Tofu Nuggets

I have no idea what possessed me to buy tofu the last time I went to the grocery store. No idea whatsoever. But it's been staring at me every time I open the fridge so I figured I'd might as well make something of it. I settled on Tofu Nuggets. Here's how I did it:

Block of extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 t onion salt (I would have used garlic instead if I had it)

Press the liquid out of the tofu with paper towels and then cut it into the desired sized pieces. Dip pieces in ranch dressing, then dredge in mixture of bread crumbs, parm, and onion salt. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

I also whipped up some sweet potato fries and cooked them at the same time, turning them at the same time as well. Just toss cut sweet potatoes with olive oil, house seasoning, and some freshly chopped sage.

This was a pretty good meal. The tofu has a much softer texture than chicken nuggets but the flavor was great and everyone ate it. The sweet potato fries were awesome. Leyna even ate them which never happens. Cora completely cleaned her plate and then some. If I ever randomly buy tofu again I would use the same recipe!

Festival Food

This evening we went to a Strawberry Festival and had some really good eats. Cora started out with some amazing Chicken Corn Soup. I'd love a good recipe for this if anyone wants to share!

We also had french fries, apple fritters, and tastes of Pee Paw's snow cone, but  for me the best treat of all is the "Single Scoop with Berries." Hershey's vanilla ice cream topped with sweet strawberries in all their juices. This was always my favorite growing up and I was so excited for Leyna to try it. She's my strawberry girl and she definitely wasn't disappointed! She ate hers and some of Cora's too!

Pizza Friday! Zucchini Pizza (the zucchini is in the crust!)

Before I get to Pizza Friday I have to share two other tasty ideas with you.
First was Leyna's lunch from our picnic at the park today. She's been on a homemade hummus kick lately so today I made her a sandwich of hummus and cucumbers. She INHALED it. Five stars :)

I also came back upon a little trick I learned and forgot some time ago. When the kids are starving and rioting and it's not quite time for dinner - go ahead and serve them their veggies as a little appetizer. I gave each girl a bowl of mixed veggies while I finished making dinner tonight and they were shoving them in by the fistful. They ate every last pea, which they probably wouldn't have done if I had served them along side the pizza. Try it!

And now for Pizza Friday. Tonight was SUCH a winner.  It's super healthy and smells so good while it's cooking. It has that lovely browned cheese flavor and is quite satisfying. The only downside was that there was only one piece left over (Andy - 2 pieces, Jami - 2, Cora - 2, Leyna - 1).

Zucchini Pizza
From the Gooseberry Patch "Bees & Me" Cookbook

3-1/2 c. zucchini, coarsely grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
1 c. spaghetti sauce
1 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. red pepper flakes

Press zucchini between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Combine zucchini, eggs, one cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and flour in a medium bowl. Stir well. Spread in a greased 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, brush surface with oil. Broil 5-1/2 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Remove from oven; spread spaghetti sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, oregano and red pepper; bake at 350 degrees an additional 20 minutes.

Applesauce

Today we made homemade applesauce in the slow cooker. So simple and delish. Leyna ate a few bites and told me it was the best applesauce ever, but then she wouldn't eat any more. I think it was a little tart for her so I'll probably decrease the lemon next time. Cora devoured it with no comments whatsoever :)

We'll be making this one many more times this fall. And it made the house smell good too!!!

Chicken Soft Tacos

Today I threw one of our standby meals in the slow cooker. The girls both love it and it's SO easy.

2-3 frozen chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1/2 cup water
1-2 T taco seasoning (we make our own)
Throw it all in the slow cooker on low for the day (Ours went from 7:30-5:00). About an hour before dinner I shred the chicken and then let it continue to cook. Andy and I put ours into flour tortillas. For the girls I cut the tortillas up and put the chicken on top. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa, black olives (I was wishing we had some today), cilantro, etc. YUM!

Welcome!

I've been wanting to start this blog for awhile and am finally getting around to it! I think most moms of toddlers would agree that there are days when it gets pretty hard to think of interesting, healthy meals to serve our sometimes picky eaters. I'm always looking for inspiration so I thought I'd share my ideas in case anyone else out there is doing the same. Enjoy!

Breakfast today was Peanut Butter Pancakes which I let Leyna "decorate" all by herself. She loved them. Gee, I wonder why...???

Lunch was grilled cheese with cucumbers and apples

And dinner was the hit of the century. Hearty Italian Chicken Chowder. I used Newman's Own Light Italian Dressing and Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes. The pasta is Wacky Mac. Leyna ate THREE bowls. She hasn't finished her entire dinner in weeks, let alone asked for seconds or thirds. And zucchini is one of the few veggies that she won't touch with a ten foot pole, yet tonight she didn't even notice it was in there. SCORE! Cora had two helpings as well. Whoever you are, YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS!!!