NOT "mechanically separated" chicken fingers!

http://www.shape.com/dinner/comfort-food-healthy-chicken-fingers-mustard-dipping-sauce

Came upon this delicious looking, healthy recipe in a recent edition of Shape magazine. I KNEW all 4 of us would enjoy it! Seth's turn to make dinner so I encouraged him to try it. After "Eww! I hate mustard! Ewww! That much mayo? I hate mayo!" I finally got him to cooperate by reminding him that a lot of recipes include ingredients that separately we may not like, but then end result can be quite tasty.

Other than the fact that it was a bit involved; toasting the walnuts, making the sauce, toasting the panko crumbs, etc. it was a huge success and not a finger was left!

Regarding the title...recently a photo and accompanying article of processed chicken "goop" has been circulating on facebook. After reading the info. (though not 100% accurate) you may never want to order mcnuggets again! Another benefit of home-cooked food, you know just what is going in and how it got there!

Easy and delicious, but not cheap...

The ugly side of convenience, it often comes at a price as we discovered with Cade's next recipe, "One Pan Pasta with Creamy Shrimp and Pesto Sauce". Cade discovered pesto at a friend's house and realized just how good it is! Though I'd cooked with pesto in the past, it was green and therefore deemed "yucky". Funny how they'll try new things at friend's homes but not at their own. I didn't realize when Cade said a pesto recipe, he intended on making fresh pesto. So, I found an easy pesto recipe (#157860) on www.food.com.

It didn't occur to me, until I was loading the basket, that this would be a pricey meal, even for home cooked. For example: Buitoni Pesto Sauce-$5.99, Sundried tomatoes-$5.99, Barilla wheat penne- $2.49, frozen shrimp-$7.99, cream-$2.19= about $25 just for the entree! I did choose to buy the Barilla wheat pasta which costs more than regular but packs a lot more nutrition. I also bought fresh broccoli which I alone added to my dish. As I was shopping I realized my boys need to accompany me on a few of their dish creations to see first hand what food costs! We are fortunate not to have to nickel and dime every meal and since we rarely eat out, we know we are still saving quite a bit of money across the board.

Cade is not a fan of shrimp. I explained how this journey of preparing 52 meals could not be

chicken & dessert dishes and not a single vegetable. Van de Kamp's fish sticks don't count! So, with that said, he still learned about "deveining" shrimp though ours were conveniently done already. I also explained why, though I'm frugal and he knows it, was willing to spend extra for the healthier pasta.

Breakfast for dinner...again!

For Seth's next recipe, he chose "Pancakes". Better Homes & Gardens pg. 72 recipe to be specific.

It is the one I have made countless times, you'd think I'd have it memorized by now! I remembered to buy buttermilk as I know that is Seth's preferred version of the recipe. Since we are big pancake eaters, I always double the recipe and I reminded Seth to do the same. I was a bit nervous that he might forget to double one of the ingredients, but he seemed to do just fine.

That was until he realized that to make the buttermilk version you had to CHANGE the amounts of some of the ingredients, you couldn't just substitute buttermilk for regular. He improvised at my encouragement and just substituted some of the milk with buttermilk. The pancakes came out pretty good, not quite as fluffy as buttermilk, but you could definitely notice a flavor difference. He did a great job pouring and flipping the pancakes as well. While he mixed I made bacon for one of our sides. We also had some "cutie" mandarin oranges for good measure and to make up for the fact that there was not a single veggie on our plate!

Breakfast - It's what's for dinner!

Eggs. My boys LOVE eggs! Seth especially. Hard-boiled, fried, scrambled, in a burrito, you name it, they love them! So, I thought Seth would be delighted to make a Breakfast Casserole recipe I got from my dear friend Margo. Silly me, he is a teenager after all, and the stars must align for him to be "in the mood" to cook regardless of the recipe. So, Cade willingly volunteered to make it. There was no way I was going to let Seth eat another Costco Angus burger!

Cade was doubly thrilled to make "bumpy stuff" for dessert, (aka "Strawberry Delight") which comes from a fund-raiser cook book from our old neighborhood. An almost healthy dessert I might add, were it not for the cool whip! Not the most well-balanced meal I'll admit, but protein rich and tasty too. At least there were strawberries!

Breakfast Casserole (whenever possible we used "light" ingredients)

preheat oven 400-425 degrees, bake 30-40 min.

1 can crescent rolls

1 pkg little smokies

2 c grated cheese

3/4 c milk

6-8 eggs

pepper to taste

Spread crescent rolls on bottom of buttered or "pam-ed" 9x13 baking dish, making sure

all seams are sealed. Sprinkle rolls with sliced sausages followed by 1/2 the cheese. Combine

milk, eggs & pepper & mix well. Pour over sausage and cheese. Add remaining cheese. Bake as directed or until slightly browned and center set. Serve with picante if desired.

"Bumpy Stuff" -Strawberry Delight

1 (1 lb.) container of fat-free cottage cheese

1 (12 oz) cool whip light (NOT fat free)

1 (6 oz.) pkg sugar-free strawberry jello

2 lg. containers (16 oz) strawberries cut up

Combine cottage cheese, cool whip, jello, strawberries. Serve chilled & store in refrigerator.

* Photo reflects Cade's "delight" in licking the spoon after making Bumpy Stuff!

Chicken & Rice, a classic Nana recipe

I recall my mother making this one pan dish many times throughout my childhood. For some reason, hers always tasted better than what I could recreate. Through trial and error I realize two of the reasons why. For one, you can't expect to substitute good old-fashioned "Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup" with a healthy, lighter variety and expect the same yumminess. For two, I'd often not mix the soup with the rice & water well, in a separate bowl first, before adding it to the pan with the chicken. The result was crunchy chunks of rice. :(

Well, with my trial and error experience, Cade made a successful "Chicken and Rice" his very first time! Here's the recipe if you want to try it out too:

Chicken & Rice (tells you a lot doesn't it...;))

1 cup reg. rice uncooked

6-8 chix pieces (we used drumsticks and boneless chicken breasts)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can water

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

paprika

Mix all ingredients and pour in a 9x13" pan. Lay chix pieces on top & spoon sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Sprinkle paprika lightly on top.

There is no shame in simple...

A simple holiday meal that is! When you're blogging about your boys' 104 cooking experiences, you can expect a few will be very basic. Thankfully we have "McCormick" and "Jiffy" (to name a few) to thank for our Christmas Eve spread.

I love short cuts. With McCormick dry chili seasoning mix and a few key ingredients, you can have a pot of tasty chili in no time. Cade prepared ours for Christmas Eve. We did substitute ground turkey for beef to make it a bit healthier. We doubled the recipe allowing another family to join us! All it takes is a few cans of chopped tomatoes/sauce, beans, and ground beef or turkey along with the seasoning packet. We also prepared"Jiffy" brand corn bread muffins to go with the chili, prepared by Seth. Again, a very easy but delicious means to homemade!

Mom (that would be me) made the Rice Crispie Treats. I figured we'd stay with the theme of "simple" throughout! ;) I also made a tossed salad to add some fresh veggies.