a part of their growth in it.

Going back to getting on my nerves, they are also very independent, which makes it hard to babysit them. Trying to run after three little munchkins, disciplining an older child, and trying to have a conversation with the others, all at the same time, can be very annoying, and very, very difficult. Not only that, but also making sure that they are safe is also a big job.

But, also, they can be perfect angels at times, when I'm babysitting. Turn on a movie--bam--works. Get out a coloring book and crayons--bam--works! They do get a nap after lunch, which quiets the house down, as well.

Thankfully, the stress is half as hard when my first brother, Michael, is helping, which is a big "thank you". The kids seem to listen to him more than me.

I enjoy being a part of my Mom’s campaigns for her blog. I always get to help with the preparations, such as a Littlest Pet Shop campaign my Mom did last year. I had to dress up as Blythe Baxter and pretend to be her the whole morning. The kids loved it, at least those who watch LPS.

We recently had an ice cream party, and I loved watching them eat the dessert, the younger ones’ faces smothered in vanilla/coffee ice cream.

Being the oldest also for me is special because my parents get involved in many things that I have done, such as ballet. I have taken classes for a year, but quit, and decided to create my own ballet. My Mom used her free time to take me and my sisters, Selah and Avalon, to classes twice a week. It was so much fun to have that time with her. One Saturday, we went to the mall for one of her campaigns.

When I was younger, me and Dad would go to a dance every year. It was special to have a pretty gown to wear, and be with him until almost 11 o’ clock! Recently, me and Michael started Human Videos with a family from church, and my Dad is involved in it as well, helping with sound and lights.

I also get to use my talents to bless my family. I love to write stories, and read them to my family. I love drawing for them, and sketching them.

Being in such a big family is a blessing, and a gift from God, and I LOVE it!!!!!!

Check out Lynzie's blog at Thoughts from a Young Writer.

Sausage Casserole for Labor Day Weekend {Secret Ingredients!}

Welcome to the Weekend Linkup! I'm less than a week away from my England trip so my mom is filling in today and has a great Labor Day breakfast recipe for us!

Are you having company for Labor Day weekend? I have an easy recipe for a breakfast casserole that can be prepared the day before. It will be ready to pop in the oven the next morning for a fantastic breakfast your guests will love.

My grandmother and my mother-in-law always had secret ingredients that made their meals above and beyond excellent! This amazing dish has two secret ingredients which I am going to share with all of you today.

Crumble and cook two pounds of sausage in a frying pan and set aside. Whip 10 eggs in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, and one can of evaporated milk. Then add the 1st secret ingredient: 2 tsp. dry mustard. Whip well.

Line a 13" X 9" ungreased baking pan with six bread slices. Sprinkle bread with 10 ounces of grated cheese and top with sausage. Pour egg mixture on top. Sprinkle an additional six ounces of grated cheese on top and pour the second can of evaporated milk over the entire dish.

Bake in a 350º oven for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup in a sauce pan and add 2nd secret ingredient: 1 TB. red wine vinegar. Mix and spread on top of casserole and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with muffins for a fabulous start to your Labor Day weekend!

Anyone Feeling the August Crunch?

Am I the only one feeling the August crunch! On one hand, there's the rush to fit in all the stuff we haven't done yet this summer (popsicles, lemonade picnic on the lawn, more splashing in the pool)---yet, on the other hand, there's the feeling of pressure to prepare for all fall has in store! Homeschooling supplies to buy, pulling out the totes for the big seasonal clothes exchange, thinking ahead, already, to what the kids are wanting for Christmas. Coupled with my upcoming trip to England---yeah, I'm feeling the stress.

Yet, I don't want to be stressed. I want to enjoy every single minute and not waste these precious times with my family. I know nothing is as big as I'm making it. Just wish I could get those head thoughts into my heart!

Hope you're all having a lovely week. The weekend is here! Let's all resolve to enjoy it---no matter what's on the schedule!

Blessings,
Sarah

Sausage, Spinach & Rye Breakfast Casserole {Just 5 Ingredients}

Early this morning, I was greeted with two giggling girls, a blast of cold air as they pulled back my blanket, and the sudden freakout that I had forgotten to bake something for the kids' breakfast. With so many in the house, it's not easy to just throw something together, but I remembered I'd thawed out some spinach for a recipe so I decided to get creative!

This breakfast casserole turned out better than I'd imagined it would and everyone loved it. With a side of fruit, it fulfills every food group---a fact my older kids were quick to point out, as they've been studying nutrition in their co-op and have taken up the challenge of having every food group at every meal.

Rye bread isn't super popular at our house, but we had a loaf sitting around that had been given to us. Mixed with the other savory flavors in this casserole, the pungency of the rye is a perfect compliment! I'd love to know if you give this a try!

Sausage, Spinach & Rye Breakfast Casserole

8 slices rye bread

1 lb. ground breakfast sausage

14 eggs

20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed

8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Begin browning the sausage. While it's cooking, grease a 13x9 pan and break up the bread to cover the bottom of the pan. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until they're smooth. Drain the water from the spinach and stir into the eggs. Sprinkle the cooked sausage over the bread and then pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Distribute the cheese evenly over the egg mixture. Then, cover with foil and bake for one hour. After an hour, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.