I have been very productive today, it’s exciting! I usually fail at being productive unless there’s some kind of pressing reason I have to be…but today for some reason I woke up very motivated! I finished some laundry, got a yoga session in, went grocery shopping, cleaned up the house, and cooked us a nice comfort food dinner!

Chicken and dumplings is a GREAT budget dinner because you can use leftover chicken and frozen veggies, and the rest of the ingredients you already have in your pantry. This is one of my favorite ways to use extra roasted chicken. Plus this version is dairy-free, hooray!

Healthy & Hearty Chicken & Dumplings

• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 + 2/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. white whole wheat flour
• 3 T. canola oil
• 3 cups vegetables (I used fresh carrots, green beans, and corn kernels, and an onion)
• 3/4 c. milk (I used plain soymilk)
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 box chicken stock
• poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, to taste

-Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and toss with 1/3 c. all-purpose flour.

-Heat 1 T. of the canola oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pot and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.

-In the same bowl you used for the chicken, add the vegetables and toss with 1/3 c. all-purpose flour and 1 t. each of salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.

-Heat another 1 T. of canola oil in the pot and add the vegetables until they brown slightly and are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot.

-Add chicken stock to the pot, enough to completely cover the chicken and veggies. Cover and heat on medium until the liquid is boiling.

-In the meantime, combine 1 c. all-purpose flour, 1 c. white whole wheat flour, milk, baking powder, 1 T. oil, and 1 t. each of salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning in a bowl to make the dumpling dough.

-When the mixture on the stove is boiling, remove the top and add the dumpling dough to it 1 heaping tablespoon at a time. You’ll see the dough balls puff up and rise to the top of the liquid as they begin to cook.

-Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Leave it undisturbed for 15 minutes as it cooks. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

I love meals that have all the food groups in one bowl…makes things a lot easier! Lots of fresh vegetables…

And light and fluffy dumplings that actually have whole wheat!

Comfort food minus the gross feeling afterward, that’s what I’m all about!

Tomorrow we’re going to Busch Gardens!!! I can’t wait! And I’m also going to try my hand at cutting Jason’s hair, we’ll see how that goes!

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren