Mushroom Chicken and Rice Bake

We had some of my husband's friends over for dinner the other night.  I had no idea what to make, but after scrounging around, I adapted this recipe.  It didn't change much from the original recipe which was given to me by a friend, however was forced to become a little more healthy since I had only healthier alternatives on hand.  I think the single best secret towards eating better is to keep only healthy options on hand.  Then when you have a craving, you have the option of either learning to love alternatives, or going out of your way to pick up something else.

Without further ado, Mushroom Chicken and Rice Bake:

2 cups uncooked brown rice
2 cups water
2 cans cream of mushroom soup*
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (or whatever is on sale will work well enough, too)
1/4 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt (or use [sea] salt, garlic, onion, and paprika.  Or whatever you have on hand.)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combine rice, water, soup, and seasonings, and stir.  Place chicken breasts on top.  Sprinkle additional seasoning salt and pepper, and top with sliced mushrooms.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour and a half, or until rice is tender and cooked through.

*I realize that I am not making the healthiest choice here with canned cream of mushroom soup.  Next time, I am going to try this recipe for making my own, using coconut oil.  I just haven't been convinced until seeing this recipe that I could make a healthy enough alternative, one that was worth the time spent making it from scratch.  I am glad to have finally found one that seems simple AND healthy (not using pure cream, butter, etc.).

I recently learned how healthy mushrooms really are.  They boost your immune system and have high levels of vitamin D.  In researching, I found out that they absorb and concentrate whatever they grow in.  Learning this, I am going to make more of an effort to buy organic mushrooms.  I don't buy all organic produce, but try to pick and choose where I will get the most bang for my buck.