Dinner at Our House: Honey Mustard Chicken and MacNCheese Bake

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Tenders, Homemade Mac N Cheese Bake + "Baseball Peas"

So, I bet you thought I had abandoned my dinner-making duties. And, you are partially right. We've been very busy lately and having to eat out more, or let my mom cook some of the usual. But, have no fear I've got a brand new recipe for you to try, as well as an old-faithful of mine that I don't think I've shared with you all yet.

Tonight we made Honey Mustard Baked Chicken and a MacNCheese Bake. Tim and my parents had peas, but I swore those off long ago as a child, and I opted for a green salad. (Yes, I really do have a serious pea-phobia. Looking at them in the photo is fine, but smelling them in real life makes me gag. Ask my best friend Mel about what I do at the Chinese restaurants where they make fried rice...).

Anyways, let's get to it. I found the chicken recipe on allrecipes.com under one of their low-fat options. We were supposed to use chicken breasts, but we used these tiny little tenders instead. In fact, I have a feeling I might prefer that we used the tenders. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Like I said, we used tenders instead of breasts so watch the oven for your chicken's done-ness. Now, I linked you to the MacNCheese Bake as well. But, if you make it their way you are looking at about 6 points of more (still using old school WW points). I make it with lower fat ingredients and change how I mix it up. I think it tastes just fine. So below I'll post how I do it to make it 4 WW points.

Ingredients

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup 98% Fat Free
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 pound elbow macaroni [I used shells!]
• 6 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan, heat soup and milk over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat. Add shells to your 9x13 baking dish, and stir in the soup mixture. Sprinkle half of your cheese on the mixture and stir it in. Top the dish with your other half of the cheese.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Presto! You have pretty delicious, and healthy, dinner for the family. Another option I read is to grill the chicken. I may have to recruit dad and try that one out! Stay tuned for the delicious "Yummy Chocolate Cake" that I made last night.