Kid Friendly Meals

I think I have said it before...I have been blessed with a kid (and a husband) who will eat virtually anything! It really is great to be able to try out new things with them and know that pretty much no matter what, they will gobble it up!

Every once in a while though, I want to feed them some "comfort" foods of our childhood but with out all the processed garbage that comes along with them.

What was that commercial? Kid Tested, Mother Approved.

Here are 3 of our favorite recipes that fit that category. Sadly, I have no photos of these so you will have to take my word on how good they are.

1st up is a staple at our house. Homemade pizza! We love this recipe at the end of a long week when there are left over veggies that need to be eaten up. I will share my dough recipe and leave the toppings to your imagination. Our versions almost always contain pesto, bell peppers and artichokes along with whatever else sounds good, lately we've been on a caramelized "yun-yin" (onion) kick!

This recipe makes enough dough for the 3 of us. Before I roll it out, I divide it in half. S gets half then I take my half and break off a small amount for a cute little personal pizza for E.

1 package active dry yeast
1 C warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl olive oil
2 1/2 C flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, salt and oil. Then stir in flour. Stir vigorously, about 20 strokes, I usually end up just sticking my hands in and mixing. Allow dough to rest, covered 1/2-1 hour. Divide dough onto lightly greased baking pan. Roll each into a 8"-10" circle.  Spread on sauce and your choice of toppings. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

There you have it! Pizza Night!

The next recipe I took from my newest favorite cookbook...100 days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. This book is great, check it out if you haven't already!  Her website is 100daysofrealrfood.com I get a lot of inspiration from it!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg
1c Whole wheat bread crumbs, I used Panko
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t paprika (I was out so I omitted)
Olive oil for cooking.

Cut chicken into 1 1/2 chunks and season with S&P.  Lightly beat the egg in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, paprika and garlic powder and mix with a fork. Set aside a large plate for the prepared chicken pieces. Toss some of the chicken in the egg mixture until they are fully coated, the drop them into the crumb mixture and coat with crumbs. Once all of the pieces are coated heat a thin layer of oil in a sautee pan over medium-low heat. Add the chicken a few pieces at a time and cook until heated through and no longer pink-about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked nuggets to a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Serve now or freeze for later.

Lastly, I followed a recipe from another favorite cookbook. The Stocked Kitchen by Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
Diced Onion and Garlic
3/4 t salt
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
2/3 C Ketchup
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard
1 T barbeque Sauce, we used Open Pit

Brown meat with onion and garlic, drain and return to pan. Mix in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring often for 20 minutes. Serve on buns.
I pulled buns out of the freezer that looked like they'd seen better days. I topped them with a little butter and garlic salt and through them under the broiler 1st and no one was the wiser!

I am thinking about having a little contest for my blog readers. Would anyone be interested in getting some goodies from me? Let me know what you think and stay tuned for details!