Chicken Nuggets

When the boys were younger and we were out and about on errands I would sometimes stop at McDonald's for lunch. At the time I thought a lunch of chicken nuggets, apples and low fat milk was a great option and I'll admit I didn't give it much thought. I'd always been fairly health conscious about food, but in this instance I now realize I wasn't all that health conscious. In my mom mind my kids were eating, their tummies were full and everyone was happy. Then I started to really delve into researching food and I was truly disgusted to learn the true nutritional value of a McNugget. From that moment on, McDonald's was banned from my menu. There was no way I would ever dream of letting my children ingest this crap into their bodies. My mom has fed them McNuggets a few times when they spent the night with her, despite my reminders and objections. This is a sore spot in our relationship to say the least.

Earlier this week my friend, Trena, blogged about chicken nuggets. Like me, she fed her child McDonald's chicken nuggets and didn't give it much though. Food was in the belly, everyone was happy and life was good. Like me, she started researching food and also discovered the gross truth surrounding these little McNasties. Basically, a McNugget's main ingredient is corn and the remaining ingredients contain alarming things such as partially hydrogenated oils and anti-foaming agent. What??!! Trena decided to stop eating the McNasties and has decided to make her own nuggets. I'm happy to say I know at least two families who say no to McNuggets!

A day after reading Trena's blog I came across a disturbing article about a 17 year old girl who has lived her whole life on chicken nuggets. According the the article this girl became very sick and even stopped breathing at one point due to malnutrition. She told the news that she consumes nuggets daily and that she hasn't eaten a fruit or vegetable in nearly 15 years. She does occasionally eat toast, fries and potato chips, but that is pretty much the extent of her diet. Her mother reports that she has tried to get her daughter to eat other foods, but the girl refuses. At one point Mom even tried to starve the girl in an effort to get her to eat other foods. In my mind I have to hold Mom somewhat accountable; who let's a two year old only eat chicken nuggets? My Alex is in a very picky food mood and if I let him he'd live on certain foods, but as his mom I am responsible for introducing a variety of healthy foods. He may not eat it the first or second or even the tenth time, but I never stop offering. Luckily the girl in the article is alive, is at home on bed rest and is being pumped full of vital vitamins and minerals that her body is lacking. I cannot imagine what her skin, bones, hair and organs look like. She is slowly killing herself that's for sure.

Chicken nuggets are on meal plan for the week because I know the kids like them. Instead of running through the McDonald's drive-thru or buying a bag of questionable frozen nuggets from the store, I will make my own. In our house I have the kids help so they are more inclined to eat the nuggets. I buy all natural, antibiotic free chicken breast (did you know the feed the chicken eat contains antibiotics that passes through their system and into yours when you eat them). I cut the chicken into small pieces, dip them in milk, roll in seasoned crumbs and bake in the oven. I serve these with kid friendly sides such as green beans and homemade mac & cheese. Usually they are a crowd pleaser. Sure it takes a little more time & energy, but I know what my kids are consuming and I can guarantee one thing, anti-foaming agents are not listed!

Recipe: Chickpea & Brown Rice Burgers

Tonight I made "burgers" for dinner. Bryan, my "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, ate two of these burgers and raved on how good they tasted. Score! Brennan ate a small slider (another score!) and Alex, well, he hasn't eaten much this past week due to his steroids so I am not counting him in this poll! I really liked this recipe and I plan on making it again. I will warn that these burgers do not have the same texture as a beef or even a turkey burger, but they are tasty and much healthier for you than the red meat variety. I served these babies on King's Hawaiian Rolls with spicy brown mustard, romaine leaf lettuce and thin slices of roma tomatoes (the boys added cheddar cheese to their burgers).

Ingredients
2 cups of cooked and drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large egg, whisked
coarse sea salt & pepper to taste
parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
1. Mash brown rice and chickpeas together until they form a thick paste
2. Add in minced shallots and garlic, stirring well
3. Whisk in one large egg
4. Add in sea salt & pepper, to taste. Add in parsley.
5. Form into patties
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Cook patties on both sides until browned.

Our patties crumbled a bit so I may try two eggs next time. Of the three people who actually ate dinner, all three enjoyed the burgers so I'll call this one a hit! We ate this with baked fries and steamed broccoli.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Waffles

My boys love breakfast foods. If I allowed it, they would eat breakfast for every meal. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, french toast, oats, cream of wheat, yogurt, bacon, fruit....they love it all. Pancakes and waffles are probably their absolute favorites. I can easily whip up a healthy batch of pancakes, but I could never make waffles because I didn't have the right equipment. I make sure I buy whole wheat varieties and when possible I buy organic. A few weeks ago my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I knew instantly that I wanted a waffle maker. When I opened up my new waffle maker on Christmas Eve Brennan just about burst with excitement! Seriously, the child was happier than I was to receive this gift! He is so funny.

Earlier this week I made a run to Whole Foods where I picked up a package of organic whole wheat flour, organic frozen blueberries and my organic/cage free eggs and organic milk. I was on a mission to make the healthiest waffles possible! Tonight for dinner we had whole wheat blueberry waffles, uncured bacon and scrambled eggs. My kids were in Heaven!

This recipe is easy to make and my kids gobbled them up one after the other. If you have a waffle maker I highly suggest making this. Tonight we made a blueberry version; next time I will omit the berries and make a cinnamon waffle. Either way, I know exactly what went into the meal, I can make enough to freeze for future meals and I can change up the variations to our liking.

Ingredients
2 eggs (separate the yolk from the whites, you will use it all)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon stevia (you can use white sugar)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pureed blueberries

Directions
1. Preheat waffle maker/iron. I sprayed mine with non-stick spray so the waffles would come out easier.
2. Beat egg yolks in a large with a mixer. Beat in flour, milk, applesauce, stevia, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract and berries until well blended and smooth. Fold in egg whites.
3. When the maker/iron is hot, pour the mix onto the hot top, close and cook until golden brown. Be sure you do not over pour the batter, you will get a mess!
4. Enjoy with 100% maple syrup!

NOTE: Pureed fruits cook better than whole chunks of fruit.

If you do not want to add in blueberries, add in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Chopped nuts are also tasty and healthy when added to the brown sugar and cinnamon variety.