Chicken Pesto Alfredo Manicotti- SUPER YUM!

Last week, as I was preparing my grocery list, I came across a recipe that looked intriguing.  The recipe was from one of those little brand name cookbooks that you can get in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.  Sometimes I pick those up when there is something on the cover that catches my eye.  Anyway, I decided to give it a try, changing it to suit my tastes of course, and it was incredibly yummy!  And not only was it incredibly yummy, but also incredibly EASY and inexpensive to make!

Chicken Pesto Alfredo Manicotti

• 1-2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins (or you can just take 4 chicken breasts and slice them into about 1 inch strips)
• 1 pkg. uncooked manicotti (tube pasta)
• 2 cups homemade or store bought alfredo sauce (I cheated last night and used Newman's Own)
• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought pesto sauce
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. italian herbs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese or a mixture

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, butter, or olive oil (I like to use my stoneware, it holds the heat in really well). Spread half of the alfredo and half of the pesto in the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, mix the chicken, the italian herbs, and the garlic powder until chicken is well coated.  Stuff the chicken strips into the uncooked manicotti noodles and line each in the baking dish on top of the sauce.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake approximately 1 hour or until the noodles are soft and the chicken is cooked through.  

And now...the gratuitous picture of the Pumpkin Pie I made for David.  We are not having Thanksgiving this year, because David has to work and we don't have any family here in Iowa.  Our family is about 7 hours away by plane.  Still, David really loves pumpkin pie, so I made him one as a surprise!  I used my Easy Accent Decorator to decorate it- LOVE LOVE LOVE my Easy Accent Decorator.  Probably my favorite thing in my kitchen right now! LOVE!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

and also...HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE OUT THERE!