Butternut Squash and Jalepenos Chicken Sausage Bread Pudding

You heard me...
My dinner came in the form of a typically-sweet dessert dish transformed into a savory delight!!!!

I don't know if it's the early morning cardio session or just the simple fact that its Sunday, but all my roommates were in serious cooking mode! (this could be due to the fact that the Food Network is on our television like 98% of the time...)

So, while Matt was making Barefoot Contessa's corn chowder with bacon bits....
and Jenny was making her hearty vegetarian bean chili...
I was making....

Butternut Squash and Jalapenos Chicken Sausage Bread Pudding!!!!
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken sausages (or meat of any kind - I used Trader Joe's Jalapenos chicken sausage)
- about two cups of butternut squash (T.Joe's pre-packaged squash)
- about 2 to 3 cups of chopped cauliflower
- 1/2 of a yellow onion
- a handful of spinach
- a handful of baby bella mushrooms
- 4 slices of toasted bread
- 3/4-1 cup of egg beaters or egg whites
- 1/2 cup of almond milk
- garlic salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to taste
- Top it off with fat-free Feta crumbles!!

1. Steam and saute your chosen veggies: I chopped the onion and mushrooms and heated them in the pan with some non-stick cooking spray and a little water.  I chopped up my cauliflower and added that in with about 1/2 cup of water, then I added in my package of butternut squash.  I added in another 1/3 cup of water and covered to steam.  Check periodically and add in your seasonings (g.salt, pepper, italian). At the end, add in a handful or two of spinach :)

2. Brown your meat -- I sliced and chopped two Jalapenos chicken sausage from Trader Joes and browned them in a pan with non-stick cooking spray.

 3. Get toasty. Toast - and maybe burn - 4 or more slices of bread (I only had four left....)

4. Mix it all together: Add in your veggies, your meat, and your toast (chopped or crumbled into cubes).  Then, add in your 3/4 to 1 full cup of egg beaters or egg whites (can use real eggs too) and your 1/2 cup of almond milk (or any other type of milk). Garlic salt, seasoning, pepper toooo!

5. Place and bake. After about 5 minutes (for the bread to soak up some eggwash!), pour your mixture into a greased baking sheet and top with feta crumbles.  Cook for 40-50 minutes (mine was like 47?)

6. Let cool for a bit... or not. AND DIG IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Want to know something cool??

You can change out the veggies and the meat and play around with different flavors to make this dish totally your own.  I'm going to have fun with this in the future :)

I polished off a fourth of my huge baking sheet full of bread pudding... because there is only 790 calories in the entire dish. you heard.  I probably could have finished the whole thing... but... I accidently picked up a cake at Trader Joe's for dessert.

Slice of Opera Cake and frozen cool whip :)
opera cake is a layer of chocolate topping, coffee mousse, almond biscuit with coffee syrup, chocolate ganache, coffee mousse, and finally more almond biscuit!!!

SUNDAYS are kind of my new favorite thing...
especially if I eat like this on a weekly basis.

I'm off to fill my head with ARABIC and hopefully make it to the 7:45 abs class before work!