Saturday, October 8, 2011

Carb Loading

The hubs is one of those annoying people who can skip working out for six months, and just roll out of bed and run six miles at a fairly decent clip. So, when he announced he was going to do a half-marathon this fall, I didn't think much of it. Tomorrow is halfie day.

To help him prepare, he requested a meal with "chicken and pasta." After searching through countless cookbooks, we were able to agree on one that isn't too heavy on the sauces, veggies or sodium.

And while I don't have a prediction for his time, my guess is he'll clock some fairly ridiculous pace - all the more the impressive considering he has been sick for almost two straight weeks and has pretty much run only a handful of times and a handful of miles recently.

Go hubs!



Chicken Tetrazzini
Source: 500 Low Sodium Recipes, Dick Logue

Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1-3/4 c. skim milk
  • 1 c. swiss cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 c. grated parm cheese
  • 8 oz. spaghetti, broken, cooked and drained (used whole-wheat)
  • 1-1/2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
  • 4oz. sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk, stirring until well-blended. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
  • Stir in 1/2 c. of swiss cheese and 2 tbsp of parm, stir until cheese is melted.
  • Add spaghetti, chicken, mushrooms and bell pepper; mix lightly.
  • Spoon into 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining 1/2 c. swiss and 2 tbsp parm; continue baking until cheese is melted.
Yield: 6 servings
Per serving: 290 cals; 22g protein; 14g total fat (8g sat, 4g mono, 1g poly); 18g carb; 137mg sodium; 360mg calcium

Reviews:
Although I suppose the official review should come after the hubs completes the halfie tomorrow, as of tonight he was enjoying the pre-race chow and gave it a solid thumbs-up. The kid also enjoyed - no gagging, eye-rolling or other theatrics - but he did manage to pick out all of his mushrooms and red peppers. This dish is a great comfort food meal without all of calories, fat and sodium. My one comment? Next time, I might add some garlic or something for an extra bit of flavor.

Ranking:
Three Forks

If the hubs gets a new PR, I credit the meal

1 comment:

  1. If I don't run well tomorrow it certainly won't be because of the pre-race dinner - delish! It's great having the most supportive wifey in the world!

    SF

    ReplyDelete