Hey droolers,
I don't know about you, but the last few weeks have been so busy for our family. Between each working two jobs, and trying to make time for fitness, my husband and I are getting tired.
And, when we get tired, we lose that happiness at home.
I like a home to feel warm and comforting, generally with something cooking in the oven or in a crockpot. Home is supposed to be where the heart is, but sometimes by the time we get home after a nerve-ravaging day, the heart part gets lost.
When I feel that stress creeping in, I try to lift the mood with fun dinners or bike rides or little treats that make everyone feel good and special.
It is important to always have fun at home - that way your kids see that you love to be around them. It is important for them to feel loved and special at home, because, like you, they probably had a rough day too.
Here is a fun dinner at home idea. Make a healthier chicken fingers recipe. Everyone loves eating with their fingers because it brings us all back to happy childhood memories.
Serve the chicken tenders with boiled potatoes or potato salad, a green salad and finish it off with a pudding dessert. Everyone is also happier when eating dessert with a spoon - I'm pretty sure that's been proven!
Here's how I do my buttermilk chicken:
First I soak chicken tenders overnight in buttermilk, water and salt and pepper in a flat baking dish.
When dinner time comes, I drain the chicken and set it on paper towels or a dish cloth while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Buttermilk Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients:
3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into tenders
2 cups buttermilk (for soaking overnight or for at least 4 hours)
1 cup flour
2 cups of panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup corn meal
3 tsp salt ; divided in 3 parts
3 tsp ground black pepper; divided in 2 parts
3 tsp onion powder
3 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Directions:
In a shallow bowl, whisk together panko, corn meal, flour, salt pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika.
Take the still-wet chicken and dredge it in the panko mixture completely covering each tender with your breading. Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
To Freeze:
First flash freeze them. Prepare chicken as instructed right up to the baking point. Place tenders on a plate stick in the freezer for about an hour or until they are slightly hard and not squishy anymore. From there you can place them in a freezer bag.
When you are ready to use them, preheat oven to 375 and bake for 30-40 minutes.
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Real Parents. Real Food. Real Fun.
Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!
Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.
Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy."
