food for thought: less running, more mayo.

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of running the Chicago Marathon. What an experience! Now that the race is over, I’ve swung the pendalum pretty far from the “carb-load and try to put only healthy things in my body” side of the eating scale. Now with the marathon behind me and fall fully in front of me, all I can hear in my head is: “Skip yoga. Make casserole.” My entire self wants to indulge my every food whim and hibernate for the winter. At some point, I’ll need to resist this temptation. However now, with the damage from Halloween candy and chocolate chip pumpkin bread already done earlier this week, I figured what the heck. Go big or go home.

Lindsay’s Chicken Divan
*Note: you can make this recipe using the low fat versions of all the dairy-involved ingredients.

• 1 package {4 breasts-ish} organic chicken, poached*
{*poach in boiling water seasoned with a palmful garlic salt and juice of 1 lemon for 25ish minutes until cooked through}.
• 3/4 C. Mayo {I think Hellman’s is the best}
• 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup
• 2 large crowns fresh broccoli, steamed*
*Cut broccoli into florets. Put cut broccoli into microwave-safe dish, add a healthy splash of water, cover and cook in microwave about 2 minutes until steamed. Drain water off using the lid.
• 1ish cups shredded cheese {I like sharp cheddar}. You can use more if you like.
• Salt & pepper

Directions:
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
– Poach chicken & cool. {I try to do this the night before I make it}. Shred the chicken with your {clean} hands. *Friends, be selective with your chicken. Throw away any sketchy bits. People are trusting you with their taste and texture buds. Don’t disappoint them with weird chicken pieces. You know the ones I’m talking about. Gross.
– Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Spread steamed broccoli evenly in the bottom of the pan. Cover with shredded chicken. Add salt and pepper to the top of the chicken layer. {It can be kind of confusing when people say add it to taste. So… what I do is I just picture each section of chicken like it were a heap of shredded chicken on my plate, and then I just season that section according to how much salt and pepper would feel right to sprinkle & grind for that amount if I were to eat it plain}.
– Combine mayo, chicken soup, and the juice of one lemon. {I use the broccoli bowl, sans water, to do this. Saves you a dish}. Pour mixture over chicken layer and spread evenly with a spatula.
– Sprinkle entire casserole with cheese {I know, as if the mayo wasn’t enough}. You want it to be coated well, but still see a bit of the soup layer peaking out below it.
– Bake casserole in oven for about 35 minutes until bubbly.
– Enjoy! {I serve this dish with a mixed green salad with balsamic dressing… something to balance the heaviness of the cheesy, creamy goodness}. xo, linds

p.s. This dish is so rich, I’m thinking some little plates would be a good idea. Lovely lettering fanatic that I am, I’ve been eyeing these french dessert plates from Lindsay Emery. Too bad they won’t ship before dinner! Check out her etsy shop, Suite One Studio, for more pretty porcelain…