I forget things. Gym clothes, salami...you know, the usual.

Well, I was all on top of things and ran to Fresh & Easy at lunch for some prosciutto/coppa to top my brussels sprouts with (F&E has an awesome cured meat selection. Go figure.), and of course left it in my work fridge. So, moving on to plan B. (Though I really wanted to go with plan C, which was to drink dinner at Jacalito Grill...our fave bartender was working tonight, which is always tempting, but I ended up working late, and since we were already there twice in the past 6 days...sigh. Why must a cantina be within walking distance?)

Anyway, I had some herbed goat cheese, shallots and basil, and figured those would be as good as anything else stuffed in a big piece of chicken (have I mentioned how much fun it is to stuff things?). Added some creamy polenta and a veggie, and we were good to go. (The chicken was FAB, btw. I carmelized the sliced shallot first. Sooo good.)

The husband isn't the biggest polenta fan (he thinks it's too much like cream of wheat and I think it freaks him out a little), but I'm persistent, so I'm determined to figure out a way to make it hubby-friendly. I figured cheese would be a good start (plus it tied it in with the chicken, I love doing that)...add some fat free half and half and ta-da...creamy polenta.

Verdict? "Babe, it's ok-I don't have to have any, you don't have to try and make it better."

Whatever. I liked it a lot. (And he still had some!) So if you're down with polenta, need an alternative for rice or potatoes, and/or like goat cheese...carry on.

Creamy Polenta
1/2 cup dried yellow polenta
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of basil (fresh or dried)
1 oz goat cheese (I used herbed, or you could actually just use parm if you want it a little less strong)

Boil liquids in a rice pan (if you don't have half and half, use 1 cup milk and 1 1/2 cup broth-or whatever combination to equal 2.5 cups). Whisk in polenta, reduce to simmer, and let cook about 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in cheese, basil and pepper. Serve hot.
If you want the fat kid portion (half recipe), it's approx. 195 cals, 5g fat, 3g fiber, 31 carbs, 11g protein.