Health(ier) Chicken Strips and Mac 'n Cheese

Week 10 (March 10, 2010)
I cooked this week and decided I wanted some healthier version of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. I found the following recipes for crispy herbed chicken strips and creamy stove-top macaroni and cheese.

I know what you are thinking, will Geoffrey eat mac 'n cheese? Why yes, Geoffrey happens to LOVE macaroni and cheese! I know, weirdo. When we first started dating, he'd stock Stouffer's Mararoni and Cheese in my tiny dorm fridge. So with his blessing, I proceeded to find a semi-easy mac 'n cheese recipe which uses REAL cheese. Picture below is evidence!

Shhhhhh, but I had to use another type of cheese Geoff can't stand, but I snuck it in there without him seeing it and therefore judging the dish prior to tasting it. I personally think it is what made the dish creamy a la Stouffer's, but once he sees this post he will say he hated it. It's ok though, I saw him serve himself seconds and even thirds so, I know he liked it, even if he won't admit it:)

I decided to bake the chicken strips instead of frying them (per the directions) and they came out nicely golden and crisp! I don't really like the smell of dill so I was hesitant to use it, but surprisingly the flavor/smell did not overwhelm the strips. I did think the strips needed more seasoning (basically it was just dill, salt and pepper that was used) but Geoff picked up a fabulously spicy bbq sauce that made up for the underseasoning of the strips!

Lastly, to complete the meal I sautéed some French Green Beans with some onions and a squeeze of lemon and they came out wonderful! I guess lots of people use this method, but I never had until now. So easy and tasty!

We rated this night's dinner at an average of 8 (Mayra: 7, Geoffrey: 9!!!!!).