Kid-Friendly Fare: Coconut-Crusted Turkey Strips

The finished product: 3 ounces of cooked turkey with 2 Tbsp sauce and fresh steamed asparagus = 7 WW pts

Despite the fact it is turkey, Brooke Lynne loved it.

Tonight's ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 c. flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 pounds turkey breast tenderloins, cut into 1/2-inch strips

for dipping sauce

• 1/2 c. plum sauce
• 1/3 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1-1/2 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Directions
In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg whites and oil.  In another shallow bowl, combine the coconut, bread crumbs, sesame seeds and salt.  Dip turkey in egg mixture, then coat with coconut mixture.

Place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray; spritz turkey with cooking spray.  Bake at 425 for 4-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with turkey strips.

Measuring and adding sesame oil to the egg whites

Whisking

Working on the dry ingredients for the breading

Look who else wants to help!

We've cleared 165, so we're good to go - Time for dinner!

Tonight's meal was a test.  Brooke Lynne swears up and down that she doesn't like turkey and will refuse to eat it....unless I tell her it is something else.  As far as I'm concerned, she can call it whatever she wants as long as she eats it!  I wanted to know if she'd willingly ingest this, knowing exactly what it was, if she had a hand in preparing it.  The answer? Yes! (although when she asked for seconds, it was "mom, can I have more chicken please?" 
Both girls gobbled this tasty turkey up and asked for seconds.  As you can see in the pics, I did not cut the turkey tenderloins into 1/2-inch strips, so I had to wing the cooking time but it all turned out just fine and wasn't dry at all.  I thought it was a bit bland, but my piece didn't have much of the toasted coconut so maybe that's why.  The dipping sauce was tasty, but not too sweet.  I'd probably make it again if one of the girls asked for it, but it wouldn't be on my top ten list of all time favorites.  It's a nice alternative to plain ole chicken strips and calculates out to 7 WW pts

*Recipe from Taste of Home's "Good Food for Kids!/Kids' Party Food"*

Easy Slow-Cooker A.1. Swiss Steak

Ingredients

2lb. boneless beef chuck eye roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4c. A.1. Original Steak Sauce

1 onion, sliced

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 Tbsp. flour

1/4c. water

 

Toss meat with steak sauce; place in slow cooker. Top with onions and tomatoes; cover with lid. 

 

Cook on LOW 9 to 10 hours (or HIGH 4 to 5 hours).   Mix flour and water. Stir into meat mixture; cook, covered, 5 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.  **Disclaimer: This recipe was prepared and cooked on Thursday, but we didn't eat it until Saturday due to my vehicular challenges.** Ok, so where do I start? I love A.1. Steak Sauce and was thrilled to try this recipe to begin with.  I found a boneless beef eye chuck roast on sale that also had to be sold within a couple days so it was discounted an additional 20% which made me even more excited since that meant the meat itself was going to cost just about $8 for just over two pounds.  The preparations were super simple - the most challenging thing was cutting the meat into cubes since it wasn't completely defrosted from being in the freezer.  Tonight, we finally got around to enjoying this.  I served the swiss steak with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, but it would have also been delish served with some egg noodles.  I was a bit bummed that the A.1. flavor wasn't stronger.  Going forward, I may either add more A.1. to the recipe or serve additional A.1. along side it for dipping (or both!)  I will definitely make this version of swiss steak again!

Life, Interrupted

So....I totally made the A1 Swiss Steak in the slow cooker Thursday as planned. And then my car stopped working and we ended up taking it in to be fixed - I don't know about your kids, but there was no way mine were going to sit in Pep Boys for a couple hours while the car was being fixed so we went to Red, Hot and Blue to wait.  Then I ended up with a head cold, so...we will be eating the swiss steak today and I will report back after!

Healthified Fare: Planet Hungrywood Sweet & Cap'n Crunchy Chicken

Served with fresh steamed broccoli and Market Day baby bakers

Ingredients

• 8 ounces raw boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1/2c. Cap'n Crunch cereal (original)
• 1/4c. Fibers One bran cereal (original)
• 3Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute 
• 2Tbsp. Hellemann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
• 1/8tsp. onion powder
• 1/8tsp. garlic powder
• dash salt
• dash black pepper

Love the fact that this recipe relies on items that are pantry staples over here   (well, with the exception of the Cap'n Crunch cereal of course)

Directions:
Place Fiber One in a blender or food processor, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Set aside.

Put Cap'n Crunch in a sealable plastic bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or a can, coarsely crush cereal through the bag. In a wide bowl, combine Fiber One crumbs, crushed Cap'n Crunch, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Place chicken tenders in a separate medium bowl. Cover chicken with egg substitute, and flip chicken to coat. Shake off any excess egg substitute, and then coat chicken in the cereal mixture.

Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Place coated chicken pieces gently into the pan, spacing them out as much as possible. Cook for 5 minutes, and then carefully flip pieces over. Cook for about 4 additional minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Combine the Dijonnaise and honey mustard in a small dish, and mix well for a tasty dipping sauce

Breading Mixture

I put the chicken pieces and egg substitute in a Reynold's Oven bag to make clean up super easy!

I used a 16" electric skillet to make tonight's dinner - I doubled the recipe in order to feed us all

Breading the chicken was a snap - I did it while holding Amelia!

Yummy dipping sauce

Delicious!

 I was super excited to try out one of my idol's recipes tonight.  I have been following Hungry Girl for years - before she was published let alone had her own t.v. show.  Needless to say, she didn't disappoint!
The recipe was super easy to make - I actually prepared the entire meal while holding Amelia in my arms!  The breading on the chicken is amazing; the combination of Fiber One and Cap'n Crunch sounds like an odd pairing, but in actuality is divine.  I also liked that it didn't taste grainy at all despite the fact that it had a high fiber cereal as an ingredient and was not fried.  The fact that I could have a generous portion, plus dip, for just 5 points plus was fantastic.  I added some fresh steamed broccoli and 3oz. of the baby bakers from Market Day and felt more than satisfied when I was done.
Both girls and Ms. Andrea gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Here is the link to the original recipe:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1214

Seriously, this woman is a straight-up genius when it comes to tasty meals that fit into a weight loss plan.  This didn't taste "diet-y" at all 

Kid-Friendly Fare: Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

• 3c. Original Bisquick Baking Mix
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 3/4c. water
• 1/2c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2c. sliced pepperoni
• 1Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1tsp. Italian seasoning

Brooke Lynne got in some reading practice as we read the directions aloud

Measuring out the baking mix.  (We did this over a plate for easier clean up.)  We also talked about why we might level dry
ingredients as opposed to just dumping in "the whole mountain"

"um mom, this looks gross" - Brooke Lynne

"Teaching" little sis how to add ingredients

Amelia caught on quick lol

Adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients

Using our Pampered Chef large scoop to ensure all of the muffins would be the same size

Super easy to use...even for the kids

1.  Place the biscuit mix in a large bowl.  Combine the remaining ingredients; stir into biscuit mix just until moistened.  Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.

Into the oven they go - the recipe said this would make 14 muffins, but we ended up with 19...go figure

Done!

We enjoyed our pepperoni pizza muffins with steamed fresh broccoli

2. Bake at 350F for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Serve warm.  Refrigerate leftovers.

This recipe was a big hit with the kids, but the adults also enjoyed the muffins.  Nick-Nick (who was over taking a peek at my car) thought they might have had more pizazz --my word, not his-- if we had used pizza sauce instead of the condensed tomato soup.  Uncle Nick (who was over taking out my garbage) thought they were kind of bland, but still managed to toss a few down.  Both guys mused aloud different toppings we could add to the batter next time.  This means that they liked them enough for me to make them again, which is a good thing....especially since I could easily have more than one since they are only 3 points each!

Easy French Apple Squares

The apples - 2 pink lady, 2 fuji, & 2 pinata - all cooked up nicely and weren't too sweet.  According to Nick-Nick, a scoop of ice cream added 30 minutes post baking would have been fantastic.

Even cutting the finished product into 20 squares meant that it packed a whopping 6 weight watchers points using their current plan.  This could be dangerous for me since it was sweet, but not too sweet.  I could easily eat a chunk of it without thinking twice.  As such, I sent about half of it home with Nick-Nick.  Out of sight means out of mind!

Streusel

• 1c. Original Bisquick Mix
• 1/2c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4c. cold butter or margerine
• 3/4c. chopped nuts

Fruit Mixture

• 6c. sliced peeled tart apples (6 medium)
• 2tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1c. Original Bisquick Baking mix
• 1c. granulated sugar
• 1c. milk
• 2Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 4 eggs, beaten

Streusel Mixture

Prepared Apple Mixture

Apple Mixture with the rest of the ingredients poured over - it was very thin and I was wondering if I did something wrong!

With the streusel on top & ready for the oven!

1. Heat oven to 350F.  Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, mix 1c. Bisquick mix and the brown sugar.  Cut in 1/4c. butter, using pastry blender (or pulling two table knives through ingredients in opposite directions until crumbly.)  Stir in nuts; set aside.  
3. In large bowl, mix apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg; spoon into pan.  In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well blended.  Pour mixture over apples.  Sprinkle with streusel.
4. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown.  Cool 30 minutes or until set before cutting into squares.  Store in refrigerator.

Despite the amount of sugar in the recipe, this didn't seem too sweet to me at all.  It wasn't quite a cake, wasn't a pie texture wise, but it was rather tasty so I can't wait for the kids to try it tomorrow after dinner. I cut the finished product into 20 squares and we decided that would be just about right if it was going to be served following a meal.  A scoop of ice cream on top would be a nice touch if you're looking for a little bit more.  It was super easy to make, and I'll definitely be making it again. 

