Chicken Nuggets, a Family Favorite

It's not often that my children enjoy a meal of chicken nuggets. It's not by their choice, but by my choice. No matter how great the convenience of purchasing processed chicken nuggets in the bag, I find the unreadable ingredient list and unnecessary ingredient items a major reason for not purchasing my chicken nuggets from the frozen food section. I instead make my family's chicken nuggets from scratch and to be honest, I find the recipe easy. I don't really measure, just a shake from the seasoning container, so a tablespoon in the in the ingredient list is approximate.

Ingredients:
2 lbs local or organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 eggs
2 TBSP milk
2 cups whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 TBSP paprika
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, I make a bread crumb coating from homemade croutons using a three day old loaf of whole wheat bread.  Add the croutons to a food processor. Then, add the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Pulse until the croutons are finely chopped.

Cut approximately three chicken breasts into small one inch pieces. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cook spray.

I use two small bowls for dreading and breading the chicken. One bowl has two eggs slightly beaten with milk. The second bowls has the processed breadcrumbs with seasonings.  I throw four or five pieces of chicken into the egg mixture, then drain and add to the breadcrumbs. Make sure the chicken is coated evenly and place on the aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until done completely through. We served with a romaine lettuce salad and ranch or barbeque sauce.

Breakfast - Denver Omelet

In the mornings, since we are trying to cut carbs, cereal and milk are out for Phase One of our diet. This morning's treat, a Denver omelet with lots of vegetables to fill our tummies for a busy day. This meal is actually one serving. Sean thought this was too much food and put half in the fridge for tomorrow morning. If you have a good non stick frying pan, you may not even need the olive oil.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons bell pepper, red, chopped
• 3 tablespoons bell pepper, green, chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato, optional
  
• 2 ounces ham, lean, reduced sodium
• 2 eggs, large
• 2 egg whites, uncooked
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• sea salt to flavor
  

Preparation

Lightly coat skillet with oil and heat over medium high heat. Sauté onion, bell peppers, tomatoes and ham until onion becomes transparent. Meanwhile, beat eggs and egg whites with a pinch of black pepper. Reduce heat to medium and slowly stir the eggs into skillet. Lightly brown on each side. Transfer to plate and serve. Enjoy with a glass of water or herbal tea.