Healthier Chicken Nuggets

Yummy note: My kids LOVE chicken nuggets. If they could have chicken nuggets for every meal, I think they would. So with the frequency it seems to come up in meal planning at our house, I wanted to make an alternative option for their processed chicken nuggets. We've been making chicken nuggets/strips like these, but they often bring up the fact that these chicken nuggets aren't quite the same as the processed ones, aka the texture and shape is different. So when I came across this recipe from MOMables a while ago, I thought i would give it a try as we've never tried using the ground chicken. Wow, it was a hit! The looks of these won them over and we've been using it for several months now. It is the best to try especially if you are looking for the same feel and look of processed chicken nuggets but on the healthier side. I have modified the seasoning a bit from the original posted here, as my kids have some allergies to watch out for, so we eliminated the parmesan cheese and just used more breadcrumbs in place of that. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make them ahead of time and freeze them and keep them ready for those quick meals to reheat and serve. I love how the texture of these homemade chicken nuggets is very similar to that of the processed chicken nuggets that they love. The biggest complaint my oldest child had was that the nuggets didn't get crispy enough for her, so I'm working on that technique still. But they really taste awesome, both for big and little kids ;) we even made a batch into larger chicken patties to have for chicken sandwiches. 

 Healthier Chicken Nuggets 

Recipe adapted from http://www.momables.com/lunchbox-wars-4-chicken-nuggets/

Ingredients: 

Chicken mixture: 

1 lb of ground chicken 

1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats 

1/2 tsp of chicken seasoning (we like to use this) 

pinch of salt/pepper

optional: if the mixture seems too wet and not forming into shapes well, add in additional 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers 

Coating: 

1/2 tsp of chicken seasoning 

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of black pepper 

3/4 cup of breadcrumbs 

optional: add in grated parmesan cheese 

Directions: 

In large bowl, combine chicken, oatmeal, and seasonings and mix well. Moisten hands to prevent the chicken mixture from sticking to your hands and form about 1 tbsp of the chicken mixture into a ball and then flatten into your nugget shapes. You could also press the chicken mixture into a cookie cutter for shaped nuggets to make more appealing for the kids. (note, this takes some time to do though, I wouldn't advise it, unless you have some patience :) as the meat can get stuck to the cookie cutters. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs with remaining seasonings for the crumb coating. Press nuggets into crumb mixture and toss/pat down crumbs to coat evenly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place nuggets on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Spray the top of the chicken nuggets with cooking spray for a crispier coating (optional). Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken nugget, turning once halfway through. 

The biggest complaint my kids have sometimes with these baked nuggets is that they don't really get brown or super crispy. If extra browning or crispiness is desired, you could place the nuggets under the broiler for a couple of minutes or pan fry them at the end of cooking. If you opt for the freezer method, freeze the raw chicken nuggets on a cookie sheet, to avoid them sticking together. Once they are frozen, put them in a container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to bake, Make sure you add an additional 5 minutes or so to the initial cooking time to make up for the frozen chicken nugget to bake thoroughly, as it is raw chicken and you want to make sure to cook it properly. You could take a temperature of the chicken nugget if you wish, and it should be about 170 degrees to be cooked thoroughly.

These nuggets start with simple ingredients.

Steps to make easy healthier chicken nuggets, similar to pre-packaged processed chicken nuggets. 

Caprese Bites

Yummy note:
This month's Secret Recipe Club selection was amazing. Everything on the Authentic Suburban Gourmet's website was just picture perfect. Lisa is one of these people I would love to go over to her place and visit with, and or course, be one of those lucky guests to be invited to one of her festive dinner parties. She has had her blog up for many years now, starting back in 2009, and her photography skills have always been pretty top notch which truly makes her blog so appealing. I often look back at my fellow bloggers at their earlier years, as you can see how they progress and how the blog changes, especially in the digital age, people often switch to different photography styles. But Lisa's is picture perfect- since the beginning, so hats off to Authentic Suburban Gourmet. I mean she has dishes on there that I'm not a fan of, and typically wouldn't eat, like these Deviled Eggs, but the way she photographed them, made me want to try it out almost! The eggs looks so dreamy like frosting!  I knew I wanted to feature something from her Friday Night Bites series, as she had several delectable recipes that I had a hard time selecting from. So I did what any of you do, and try out a few :) I'll feature the Caprese Bites recipe, with some inspiration from this recipe as well, as my kids like pepperoni better than salami. 

