I get a lot of requests for kid-friendly recipes, as many children tend to be picky eaters (I know, not all of them). I do not have children, but my husband and I do take my nephew for weekends at a time. It's those weekends that I realize how much different my life will be when I no longer can just come home and make whatever I want! I've lucked out with a husband who will try anything I put in front of him; however, I'm not sure I'll be as lucky with our kids.
My nephew is a prime example of a picky eater. One day he'll tell you that he wants something, and a day later he'll respond by telling you "I don't like _____ ", as if he can't believe you'd actually suggest he'd eat this same food he just consumed a day earlier. One thing he does enjoy is chicken nuggets, he never seems to get sick of those. So, when he came to stay with us a few weeks ago, I made sure I had ingredients on hand to make him his favorite food.
He wasn't going to get off that easy though. He was going to work for these chicken nuggets (:
My nephew is a prime example of a picky eater. One day he'll tell you that he wants something, and a day later he'll respond by telling you "I don't like _____ ", as if he can't believe you'd actually suggest he'd eat this same food he just consumed a day earlier. One thing he does enjoy is chicken nuggets, he never seems to get sick of those. So, when he came to stay with us a few weeks ago, I made sure I had ingredients on hand to make him his favorite food.
He wasn't going to get off that easy though. He was going to work for these chicken nuggets (:
Making him "work" for food was not as bad as it sounds. Getting him involved in the kitchen was my way of including him in the process. To him, it would have been easier to go to our nearest drive thru for his favorite food. If I had done that, not only would I have been feeding him chicken that came from (well, I don't want to think about where it comes from), but I would not have had as much fun as I did with him. Additionally, studies find that kids who have a hand in preparation of their food are more likely to eat it.
Cooking with your kids can be beautiful chaos. Here are a couple of tips to make sure your little chef gets the most out of his/her experience in the kitchen:
1. Have all of your ingredients out and ready to go. They don't have to be measured (although with much smaller kids it's easier to have things measured out into smaller bowls so they can just "pour" them into the bigger mixing bowl)
2. Have a towel and washcloth handy, as cleanups are inevitable
3. Make sure all cutting/chopping, etc is done ahead of time so that you don't have sharp knives in the area. Unless your kids are old enough to cut, then make sure they are supervised at all times. If you are looking for a great starter knife set for your children, try these or this one.
4. Have fun!
Here is what you'll need for a kid-friendly batch of chicken nuggets:
1 lb. package of organic chicken tenders
1 egg, whisked
1 1/2 c Italian or panko bread crumbs (substitute Gluten-Free, if needed)
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper
olive oil for drizzling
Cooking with your kids can be beautiful chaos. Here are a couple of tips to make sure your little chef gets the most out of his/her experience in the kitchen:
1. Have all of your ingredients out and ready to go. They don't have to be measured (although with much smaller kids it's easier to have things measured out into smaller bowls so they can just "pour" them into the bigger mixing bowl)
2. Have a towel and washcloth handy, as cleanups are inevitable
3. Make sure all cutting/chopping, etc is done ahead of time so that you don't have sharp knives in the area. Unless your kids are old enough to cut, then make sure they are supervised at all times. If you are looking for a great starter knife set for your children, try these or this one.
4. Have fun!
Here is what you'll need for a kid-friendly batch of chicken nuggets:
1 lb. package of organic chicken tenders
1 egg, whisked
1 1/2 c Italian or panko bread crumbs (substitute Gluten-Free, if needed)
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper
olive oil for drizzling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tenders into smaller, bite-size pieces. Pour all of the dry ingredients into a one gallon freezer bag. Dip each piece of chicken tender into the egg, then drop into the freezer bag. Repeat until you have 4 or 5 chicken pieces in the bag. Shake the bag until the pieces are coated with the bread crumb mixture. Remove those pieces from the bag and lay on a wire rack. Repeat until all chicken pieces are dredged in egg and bread crumbs. Place wire rack onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over the pieces before placing in the oven, to keep them from drying out.
Cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces.
Relax and be assured that you know EVERY ingredient that went into these chicken nuggets...and had FUN in the kitchen with your kids.
Enjoy!
XO,
Nicole
Cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces.
Relax and be assured that you know EVERY ingredient that went into these chicken nuggets...and had FUN in the kitchen with your kids.
Enjoy!
XO,
Nicole
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