Recipe | Happy Meal at Home

What is it about nuggets that kids love? I don't get it. And after seeing Jamie Oliver's dramatically gross recreation of how they are made on Food Revolution I will NEVER eat one again. But I will indulge my kiddo's whims ... at home. Here's how we do "happy meals" Gerber style.

On the menu:
Organic chicken nuggets
Sweet potato fries
Broccoli (I serve on the side because my kids eat it. It can also be "hidden" in the nuggets.)
Mandarin oranges in fruit juice 

Total cost at Kroger last week: $11.31
Cost per person: $2.83 

Chicken Nuggets
Recipe from Deceptively Delicious 

1 cup whole wheat, white or panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders cut into small chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup broccoli puree (can also use spinach, sweet potato, or beet puree)

Combine breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, and spices in a large bowl and mix well. In separate bowl mix egg and puree if using. Sprinkle chicken chunks with salt. Dip in egg mixture and then cover with breadcrumbs. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add oil when hot. Add chicken and cook 3-4 minutes and turn and cook till chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes longer. 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Olive Oil, for tossing
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4-wide inch strips
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, shaking the pan around every so often, about 20 minutes.

The broccoli gets steamed, and I open the can of oranges for dessert. After all that, no one even wants a toy!