Kids Choice- Chicken Nuggets and Rainbow Salad Boats

The other day my oldest child asked, " When can we choose what we have for dinner?"
I replied, "how about right now?"

I pulled some kid cookbooks off the shelf and told my 7-yr old son and my 4-yr old daughter that they could each plan a night's dinner. They could choose a main dish and a side.

My daughter wasted no time at all. She chose these 2 recipes from the first cookbook that she picked up, C is for Cooking:Recipes from the Street.

My son, on the other hand, had to look at every single kid cookbook, before he decided on chicken burgers, green beans and olives.

My kids enjoyed these homemade chicken nuggets and it was really fun letting them help in the kitchen. The C is for Cooking Cookbook has certain steps that it deems appropriate for kids, so they can help put the meals together.

Two of my kids love any kind of salad dressing. They like dipping their veggies and lettuce or enjoy salad dressing when it is poured over the salad on their plates and this apple-y vinaigrette was no exception.
My son doesn't do salad dressing, but will still eat the veggies.

Everyone was excited about this dinner and I have to admit that the chicken tasted better than I thought it was going to. The honey mustard gave it just the right amount of flavor.

The kids are already begging for another chance to pick dinner.


Grover's Little & Adorable Chicken Nuggets from C is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street by Susan McQuillan
Ingredients:
24 saltine crackers (I used Nabisco's Premium Multigrain Saltines)
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbls mayonnaise (I used fat-free)
1 egg white
2 tsp honey mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet.

2. KIDS- Place the crackers in a large plastic bag and zip the bag. Now gently pound your fists to crush the crackers into thin crumbs. Pour the crumbs onto a large plate. Set the plate aside.

3. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 squares. Sprinkle evenly with salt.

4. KIDS- In a large bowl, stir together the mayo, egg white, and honey mustard until well-mixed. Add the chicken to the mayo mixture and gently toss to coat the chicken pieces.

5. KIDS- Gently press each piece of chicken into the cracker crumbs until the nugget is covered all over. Transfer the nuggets to the prepared sheet.

6. Bake the nuggets, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Zoe's Rainbow Salad Boats from C is for Cooking
Ingredients:
Apple Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple juice or cider
2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
6-8 Tbls olive oil

For our veggies we used:
baby carrots
cherry tomatoes
bell peppers
celery
cucumbers
olives
hard-boiled eggs

Other veggies suggested:
cooked potato
cooked beets
green peas
broccoli
orange sections
apple pieces
canned beans
avocado
grated cheese



1. In a small bowl, make the salad dressing: Whisk together the apple juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the oil until blended.

2. Arrange separate bowls of salad ingredients on the table. Give everyone a salad plate and let each person make his or her own salad. Try to "use" as many colors as possible! Use whole lettuce leaves as salad "bowls" or "boats". Drizzle a little salad dressing over you salad.




One Year Ago-Granola Grabbers with Homemade Maple-Pecan Peach Granola