Lighter Chicken Sausage Breakfast Casserole

I LOVE LOVE LOVE breakfast casseroles, the only thing I don't love is the amount of calories per serving. I got a recipe from Taste of Home and made some changes to make it lighter.
I made this casserole for my bestest friend, Amber.  We usually meet for breakfast every other Saturday but this time I asked her to come to my house since I'm trying to watch my caloric intake. We both really enjoyed this lighter recipe!  Tasted just as good as the real thing!  The greatest part about it was the huge serving we got for 311 calories! A great way to start the day! Note - this recipe calls for the casserole to sit overnight.

Ingredients:

15 ounces Isernio's Premium Breakfast Chicken Sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/4 cup egg beaters (you could probably do just one cup if you like the casserole more dry)
2 cups skim/nonfat milk
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
8 slices of Healthy Lifestyle 40 cal per slice bread, cubed
2 cups (8 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese




Directions:

• In a nonstick skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain and cool.  You must allow the meat to cool, if not you will melt the cheese and cook the eggs!
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs beaters, milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread cubes, cheese and sausage mixture. Pour into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. 
• Yield: 6 servings for 311 calories per serving OR 8 servings for 234 calories per serving.

Crescent Roll Pot Pie

This recipe is one of my family's favorites! I've adapted it from Pillbury's Classic Chicken Pot Pie so it's a little healthier than the original.  The total calorie count ends up around 480 per serving with four servings.

Ingredients:

Crust


1       Can of reduced fat crescent rolls


Filling:


1/3 cup of light butter or margarine
1/3 cup of diced onions (yellow or white)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1 can chicken broth or 1 3/4 cup if from a carton
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded (you can cut this out but personally I feel like it adds more flavor. If you do cut it out it's 20 cal less per serving)
2 1/2 cups of cooked diced chicken or turkey
2 cups of frozen assorted vegetables, thawed.

Prior to being cooked:

Perfectly golden brown!

Directions:

1Heat oven to 350°F. 2In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Gradually (in about 3 batches) stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Stir in parmesan cheese.3Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into pan 9x13 pan OR use 4 ramekins. Top with crescent rolls.  You may need to stretch the crescent rolls to completely cover the mixture.4Bake 13 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  (If you use the regular crescent rolls, I've noticed it cooks faster, so just keep an eye on it).**You can also make the chicken mixture ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until later in the evening to cook. If you do this, increase the cooking time so the middle gets heated thru.  You may need to place tin foil over the crescent topping once it's golden brown so it doesn't burn.**