kid food

I have so many things to do that my brain is on overload.  Shopping, cooking, wrapping, finish decorating, dishes, laundry and the list goes on and on and on....you get the picture.  SO - today I thought I would just share something that is super simple.  I mean, simple enough that even I can accomplish it when my head is spinning like the chick from the Exorcist.  It's homemade, mostly healthy and get this....my kids would not only EAT IT, but LIKE IT!!  SCORE. 

Homemade chicken nuggets and chips :) 

See, I told you it was something simple.  I have lots of holiday stuff coming up (I hope), but today....it's chips and nuggets.  Recently I read about these 'lazy homemade potato chips' from PreventionRD and of course, I was all over it. We love chips, but of course, they aren't the healthiest of fares and most of the attempts to make a crispy chip in the oven has not worked....french fries work well, but anyway, the trick to these is that they are cooked in the microwave! You have crispy, kettle-cooked type chips in just a matter of minutes!! AND, all you need is sliced potatoes, olive oil and whatever spices/seasonings you like.

They turned out really well. Nice and crispy! All you have to do is slice your potatoes very thin (1/4" maybe?) and toss them in olive oil. I have used the food processor, and hand sliced them...whatever works for ya. Lay out your potatoes on a microwave safe plate and sprinkle on sea salt, pepper, seasoning salt...whatever you like. Then microwave for about 7-10 minutes. This is going to vary depending on the thickness of your "chip". After about 5 minutes, I would flip my potato slices and continue cooking a minute or two at a time until they had crisped up and were starting to brown. Watch carefully once they start to brown, b/c they will burn! I then put mine on a baking rack to cool while the other batches were cooking. We were eating them as fast as I could get them ready. That's the bad thing about chips!

 And these little guys aren't that cute, but were sooo good! My 7 year old self-professed chicken nugget expert stated that these were the BEST chicken nuggets she had ever eaten, and waaaay better than.... McDonald's. Yes, the golden arches ain't got nothin' on the mo'betta mama.

These are also super simple...just cut up some chicken breast in chunks, dip in *egg (I used heavy cream, b/c I had it for one, and two, I was out of yogurt and three, I needed something to help bind the bread crumbs to the chicken. Heavy cream is not a good option in the "healthy" category, so next time I'll probably use yogurt or milk or something, since my little guy is allergic to eggs) Anyway, I used Panko crumbs, b/c that's what I had on hand, covered the nuggets, then placed them on a baking rack on top of a baking pan. Baked for about 15 minutes I think at 400 (I didn't follow a recipe, so you may have to play with the times/temps). I just cooked them until they looked crispy and checked them with my handy dandy meat thermometer (you want it to be over 160 degrees). So, an easy quick meal that the kiddies enjoyed. I served it with corn-on-the-cob and carrot sticks.

Also, be sure to join me on Thursday for Share a STRAW! Yes, you read correctly, we are sharing a straw instead of a spoon on Thursday with Think Tank Momma, and she has chosen ME to be the 'hostess with the mostess'. Ok, so that's a scary thought. But, she did let me choose this week's theme...HOLIDAY DRINKS :D and I'm super excited about it. It can be any kind of festive drink you enjoy....hot chocolates, ciders, punch, or "adult" beverages!! Yay! Link up Thursday to join us, and share your drinks. Every year, I search for the perfect punch recipe, so I'm hoping y'all will hook me up with some great recipes to try.

 Today I'm joining these Blog Hops!

KdBuggie Boutique

The Thrifty Things

Inspiring You To Save

Musings from a Stay at Home Mom

Bipolar Girl

Being Frugal and Making it Work