Delicious Creamy Chicken-Mushroom Pasta

So I have made a decision, due to our crazy lives where we do not truly get to sit down together and have a meal, unless it is a weekend, I am going to start utilizing our crock pot more (at least once a week) so we can just sit down and enjoy eating together instead of me cooking and scrambling to figure out what to make last minute before James goes to work.

This weeks first try at crock pot cooking was DELICIOUS. I found a recipe on pinterest (here) and adapted it some with a combo of my own thinking and ideas from another recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

• 29oz of frozen chicken breast (this is how it panned out, and I wanted to count calories)
• 1 package of Good Season's Zesty Italian dressing mix
• 1 container of Philadelphia's Onion and Chive cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of Philadelphia's whipped cream cheese (probably could have done without, but was in fridge already)
• 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 small can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 small package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 package Ronzoni Garden Delight's pasta 
• 1/2 cup wheat flour 

Directions:

• Mix together (in crock pot): 
• Zesty Italian Dressing
• Both types of cream cheese, softened
• both small cans of condensed soup (next time I will look for reduced sodium, because I am sure sodium is WAY out there)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Mushrooms
• Add frozen chicken
• Allow to cook until chicken is done (I let it cook on low for like 10 hours, put it on before bedtime, and ate for lunch next day)
• Boil the Pasta (may be able to do in crock pot and forego the wheat flour, but it made me nervous!)
• Take the chicken out (I used a pasta server) and shred it. Set aside
• Wisk in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to crock pot, allow to simmer to thicken
• Mix together Pasta, Chicken, and Sauce

You should have 12 one cup servings, equaling 290 calories each, 30 carbs, 10g fat, 19g protein. 

I am sure it is SUPER high in sodium, so make sure to drink lots of water to balance it out ;-)

I didn't think to take a picture of the food IN the crock pot, so this is what is left,
after dishing out 6 cups for James and I to eat/bring to work.
Can you say DEEEELICIOUS!? Because the baby certainly thinks so ;-)

Next Crock Pot adventure: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Ohhhh...and P.S. 2nd coat of green is on, and any indecisiveness I had is out the window. I love it :-)

And P.S.S. I have to celebrate for James even though he hasn't recorded his weight yet on MFP, he is under 300lbs today! :-) SO proud of my husband! I think that means he has lost 25 lbs now. He is doing great with making she he gets up and goes for a jog before work. If only I could join him!! Looking forward to that day. For now I need to try to start doing some pregnancy Yoga, doing some leg exercises, and lifting some little dumbbells.