Showing posts with label kid friendly foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kid friendly foods. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Quest for a Healthy Chicken Nugget




Ok, so I have given birth to two, maybe three, children who refuse to eat much other than chicken nuggets. We have come to realize that our family in fact are what we refer to as "Chickaterians" ie. we eat mostly chicken. I'm ok with lots of fresh chicken, but frozen chicken like product is a different story. Since I'll have a bit more time now I thought I'd try to make my own nuggets so that I can try to make them healthy and maybe even hide some veggies in there too. I am also hopeful that I can save a bit of cash. So here is the plan:

I usually buy these Tyson nuggets at our local Sam's Club. The bag contains 4.25lbs and costs $10.87. This week (ending today) Randall's has their fresh chicken breasts on sale for 1.99 a pound....so 4.25lbs of fresh would cost $8.46. I have everything else I need to make them so that will be my only cost this time. If I needed to buy eggs, flour, etch it would go up a bit, but not more than about a dollar per batch. I'm going to make these, bake them, and then lay them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once they are frozen I'll put them into freezer zip top bags and keep them on had for lunches. Fingers crossed here we go....

INGREDIENTS

vegetable oil
4 cups all-purpose flour ( used whole wheat)
1/8 cup ground flax seed
6 tablespoons garlic salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
4 eggs, beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into small chunks

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 inch oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large skillet or saucepan.
Stir together the flour, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl. Dip the chicken pieces individually into flour mixture, egg mixture, the flour mixture again; shake off the excess flour. Place the coated chicken pieces onto a plate until all the chicken has been coated.
Cook the chicken in batches in the hot oil until golden brown and no longer pink in the center. You can also bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. To make them crispy in the oven coat the baking with non-stick spray.

To Freeze:

Cook and cool completely on cooling racks. Once cool place chicken in a single layer on a metal cookie sheet and put into the freezer overnight. Once they are frozen in this way put them into a freezer zip top bag and save for later.
I'm going to make a test batch of these for lunch tomorrow. I'll post and let you know what the boys think...I'll have to wait 6 months or so to let you know baby girl's thoughts.

Meal Plan Monday 7-7-09

This week we'll be eating:
Monday -
  • we were traveling to the grandparent's house we ate on the road.
Tuesday -
  • Breakfast: French toast and milk
  • Snack: Frozen Grapes and tea
  • Lunch: Fish Sticks, Fruit, and milk
  • Snack: Chips and tea
  • Dinner: Beef Taco Bake, chips/salsa, chocolate pudding,tea
  • Snack: pop corn and tea

Beef Taco Bake


Crust:1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 package active dry yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion 3/4 teaspoons salt 2/3 cup very warm water2 tablespoons oil 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Filling: 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 cup water
Suggested Toppings: 1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded lettuce 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
Chopped onion
Chopped avocado
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour Cream
Fresh or bottled salsa
Lime wedges
In medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, onion, and salt; mix well. Add warm water and oil. Mix by hand until almost smooth. Stir in chips and enough flour to make a stiff batter. Spread in well-greased 10-inch pie pan, forming a rim around edge. Cover; let rise in warm place 20 minutes.
In large skillet, brown ground beef with onion. Add seasonings and water; simmer 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375*F (190*C).
Spread meat mixture over dough. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until edge is crisp and light golden brown. Sprinkle top with your favorite toppings. Serve immediately with a dollop sour cream, salsa and a squeeze of lime.
Makes 6 servings.

Wednesday:

  • Breakfast - biscuits, eggs, and sausage, and milk
  • Snack - frozen grapes and tea
  • Lunch - left over beef taco bake, fruit, and milk
  • Snack - fruit roll ups and tea
  • Dinner - Grilled Italian Lime Chicken, Wild Rice, Green Beans, brownies, and tea

I marinate chicken breasts in fat free Italian Salad Dressing and the juice of 8 limes for two days and then freeze it all in a zippered bag when we're ready to cook I pull it out to thaw and we're ready to go. The kids love this and don't love much.

  • Snack - brownies and milk

Thursday:

  • Breakfast - cereal with fresh fruit and milk
  • Snack - frozen grapes and tea
  • Lunch - left over Italian Chicken and fixings
  • Snack - brownies and milk
  • Dinner - Lloyd's BBQ pork, baked potato, brownies, and tea

Friday:

  • Breakfast - waffles, yogurt, and milk
  • Snack - banana's and peanut butter with milk
  • Lunch - make your own sandwich (boys may like this), fruit, chips, and milk
  • Snack - peanut butter cookies
  • Dinner - Rice-a-Roni with shredded chicken, glazed carrots, peanut butter cookies, tea
  • Snack - frozen grapes

Saturday:

  • Breakfast - pancakes, bacon, and milk
  • Snack - frozen grapes
  • Lunch - chicken nuggets, fruit, and milk
  • Snack - oatmeal cookies and milk
  • Dinner - we'll be eating at a friend's birthday party tonight
  • Snack - oatmeal or peanut butter cookies and milk

Sunday:

  • Breakfast - cereal with fresh fruit and milk
  • Snack - fruit roll up and milk
  • Lunch - hot dog, fruit, and milk
  • Snack - frozen grapes
  • Dinner - hamburger helper, corn, fruit, pudding, and milk