The Kids are Alright

On a pretty regular basis, I'm cooking for more than just the three of us, so I would be missing the boat entirely if I didn't at least mention the fact that at least three to four days a week, we have company for dinner.  These nights are typically known as Ms. Andrea day, Nick-Nick day, and the weekend.  While my kids eat just about anything, the adults (myself included) can be downright difficult to cook for when I'm preplanning our meals! (For the record, they've never officially complained though)


So here's a bit of info about all of us since we'll be the ones giving feedback on the recipes being tried: 

1. Brooke Lynne (age 6): loves most fruits and veggies but isn't always crazy about protein unless she's in the mood for it.  Oh, and don't tell her it's turkey if you want her to eat it. (You can call it chicken and she'll love it though!)  Brooke Lynne is easily intimidated by a plate full of food, even if it is a small plate, so I make her a "tasting plate" most nights that just has a bite or two of each item that I've prepared.  She is the most excited about about trying a new drink or dessert every week.
2. Amelia (age 2): loves fruits and veggies and will eat them endlessly...as long as it isn't a kiwi that hasn't had the skin removed.  Amelia will try just about anything I put on her plate.
3. Melissa (me): there are some things I just don't want in my food.  Mushrooms, chunky tomatoes, olives,  capers, artichokes, and until recently I wouldn't eat spinach either.  I grew up eating in restaurants...a lot! When my mom did cook, it was family favorites, usually comfort foods, unless it was summer and my dad was home.  In that case, we grilled (or went out to eat!)
4. Andrea (grown-up): If you want to find her on a Wednesday night, she's usually here hanging out with us.  This keeps me sane for more than one reason (and would require a whole new blog to explain).  In her own words, she likes "chicken, bacon and pork.  Some crab.  Italian food.  Noodles, cheese, carbs.  Broccoli, corn, peas, potatoes, beans, green pepper.  Chinese food.  Most fruits and nuts, except bananas.  Dislike beef, onion, mushrooms, milk, gravy, stuffing."  She likes some spicy things, but not super spicy.  Her all time favorite food is chicken parmesan.
5. Nick-Nick (grown-up):  When I asked him, he said he wouldn't even know where to start.  He didn't get a lot of variety food-wise when he was growing up.  Meals were usually a meat, potato, and a veggie.  He doesn't like squash, tomatoes, green or red peppers, most types of onions (raw or cooked) or ketchup. For him, it's a texture thing.  He's also "kind of weird about hard boiled eggs" and feels that lettuce is for salads only.

As you can see, at times I have my work cut out for me and it is the adult preferences and dislikes that tend to make things challenging at times, not the kids'.  As crazy as it may sound, I love cooking for my friends and my family and wouldn't change it for the world.  Cooking for them is my way of saying "I love you" without actually saying it.  It makes me feel good because I know what I prepare is healthier than what you'd find in most restaurants since I don't rely heavily on prepared "convenience foods" and it saves us all money too.  Hopefully this latest endeavor of mine won't make them too crazy!

So what do YOU feel like for dinner?

It seems like I'm always asking someone this question and it seems like I'm always making one of the same dozen or so family favorites.  Since Brooke Lynne and Amelia eat pretty much anything, it seems like I should be taking advantage of the situation and introducing them to new meals much more frequently than I currently do.  My new goal: to expand our culinary horizons! How will I do it? By trying out new recipes every week.  I pledge to make at least one new item from each of the following categories each week:

1. Something I can make in a slow cooker: Like everyone else, I'm busy.  I have two kids, a full-time job, and I go to school full-time too. 
2. Beverage/Dessert: We very rarely eat dessert since I am on a perpetual diet and the majority of the time I'm drinking Diet Pepsi and the girls are drinking milk or water.
3. Something from one of my umpteen "healthier eating" cookbooks or magazines: "America's Most Wanted Recipes without the Guilt," taste of home's healthy cooking magazine, and everything authored by Lisa Lillien (aka Hungry Girl - I've followed her since way before she was famous) line my shelves, yet I rarely reach for them.  It's easier to make something I already know how to make. 
4. Something from one of my "kid" cookbooks or magazines: See #3.  In addition, I hope that by cooking with Brooke Lynne I will pass along my love of cooking.  Plus it's fun and a damn good way to practice her math skills as we measure and calculate ingredients and such. 

The Rules

1. They have to be new recipes, not just old recipes that I've tweaked. 
2. Everyone eats the same thing: This isn't a restaurant and I'm not making more than one meal each night.  This means that whatever is made has to be both kid-friendly and diet-friendly.
3. The goal is to make four separate items that are new each week.  No combining the categories just because I'm feeling tired.

Ready?  Set.  Go!  Time to start planning next week's menu items (based on what's on sale at the grocery store of course!)