Good morning and happy Saturday!  We got to sleep in until a whopping 7 am here today, so I’m energized.  My parents are coming to visit for a few hours and I’m actually in the process of making Mini Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches for everyone to snack on later this afternoon.  I still love that recipe. Pork tenderloins were on sale buy one, get one yesterday.  So, this seemed like the perfect thing to make.

My cooking skills are starting to wain in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.  I remember this from last time as well.  I think it might be my lack of patience… haha.  So next week I want to focus on simple, family meals.  So, stay tuned for that!

The other night I made this and I have to say I loved it.  It was one of my few food accomplishments this week!  It was super quick & easy, as well as hearty.  It’s got everything in one bowl. I did try to calculate the PointsPlus value. It came to 11, if I didn’t put in fiber (Kraft’s website doesn’t give fiber).

Creamy Rice, Chicken, and Spinach Dinner
courtesy of www.kraftrecipes.com

serves: 4 (1 1/2 c servings each)
PointsPlus: 11 (not knowing fiber content)

1/4 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing (You can also substitute light Italian here, which I’d do next time)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1-1/2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1 pkg. (8 oz.) baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat dressing in Dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. Stir in broth; bring to boil. Add rice; stir. Return to boil; cover. Simmer on medium heat 5 min.

Add Neufchatel; cook 2 to 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Add spinach. (Pan will be full.) Cook, covered, 1 min. or until spinach is wilted. Stir gently to mix in spinach.

Remove pan from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 min. Stir in tomatoes; top with Parmesan.

~M