Easy Chicken Nuggets

By Catherine McCord

Weelicious

 

 

How often do you pull a box of frozen chicken nuggets from the freezer for lunch or dinner? Once a week? Twice? If your kid really loves them, I’d wager it might be even more than that. I get it. Chicken nuggets are convenient and kids will eat them. But what ingredients make up your favorite brand? Are they made from things you want your little ones eating?

These chicken nuggets are unbelievably easy to make, absolutely delicious and made from ingredients you can pronounce. The best part is that you can make a huge batch and keep them in the freezer for future meals, so not only do they save on the expense of boxed nuggets but also the time it takes to go to the grocery to buy them. What could be more simple, economical, nutritious and yummy than that?

 

Chicken Nuggets (Makes 24 Nuggets)

1 Pound Chicken Breasts, boneless & skinless cut into chunks

1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (also known as 5 minute oats)

1/4 Tsp Dried Parsley

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

3/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated

 

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor until chicken is finely chopped and ingredients are combined.

3. Place the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl or on a plate and stir to combine.

4. With moistened hands, roll 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture between your palms and flatten it into a “nugget” shape.

5. Gently press nuggets into bread crumbs to evenly coat them.*

6. Place nuggets on a cooling rack. Place cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.

7. Lightly spray nuggets with cooking spray.

8. Bake for 15 minutes and serve.**

* To freeze, place nuggets on a sheet tray after this step and freeze for one hour. Place nuggets in labeled freezer bags for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, follow the directions starting with step #6.

** If you want your nuggets to be golden brown, place under the broiler for 2 minutes after cooking.

 

 

How to make lemonade fruit popsicles

Watch Catherine make Lemonade popsicles HERE!

by Catherine McCord

Weelicious

Is there anything better than a homemade popsicle?

Lemonade Fruit Popsicles  (makes 8 ice pops)

3/4 cup water 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup agave or honey 8 kiwi slices 16 blueberries

1. In a bowl, mix together the water, lemon juice and agave.

2. Place 3-5 blueberries and 1 or 2 kiwi slices in each ice pop mold.

3. Gently pour the liquid mixture into each mold. You can reposition the fruit after you’ve poured in the liquid.

4. Freeze 6 hours or until frozen through.

5. Serve.

How to DIY Your Own Frozen Fruit Pops

Photo: SkinnyTaste.com / The Bump

I recently came across this DIY frozen fruit pop recipe  from the blog SkinnyTaste.com. These pops are a healthy and simple summer treat for your little ones (and you!). BabyE will definately have fun with these!

To make the pops…

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup diced kiwi
• 1/3 cup diced watermelon
• 1/3 cup diced strawberries
• 1/3 cup diced pineapple
• 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice or apple juice

 

“Combine diced fruit in a bowl and fill each 5 ounce cup with fruit. Add 1 tbsp of juice and insert craft sticks into each cup (they easily stay in place because of all the fruit). Place in the freezer a few hours until firm. To remove the pops from the cups, run under warm water a few seconds. Enjoy!”

Get the full recipe at www.SkinnyTaste.com

Tell me, what are your favorite summer snacks?

Pumpkin Ravioli

This is recipe I tried; to get babyE to eat her veggies while she protested about the mush or puree she was being served. I was looking around on the net for finger food recipes and came across one for butternut squash. I however decided to use pumpkin instead, as she is more familiar with it. I’ve also made this ravioli using Jamaican callaloo, which I cooked through then pureed.

4 oz. all-purpose flour

1 oz. bottled or purified water

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 oz. pumpkin, peeled, cooked and mashed or pureed. I add a pinch of oregano (optional)

Mix the flours together, then slowly add the oil and water, mixing well (this is easiest to achieve with a food processor set at the lowest speed) or your hands, of course. The mixture should become a ball of dough – if it seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until a ball is formed. Knead the dough thoroughly, and then divide into two pieces. Roll out each piece VERY thinly.

After pureeing or mashing, stir the oregano into the pumpkin.

Take a teaspoon of the pumpkin and place at intervals along 1 sheet of pasta. Place the other sheet of pasta over the top and press down around the ‘mounds’ of pumpkin. Next, cut around the pumpkin mounds with a very sharp knife. Create a decorative edge for your ravioli by pressing all the way around the edge with the wet prongs of a fork.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and then carefully slide in the ravioli shapes. When the shapes rise to the surface of the water, they are ready. Carefully remove them with a spoon. You can serve as they are or add a veggie sauce.

