Here I have a recipe for Moroccan chicken casserole with roasted butternut squash and cauliflower rice.
This recipe could be just as easily made in the slow cooker so do try that out too. Check out my cooking guidelines for some tips for converting recipes from conventional ovens to slow cookers.
This website is in no way affiliated with Slimming World and no contributors have been trained by them or worked for them. It is the reader’s responsibility to check syn values and allowances themselves on the Slimming World website as these are approximate.
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Butternut squash tips
If you are put off using a butternut squash because it is hard to peel then these tips could help you out.
Instead of trying to scoop all the seeds out just cut around them. This is much easier as the stringy seeds can be difficult to remove.
Cut butternut squash in half length-ways and microwave for 5 minutes to soften it slightly so it is easier to peel off the skin with a potato peeler.
Consider leaving the skin on. In some recipes, it really will do no harm to leave the skin on. A chunky soup for example that has been well-cooked can be just as nice. Make it with the butternut squash cut into chunks with the skin on.
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If you really don’t want to peel a butternut squash then buy ready cut cubes in the fridge or freezers of the supermarket! This Moroccan chicken casserole would work well with frozen butternut squash if you prefer.
Healthy Lunches
If you are eating healthily or following Slimming World, WW, Noom or another weight loss plan then you may have difficulty in finding lunches for work.
This is just one of many amazing lunch ideas I have found easy to reheat so do check out my other recipes for more ideas.
If you take lunch then you are so much less likely to buy food which inevitably will be less healthy. Taking a variety of food throughout the week to work keeps your lunchtimes interesting and stops you from getting bored.
Even if, like me, you work alone at home it can make such a difference having your food already prepared for you. Why not give it a go, Make sure you build a variety of lunches into your weekly meal plan.
If you like Moroccan food then do try these Moroccan meatballs and let me know what you think.
Why you need vegetables to lose weight
Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, don’t they? From being a young child you are told to eat your veggies to grow big and strong!
If you follow the Slimming World diet you will instantly know what I am talking about when I say speed vegetables. On other plans, it could be considered a free extra or just classed as non-starchy vegetables.
Whatever it is referred to you need to eat veggies to lose weight, on the whole, because they are healthy and filling for very few calories! You can try swapping things like potatoes for butternut squash and add fried onions or mushrooms to other meals.
Check out my ready-made meal plans to help you along the way with lots of my delicious Slimming World friendly recipes perfect for any diet, weight loss plan or just a healthy lifestyle!
Remember to keep a check on the vitamins and minerals you consume and ensure you are eating a healthy amount of everything including calcium, vitamin c, iron, vitamin d, vitamin b12 and fibre as well as eating plenty of vegetables and fruit!
How many vegetables should I eat?
Most healthy diets and weight loss plans encourage you to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Slimming World for example advises you to ensure that ⅓ of every meal is made up of speed foods. Other than possibly for breakfast this is likely to be vegetables! Even if you do not follow Slimming World this is still great advice for healthy living. Other plans suggest different methods of deciding on the food on your plate but all diets I have seen include a large number of vegetables.
The best vegetables are those that have a low-calorie density. Slimming World call these speed foods, other diets say non-starchy vegetables or other similar phrases. Basically, we are talking about the healthier vegetables – potatoes don’t count but butternut squash is much healthier for example!
This means if you eat 100g of spinach, for example, it is just 23 calories and obviously, 100g of anything would fill you up significantly. On the other hand, 100g of crisps, which would be just as filling, is around 536 calories!
What nutrients are in vegetables?
Whether you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Noom, or any other diet, adding vegetables to your meal not only adds vitamin C and all the other nutrients that vegetables contain but will also help you lead a more balanced healthy lifestyle and potentially lose weight!
Many vegetables are also high in B vitamins, vitamin A, iron and other nutrients.
Don’t forget too that vegetables are high in fibre and as such you are less likely to get constipation and need my constipation tips!
Are frozen or canned vegetables healthy?
As long as they are not cooked or canned in any oil etc, frozen or canned vegetables have roughly the same nutritional value as of fresh vegetables and are a great way to save money and time.
If you buy vegetables that have been reduced at the end of the day you can always freeze them to use in a recipe in the future.
Using frozen chicken
Chicken for this or any other chicken recipes should never be cooked from frozen, there are so many issues with this that risk food poisoning. If you have just realised you only have frozen chicken there I have lots of tips to safely defrost chicken check them out in my defrosting chicken guide.
Making this recipe with Quorn
It is really easy to adapt this recipe to use Quorn, as a vegetarian myself I do it often. It is always worth remembering that Quorn takes less time to cook when substituting it for chicken.
Check out my selection of Quorn recipes, all perfect for all the family whether vegetarian or not, some are vegan too.
More healthy recipes you may enjoy
You can find more recipes with chicken here.
If you don’t fancy this Moroccan chicken casserole but would like another recipe with rice such as sausage casserole check out my huge selection of rice recipes here and check out my tips for cooking the perfect rice!
You can find all of my butternut squash tips and recipes here such as butternut squash soup and sweet and sticky butternut squash.
Weight loss Guides
I have a lot of Unofficial Slimming World guides and weight loss information along with support if you want to exercise for weight loss including if you have a condition like fibromyalgia.
Have a good look around and see how I can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Request my free resources to get you started too!
Here are some quick jump buttons to help you find my most popular Slimming World guides (all unofficial) and be sure to check out all my Healthy recipes too.
Recipe
Unofficial Slimming World Moroccan chicken casserole
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 90 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 Portions 1x
- Category: Main meal
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
An east chicken casserole recipe perfect for healthy eating and weight loss due to having good flavours but minimal calories for such a filling hearty meal.
Instructions
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Get all ingredients out and check you have everything- I am notorious for starting a recipe and then finding partway through I’ve forgotten or run out of a vital ingredient!
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Prepare all vegetables (onions, carrots, courgettes and garlic) – again I like to chop up all the veg at the beginning rather than going along but up to you.
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Fry off onions, chicken and garlic using frylight over a medium heat until chicken browned.
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Add all the spices and stir to coat chicken well
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Add the remaining ingredients- stock, vegetables, orange zest and juice and honey if using.
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Place in oven for 1.5hrs and serve!
Roasted Butternut Squash
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Preheat oven to 180’c or alternatively start preparation for this when the casserole has been in the oven 30-45 minutes
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Dice up butternut squash into chunks/cubes
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Roast in oven for between 30-45 minutes depending on size of cubes and how roasted you like it!
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Place in an oven tray with frylight and sprinkle paprika over
Cauliflower Rice
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Cut florets off the cauliflower and place in a food processor for a few seconds until cauliflower resembles rice. Alternatively buy ready made cauliflower rice.
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Spread cauliflower rice out onto an oven tray
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Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes depending on how roasted you want it. You will need to check on it every 10 minutes or so and mix to check not burning on the edges. Ideally this means putting in the oven after the casserole has been in for 1 hour already.
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Serve mixed with half cous cous to bulk it out and make it more filling.
Keywords: Casserole, Moroccan, Slimming World,
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