Gnocchi with Broccoli and Chicken

When we grocery shop, I always bring a list and appropriate coupons. The list is pre-made at home, looking through the fridge and all the cabinets, to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Once we hit the store, we don't deviate from the list. This is how unhealthy stuff gets put in the cart, and also how the bill rises to astronomical amounts at the register.

Every once in awhile, I'll allow myself to take a walk on the wild side and ignore the list for an investigative stroll down the healthy and organic food aisles. That's how I discovered these babies and knew I had to try them! Whole wheat gnocchi with sweet potato! You can't really see in the picture, but they were flecked with bright orange from the sweet potato. Very simple to cook, you just bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the gnocchi in and when they float (it only takes a few minutes) you fish them out!

I steamed about a head and a half of fresh broccoli in a separate pot. Once that was done, I set it aside and used the same pot to saute 2 thin sliced chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces, in a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Once the three components were done, I used a big skillet to melt about 2 Tbsp of Smart Balance and let the gnocchi sizzle in the butter for a little bit on each side - to get some color and a nutty crunch. At the end, I spooned the chicken and broccoli into the same skillet and tossed everything together to incorporate.

After plating, I used a vegetable peeler to add some slivers of Parmesan cheese on top.

The result was a hearty dinner where you could definitely taste the whole wheat, but the sweet potato was lost. The broccoli was a nice, bright crunch and color. And the chicken was flavorful, but in a mild way. I especially loved the little bits of gnocchi that had a lot of color and where the strong bite of the Parmesan had melted down into the ingredients. Delicious!

And, rather than dividing the entire skillet into two huge portions, I divided it into three medium sized ones - 1 each for our dinners, and 1 for lunch leftovers. This worked out well, because it stretches the meal even further and also makes me aware that I would have eaten all of those extra calories and I didn't even need them! I'm perfectly satisfied with the portion I ate!