Try a Chicken Pot Pie

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be raised by a mother who was a fantastic cook.  She receives this coveted label not only for the healthy, tasty dishes she prepared, but also because she planned her meals and cooked every night.  I remember her sitting down at the kitchen table with coupons spread out in front of her, carefully making a list of meals we would enjoy in the next 5-7 days and creating a detailed corresponding grocery list.  She would sometimes ask us, the kids, for suggestions.  Oftentimes, one of us would blurt out "chicken pot pie!!"  A warm gooey, chicken and vegetable filling inside a buttery, flaky crust...who wouldn't want to come home from school and smell a chicken pot pie in the oven?

Talk about the ultimate comfort food! 

So I will share this delicious recipe with you and hope that it brings you as much comfort as it always does for me.

You will need:
-3-4 cooked chicken breasts (cook them however you want, boiled, baked...)
-1/2 box low fat/low sodium chicken broth
-5 red potatoes
-parsley (other spices you want, ex. pepper)
-1/2 sweet onion
-1-2 stalks celery
-1-2 big carrots or 7-8 small carrots
-3/4 cup corn
-any other veggies you like (mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, peas)
-3 tbs butter
-3 tbs flour

Cook chicken and set aside.
Cut veggies and boil in water with a pinch of salt until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add corn and drain.  Cook butter, flour, parsley, and other spices on low-medium heat until mixed thoroughly.  Add veggies and stir, slowly adding chicken broth until veggies are in a nice gravy.  Add more flour and butter if you need to.  Test for flavor!
Remove from stove.  Cut the chicken into small pieces, add to veggie mixture and mix.
Spray a pie pan with non-stick oil and line with a pie crust.  Scoop chicken mixture into the crust, filling to the top.  Cover with second pie crust and pinch shut.  Stab with a knife 2-3 times.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then 350 for 35-40 minutes.
You might want to put a pan underneath the pie in case it bubbles and drips out.  Inside of pie should be bubbling!

*I need some more practice with pie crusts from scratch, so I'll give you that recipe later!

Thanks Mom, for so many delicious pot pies over the years!

Combine with some competitive sport playing!  Dig out that old tennis racquet or basketball and head to a park.  Even if you are not good, it doesn't matter!  It's fun, you will work a whole new set of muscles, and who knows, you might be better than you thought!