Caprese Bites

original located here 

http://authenticsuburbangourmet.blogspot.com/2010/11/caprese-bites.html

Ingredients: 
12 small mozzarella balls
12 basil leaves
12 slices of pepperoni or salami
12 cherry tomatoes
24 toothpicks
Extra virgin olive oil Sea salt or Fleur de sel

Directions: 
Cut the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half, the short direction. Then, slice the basil leaves in half lengthwise. Finally, cut the pepperoni and/or salami in half. Next comes the assembly- Put the cherry tomato next to the mozzarella ball, it should form like a small ball when put together. Next wrap the half basil leaf and half salami or pepperoni around that. Secure caprese bite with a toothpick. Continue to assemble bites. Once all are assembled, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt for tasting. This makes about 24 appetizers.
 
Yummy Note:
I had some fresh basil growing abundant in my garden patio planter, so I thought this was a perfect fit for this caprese bites recipe. 

Some more basil hanging out on my windowsill. Did I mention I really like fresh basil? ;) 

The key players - mozzarella, little cherry tomatoes, basil, pepperoni or salami, a quality extra virgin olive oil, and some sea salt. 

Look at these fresh ingredients, ready to be assembled into a delicious appetizer.

Now the tricky part, wrapping the basil and pepperoni/salami around those little buggers!

All cute, almost too cute to eat. Ok, really, it's ready to be devoured :) Finish off with some evoo and sea salt.

An InLinkz Link-up

Avocado Sorbet

Yummy note: It is time to return the favor this month with the Secret Recipe Club. One of the things I love about participating in the Secret Recipe Club is how each month a different secret blogger reveals one of your recipes. Last month, Chris from Mele Cotte featured my breakfast pizza and did it with a slight twist making it a deep dish version-- hello, what a great idea! Fast forward a month to the assignments for our SRC post in May, and hey, I know that name on my assignment... yes, I got Mele Cotte in return this month! I loved this, as I had been scoping out Mele Cotte's blog last month after she had posted my breakfast pizza remake. So I had a few recipes in mind that I had eyed. I really wanted to make one of these two- a 3 bean salad or this edamame corn salad  that just screamed summer, but instead I got sidetracked with sorbet.  I haven't made a good sorbet since last summer. My poor lonely ice cream maker was just collecting dust and ice crystals in the deep freeze. So why not kick off the ice cream maker season now!  This avocado sorbet was a more daring flavor combination recipe for me to try that's for sure. I don't think I would have tried this combination if it wasn't for the rave reviews from Chris at Mele Cotte. I wasn't so sure on this recipe, at first, but I kept coming back to how interesting it seemed. I was afraid it was going to be like a margarita that accidentally spilled into my side of guacamole. Seriously, I wasn't so sure, so when I started mixing up the slurry, I was happily surprised by the flavor profile. I made a 2 versions - one regular as noted below and a kids' version without tequila (and I used a non-alcoholic margarita lime mix instead of the tequila). I tasted the kid's version first and it was fruity, amazingly light and refreshing. In the other, I added the tequila to that batch and it was taking a tequila shot, minus the salt ;)  As mentioned in the recipe, let the sorbet soup I call it, chill overnight before churning it in the ice cream maker. I think the flavors really are much better.  I really didn't notice the avocado/guacamole profile that I was concerned with originally, whew. At the end, the avocados really made it a nice consistency and creamy for a non-dairy sorbet. 

Avocado Sorbet 

from Mele Cotte's avocado sorbet recipe

Ingredients:
3 ripe large avocados (roughly 2 cups)
1 ½ cups water
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice (roughly 2 limes)
1/3 cup tequila*
Lime zest/slices for garnish
*if wish to make the non-alcoholic kids version, omit the tequila and add some non-alcoholic margarita mix or lime juice/lemonade instead.


Directions:
Peel and pit 3 ripe large avocados. Pulse with either a stick hand blender or food processor until smooth. Place the avocado puree in a bowl and add the water, sugar, lime juice and tequila. Pulse until well combined. Next, refrigerate the slurry mixture for atleast 1 hour or overnight. Once chilled, transfer the avocado mixture into your chilled ice cream maker reservoir. Make sure to freeze your ice cream maker container according to the directions, mine takes atleast 6-8 hours for the container to initially freeze, so make sure it is ready when you go to process your sorbet. Process according to the directions on your maker, mine took about 20-25 minutes. Once the sorbet is done and to the desired thickness, transfer into an airtight container and place in the freezer to firm up, if desired, even more before serving. Garnish with a little lime zest, if desired, or next time I think I might even try a nice raspberry sauce drizzle to add some color and flavor too. Recipe makes about 8 servings at ½-cup servings each. Store in the freezer for up to 1 week. Note, the sorbet is softer if you use the alcohol, however if you omit it, the texture is a bit more icier and hard; so you may want to soften it a bit before serving.

