Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Freedom Fries

Have you ever really wanted some nuggets and fries but thought that taking an extra hour and a half was the way to go? Then this is your recipe! Seriously, though, I love feeding the boys this type of thing, but the pre-made stuff is all chemicals and preservatives and deep fried and exactly what the kiddos love. So I make my peace with it by doing it myself; then I at least have an idea of what's actually in it and they will eat anything that looks close enough to store or restaurant bought fries. This recipe makes a couple of meals' worth, depending on how many / how big mouths you have to feed.

You will need:

2 lbs red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbsp Olive oil (I've said this before, but not EVER EVOO for cooking, right? Save it for salads)
Kosher salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 egg whites or egg-related substance (about 3/4 c)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 c whole wheat / whole grain flour
Kosher salt, pepper
1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
Dried thyme leaves, ground sage, fresh rosemary
Spray oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prep! I have an awesome freedom fry (sorry, I read online that there was actually a bill put in after 9/11 to change French fries to Freedom fries and it was too awesome to not repeat) cutter, made by Starfrit, but if you don't, chop your potatoes into 1/2 centimetre matchsticks. Approximately. Ish. Cut your chicken into bite-sized chunks, depending on the size of your chompers.

Set up your breading station, starting with the egg wash. Mix your egg whites and mustard in a pie plate or equivalent. Instead of using shallow dishes, given the size and amount of the chicken pieces, we are going to use sealable plastic bags for the rest. Put the flour and some salt and pepper in one bag, the breadcrumbs, sage, thyme and rosemary in another. Get two sets of tongs!

For whatever reason, whenever I strip herbs, I always think of the line in Brokeback Mountain about "you boys playing stem the lily". I don't even know what that means.

I like to get the fries going first; put all your 1/2 centimetre matchstick potatoes into a large-ish bowl, drizzle on the (NOT EVER EVOO) olive oil and kosher salt. You can really use any coarse salt, I really like sea salt also, but my kids don't know from fancy.

Swirl around with  spatula, then spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway. On to chicken!

Take your cutup chicken, dump by batches into the flour bag, bounce around until completely covered.

Take the floured chicken out of the bag and dip it into the egg wash. Flip once to make sure completely wet. I suggest tongs, but it's your fingers.

Dump the eggy chicken into the breadcrumb baggie, bounce around until coated.

Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet (I strongly suggest parchment paper), spray with oil and bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. More tongs!

When you are done, the should look something like zo:

I didn't work out the calories because I kind of messed around with serving sizes, but I would guess this is way lower than whatever you can buy at a store or restaurant. Approximately. Being a Canuckleadian, I also usually add a homemade gravy for the Freedom Fries, but that is totally up to you.

Enjoy!

Tuesday: Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf

The tricky bit with lower calorie loaves of meat is that they can be a little bit dry. Here I added in spinach and grated carrot and onion, they add a nice moistness and slip my family some veggies at the same time. Win win! Also surprisingly yummy cold. In a sandwich with a tiny bit of mayo, raw onion and some pepper - amazing! And yes, it is miserable here again, so we get the non-grilled meal. One day it will be nice and there will be BBQ!

You will need:

2 tsp butter
1 large onion (or two small)
1 small carrot
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 c fresh spinach
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
Salt, pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread, not fresh - or maybe Whole Grain Whole Wheat??
2 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Grate your onion(s) and carrot into a non-stick saucepan. Add in butter and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for just one more minute. Just ONE!

Remove to a bowl, let cool. Add three tablespoons of water to the hot pan, cook the spinach until it wilts, under a minute.

Remove to a cutting board, let cool and then mince finely. I know, you could cut up the spinach before you wilt it, but then all the green stuff ends up on my board and I like it to be in my belly.

Tear the bread into chunks and whirl in a food processor until reduced to small crumbs.

Small-ish, anyway

Dump the turkey, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and egg in a bowl.

Cover with the breadcrumbs, then onion mixture, then spinach and ketchup. Mix together, using a spatula orrrr, the best mixer of all, yer fingers:

It's like a spa for your hands

Add the Parmesan cheese last, give it a quick grope and scrape it all into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, checking to make sure it has reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees before removing.

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then place on a plate. Remove the paper and slice into 4 servings.

Soo much less cleaning

I came up with 250 calories per serving, once I added some asparagus and a half cup of brown rice, I was nicely within the Weight Wise 400-500 calorie meal recommendation.

Enjoy!