I add Broccoli puree (sort of like a pesto sauce) and a bit of shredded cheese (BabyE enjoy cheese very much)

 

Ground Beef Hash

I make this for babyE for lunch and she likes it, it has protein, veggies and the required carbs. I don’t add any salt, but use some spice, because she is at the place where bland food is not working for her. She expresses this by spitting her mush back into the plate. Enough said. Now that she can feed herself, I try to make more textured meals which can be held, so she’ll feel like a big girl.

 

1 small Irish potato

1/2 lb ground beef

1 ounce frozen sweet peas (I use diced carrots sometimes)

Pinch of oregano

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Thoroughly wash, peel and dice the potato. Add diced potato to a pot of boiling water.

Sauté ground beef with oregano in the olive oil until cooked through. Add the frozen peas and cook for another 2 minutes.

After potato has cooked until completely soft, add to the sautéed ground beef.

Toss around and serve.

This makes 2 servings.

Honeydew, Otaheiti Apple and Pineapple Smoothie

Summer is fast approaching, babyE is crawling and cruising around and she gets hot. Here is a delicious and refreshing snack that not only helps her get in the required servings of fruit daily, but also quenches the thirst.

Sometimes when I make fruit puree for babyE I dice the left overs and freeze them for later. I use these frozen fruit to make delicious smoothies. This time I had frozen Honeydew, Otaheiti Apple and Pineapple. I just blend the fruit with a tiny bit of water because it’s already frozen and the fruit is also cubed. I blend in my baby bullet until pureed and smooth. You may have to blend and mix a few times to get the frozen fruit pureed properly. Serve with a spoon.

Your baby will love it. Watch out for a brain freeze though!

Watermelon popsicles

Here is an easy and refreshing way to get your tots to eat their fruits, or in this case lick it, like popsicles.

I simple blend or puree watermelon, I don’t add water because the watermelon is basically  eighty percent water, and it turns completely liquid after blending. I then pour the liquid into storage cups, stick plastic baby spoons in the middle and cover with press and peel wrap or saran wrap. Freeze and serve.

They will love it, and they won’t even realize it’s good for them, no sugar added. You can even use other fruits like pineapple, peach, apples, plum, etc. Instant popsicles!

 

 

 

 

Broccoli Three Cheese Macaroni

2-3 florets of Broccoli

1/2 cup macaroni shells or bow ties

2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1 ounce processed, Mozzarella or Swiss  cheese

Boil macaroni shells until over cooked and breaks apart at the touch. Drain macaroni.

Wash and steam broccoli florets until tender. Blend or puree in food processor.

Add shredded cheddar and pureed broccoli to the macaroni shells or bow ties.

Let cheddar cheese melt.

Add parmesan cheese and processed, Mozzarella or Swiss  cheese.

Serve warm.

Can be served also as finger foods. BabyE has this for lunch, because she loves cheese, she doesn’t even taste the broccoli. Way to get her to eat her veggies, she will not be the wiser. You can even freeze some of the macaroni and pureed broccoli and re-heat for another day. Just add the shredded cheese then microwave for 40 seconds to melt cheese.

Yummy Apple Sauce

I love to make apple sauce for BabyE, because she really enjoys it and for me it’s because it’s simple and delicious and very nutritious. Here’s my simple recipe with pictures and all. Try it!

Yummy Apple Sauce (4-5 servings of 2 ounces each)

3 Yellow or red apples

1/2 cup bottled or purified water

a pinch of Cinnamon (optional)

Wash apples thoroughly before peeling. Peel apples and remove core.

I like to leave a tiny bit of skin for some fiber.

Cut apples into quarters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place apples in steamer and steam until soft to the touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove apples from steamer and place in food processor.

Add 1/2 cup of bottled or purified water to processor.

You can also use the water that the apples were steamed with (This adds back all the nutrients that were lost during the cooking process)

 

Blend until puree is smooth with no lumps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a pinch of cinnamon to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scoop into containers and store or serve when desired.

See how easy that was?