Just a few ingredients make this easy sorbet. 

Avocado puree!

Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. 

Churn, churn, churn.. Just look at that color! It is like ogre green!!

After about 20 minutes, the avocado sorbet is almost done. 

Here is the soft set avocado sorbet. 

Be sure to check out the other bloggers in this month's Secret Recipe Club group C for their recreations! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Snowball Divinity

Snowball Divinity 

Yummy note: My kids are obsessed with the Disney movie Frozen. I mean, the movie is pretty fantastic, so I'll feed into their obsession with it and play the music, sing-a-long with them, and all. The latest is they want to have lots of fun Frozen-themed things. So, we have here will be snowballs-aka Snowball Divinity. This recipe is actually and older recipe I have kept, as it was on the back on this fluffy white frosting mix box. Sometimes this frosting mix can be hard to find, so whenever I see it in stock or at the store I always grab a box to keep in my pantry. I enjoy making this divinity around the holidays too, as it is simple, yet it is an old-fashioned sweet treat. 


Ingredients:
1 (6.5 ounce) package of Betty Crocker homestyle fluffy white frosting mix
1/3 cup of light corn syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of boiling water
1 pound of powdered/confectioners sugar (about 4 cups)
Food color, nuts, or sprinkles - optional


Directions: 
In a stand mixer or using an electric mixer, combine frosting mix, corn syrup, vanilla, and boiling water. Beat on low speed until the ingredients are blended, and then turn the mixer to high speed. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Next, turn down the speed to low, (please do so or else it will look like there was a snow explosion of powdered sugar) and gradually add in the 4 cups of powdered sugar. Add food color, nuts, or sprinkles, if desired. Mix until all of the sugar is incorporated. Then drop by teaspoonfuls onto the aluminium foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven. Remove from the oven and let stand for atleast 4 hours or until divinity feels firm. Turn candies over and allow to dry for another 12 hours. Store in an airtight container or put in freezer and store for a few months. 

Mixing it up, watch out for the snowstorm! I got my poor mixer a tad messy :( 

\

Once finished mixing it up, you can add in sprinkles, nuts, or even food coloring to customize the divinity. 

The little snowballs before they go into the oven- they are a bit scruffy looking here. 

It is amazing what just 5 quick minutes in the oven will do to these little divinity balls. The candies look much more fluffier and pillow-like.

Lemon Coolers

Yummy note: I have a slight addiction to Girl Scout cookies... I could post a picture of the big box full of different Girl Scout Cookies I’ve bought over the last month or so, but I’ll leave that out just to not embarrass anyone...wink wink. Let’s just say that I fully supported the Girl Scouts this year and consumed my fair share of cookies. This month’s Secret Recipe Club member had me wanting to eat even more cookies than I already had! Ugh! But I knew I had to try atleast one of these cookie recipes out from Dessert Before Dinner. So my plan is that if I recreate these copycat-like Girl Scout cookies I could eat them all-year round, instead of stock piling cookies! I knew these Lemon Coolers (or Savannah Smiles) were first, as I really like lemon flavors and I had a feeling these would not disappoint! Stephy from Dessert Before Dinner was right, they were sweet and tart. Oh, the Samoas- those are next on my list, the latest box wasn't enough caramel for me, so I think this recipe might just work. These Lemon Coolers were flavorful and it was such a fun spring-like dessert; lemony, light, and delicious. I even modified them easily to be a dairy-free cookie, so everyone in the family could enjoy them. 

Lemon Coolers

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (or non-dairy alternative)
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon extract or zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (plus another tablespoon or so, if needed)
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup milk (or non-dairy alternative)
additional powdered sugar for dusting cookie

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter together. Then mix in the vanilla, lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest. Add cornstarch, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix dough until it is all combined. Place the dough on plastic wrap and shape into a log. Wrap in foil and freeze the dough for alteast one hour. Slice the log into thin slices and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Leave the cookies in the circle shapes or cut them in half moons for smaller cookies. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cookies start to take shape and puff up a bit. Try not to overbake the cookies, as they stay nice and soft and flaky, and not too crispy. Once the cookies have cooled, coat them in the powdered sugar.

Mix dough together until it is nice and creamy.

Form the dough into a log shape and freeze. I wrapped mine in plastic wrap first and then in aluminum foil. 

Slice the log of frozen cookie dough and place on cookie sheet to bake.

Dunk the cooled lemon cookies into powdered sugar and coat until covered.

Next, enjoy some Lemon Coolers!

