Nuggets!

I think one of the number one foods that come to mind when I think of toddlers, is chicken nuggets.  I can't tell you how many of my friends always have them stocked in their freezer.  They're quick, simple, and yes, toddlers love foods that they can dip.  Here's my only issue with the premade ones- they aren't always chicken breast (sometimes they are chicken parts- EW), and they are packed with salt.

Laela is a chicken nugget lover.  She loves them grilled, baked, fried, spicy or sweet.  She'll eat them cold or hot.  This nugget recipe is such a hit, even my husband will take them into work and eat them cold for lunch.  They're also great tossed into a salad, or stuffed into a wrap.

The best part?  They're simple to make, easy to freeze, and taste great reheated in the oven- just like the premade ones.

Chicken Nuggets
makes about 50 nuggets

You'll need:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk (any type is fine)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Sprigs rosemary, chopped
• 2 Sprigs thyme (leaves only)
• Olive oil

Instructions:

• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, with a dash of salt and pepper.
• In another medium sized bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, rosemary, thyme, with a dash of salt and pepper.
• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter.  After cutting off all of the fat from the chicken, place the chicken on the plastic wrap.
• Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken breast.
• Pound the chicken breast with a meat tenderizer until about 1/4 inch thick.
• Using scissors, cut the breast into 3-4 long strips, about 2 inches wide.  Then, cut each strip into nuggets, making them about 1-2 inches long, depending on how big you want to make them.
• Preheat a medium skillet to medium heat.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil into the bottom of the pan.
• Dip the nuggets first into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs.  Make sure the nuggets are well coated in bread crumbs.
• Place the breaded nuggets into the hot skillet.  Cook for 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, or until the breading looks crisped on each side.
• Place on a paper towel to soak the oil.
• **If you make these in batches, make sure to keep adding a bit more oil to the pan.
• If you are planning to freeze these, let them cool in the fridge first.  Then, wrap them in batches (I wrap them by serving, so I can just pull them out as I need them) using aluminum foil or plastic wrap. (I prefer aluminum foil, so that I can just unwrap it, then bake them off using that foil if it didn't get ripped up when I unwrapped it.)
• **To reheat after frozen:  You can do this one of two ways.  1.  Let the nuggets defrost overnight, then bake them in an oven at 350-degrees for about 5 minutes, or until crispy.  2.  Take them directly out of the freezer, and bake them in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy.
• These can freeze in a standard freezer for 3 months.

Chasing Laela

Holy moly am I beat.  Kyle's been traveling a lot, and as much as I love Laela walking, sometimes it was easier when I could throw her in the baby carrier and get things done.  Now when I clean, I've got this cute little tornado following me, tossing things out of containers and drawers, giggling all the way.  When I bake, I have to give her dough to play with- and then dunk her in the tub promptly after.  The most hilarious thing is that she's totally convinced that she wants to jump out of the stroller and run through the mall, but the second she's two feet away, she turns around, yelps "Mommy!" and runs back to me to hold my leg/arm/pinky because as much as she wants to try new things, she wants that reassurance that I'm there.  So that's where I've been lately- chasing Laela, and being chased by Laela.

What have we been eating, might you ask?  Toddler food.  Edamame and peas as snacks.  Sliced up oranges and grapes.  Sun butter on whole wheat crackers.  Cinnamon toast, turkey and cheese sandwiches, vegetarian lasagne, tacos, roasted chicken, meatballs, or her absolute favorite, hummus and whole wheat pita.  When you're on the run all the time, you want to munch on the go!  I've had to learn to adjust my program.  We sit down for our meals (breakfast and dinner are the constants- that's family time and I won't allow it to change), but on days that we go to the park, or to somewhere super fun like the museum or the playhouse, we snack or have special packed lunches that we eat picnic style either on benches, or tables set up at the museum.  I think it's helping my little girl learn that healthy eating and snacking is important, regardless of where we are.  On top of that, I think it's helping her learn to ease into different situations.  Eating in different places may seem like something small to a grown up, but to a little person, it's a regular introduction to an entirely different atmosphere, thus making the eating experience totally new!

No matter what parenting style you may have, you don't want to get stuck in a situation where you can't go anywhere because your little one can't adjust to a change of scenery or a disruption of his/her schedule.  We have a difficult time getting Laela to sleep in strange places, so we've had to learn what works for her when we travel.  How did we learn this?  By having a terrible traveling experience and going to our friends' wedding feeling like miserable zombies!!  The point is, you can be a good parent and still do fun things.  If you want to go to the park, or meet up with girlfriends, do it.  The worst that could happen is that your kid flips out and your friends look at you like you're nuts (which hey, they're your friends, they probably think this anyway), and you drag your cute little demon home- where he or she will probably be a little angel the second you walk through the door and you'll want to cry.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm pretty exhausted from having family visit over the weekend (and from Laela waking up at the crack of dawn because she got off schedule), so this is going to be short and sweet.

Is your little one refusing to take food from you, and only wants to feed himself/herself?  Make some fish, some large couscous with cheese, and steam some broccoli.  These are all things you can toss onto your little one's high chair tray and let them  feed themself, without the worry that they'll choke to death.  (Although, you should ALWAYS be watching your little ones when they're eating!!)

Wednesday I'll post a quick and easy fish recipe that everyone will love!