An InLinkz Link-up

Stovetop Popcorn

Yummy note: I'm always trying to figure out how to make a healthier version of our butter-soaked popcorn, and I finally found a delicious alternative. Popping the popcorn kernels in coconut oil gives the popcorn a much more flavorful popcorn, rather than using like a canola or vegetable oil for popping the popcorn and then covering it in butter. I was surprised how the coconut oil worked so well; personally, I like the refined coconut oil better, as it is a little less "coconutty" of a popcorn. My kids start complaining sometimes when I used the unrefined coconut oil, so now we stick with either the basic coconut oil or use a specialty popcorn oil. For an added healthy kick to this popcorn, I enjoy adding a good shake or two of nutritional yeast on top, which is a good source of Vitamin B12, protein, and folic acid. Nutritional yeast is a somewhat acquired taste for some, but I think it a nutty-like, similar to parmesan almost, taste to the popcorn.  

Stovetop popcorn

Ingredients: 
2-3 tbsp coconut oil (other oil will work, but it doesn't have same flavor as coconut oil)
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
salt
Optional toppings: Butter, salt, cheese, or nutritional yeast

Directions: Place 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or if use about vegetable oil, you may need closer to 3-4 tbsp) in a large, heavy pot with a lid. Heat the oil over medium/high heat and add one or two kernels of popcorn to the pan. Wait for the kernels to heat up and pop, as this will tell you when your oil is ready. Remove the popped kernels and then add in the rest, about a 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. Cover the pot with a lid, and give it a few shakes, so that the kernels have a single layer in the pan. You could also put a pinch of salt in at the same time as the kernels. Make sure to use potholders to lift/shake your pan over the heat, as it does get quite warm. Keep the lid shifted just a little to allow steam to vent, or sometimes it causes popcorn to get to mushy, and not the crunchy yummy popcorn you want! Be careful when shaking the pan and don't walk away from it or it might burn. Basically keep shaking the pan continuously and it should only take a few minutes of shaking to get all of the popcorn kernels to pop. Again, don't open the lid all the way, as you could get hit with a hot flying kernel, and trust me that hurts for a second, lol. While the popcorn is popping, melt a little butter if desired. Pour the popcorn into a big bowl; drizzle with the melted butter, margarine, or alternative butter/oil. Sprinkle with salt and nutritional yeast for a healthy treat.

Simple ingredients

Put one or two kernels of popcorn in first until oil is ready. 

Once the first kernels pop, remove them, and add the rest of the popcorn kernels. 

After a few minutes of popping and shaking the pan on the stovetop, enjoy fluffy popcorn!

Crunchy Onion Chicken Tenders

Yummy note:  I really have a sweet tooth and it shows on my blog. I've been making and posting about too many dessert-like items lately, so when I got this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment, I made a decision to find a recipe that wasn't for my sweet tooth. Honestly, with a name of SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl, I was really hoping this was going to be an easy pick. Boy, was I wrong! Desi from SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl had a selection of desserts and treats (these smores were looking just bite-sized amazing!) that were teasing and taunting me to make for this month's assignment, but I held strong. I was doing a few searches on my blog and realized I only had a handful of dishes that I used chicken, seriously?! So with that in mind, I ended up making these crispy crunchy chicken tenders; these are not your normal chicken tenders, as they are packed with flavor! These are easy-to-make chicken tenders, not to mention crunchy, salty, and yummy! My family loves to eat these crispy onions quite often, on salads, burgers, or really just to snack on, so combo them with chicken strips and it's a hit! Thanks Desi for adding another delicious option to my family rotation of meals. 

Crunchy Onion Chicken Tenders

by SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl

Ingredients: 

about a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins 

2 eggs (depending on size of the eggs, you might be able to use 1 large egg) 

half of a small can of French's French Fried Onions 

Directions: 

Prepare chicken breasts and cut into strips or use pre-cut chicken tenderloin pieces. Crush about half of a can of french fried onions in a ziplock bag. Mix up the eggs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken pieces in the egg wash and then drop into the crushed up french fried onions. Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. You can test the chicken by making sure the juices run clear when pierced or use a meat thermometer. 

A simple 3 ingredient meal- chicken, eggs, and french fried onions.

Prepare a little assembly line to make the prep easier.

Crispy onion covered chicken tenders ready for the oven. 

Perfect meal of chicken tenders and mini potato gratins!

Yummy note: Desi had another amazing Muffin Pan Potato Gratins recipe that paired well with these chicken tenders!

Golden and cheesy mini potato gratins! 

Please be sure to stop on by and visit all of the other wonderful bloggers in the Secret Recipe Club group!

An InLinkz Link-up