Baked Chicken Nuggets

A book called The Omnivore's Dilemma states that there are 38 ingredients in a Chicken McNugget. Can you believe 56% of those ingredients are derived from corn? I thought the chicken percentage would have been a wee bit higher. Read more about it here.

Knowing that nugget of information (forgive the pun), I decided to make my own healthy version. It worked...the kids gobbled them up with the voracity of ants on a lollipop. For children who shun meat in most forms, this was like winning a key battle. And why didn't I think of it sooner??? Duh!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400. Put a rack inside of a cookie sheet or baking pan. This will allow more even crisping on the underside.

In a bowl, mix the milk with vinegar and throw in the chicken pieces (This would be a tenderizer kind of like buttermilk). Make the breading by mixing up the rest of the ingredients in another bowl. Roll the chicken pieces in breading until coated and put on the rack.

Cook for 15 minutes, then turn them over and turn the oven up to broil. Cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with dipping sauce of choice (we used marinara).

Fruit Pizza

Okay, I've been out of order for awhile, as a couple of you have pointed out. Thank you so much for caring, I feel so special...sniff sniff. I was actually on a family vacation for a couple weeks and unable to check my e-mail for over 9 days. In a row! After the first couple days of going through the shakes and feeling disconnected from my virtual life, I really got the hang of it and enjoyed just playing with my family. I even read two whole books....like real books, the kind with no pictures! Besides doing all things San Diego, we got to visit some relatives that we had not seen for many years, including my aunts and uncles from Oklahoma who were visiting California.

That's it for the update. Hopefully I will be back to blogging, but I'm working on another project which has been keeping me occupied. So this morning at about 9:30 my kids were asking for pizza because they were soooooooo hungry. I decided to let them make their own fruit pizza, and they were thrilled with that prospect.

Owen keeps telling me that he wants to be a chef (and I get a pang of pride each time I hear that), but then again, he also wants to be a Super Spy, an astronaut, a doctor, and a pilot. So I'm not holding my breath.

Notice below, Wesley licking his hand. Awesome! Clearly no rules around here for fun-time cooking. I try to bite my tongue and just let them make a grand old mess. They were so proud of themselves, and that was my goal here. It didn't matter that the sugar melted and ran off the pizza stone into the bottom of my oven. It didn't matter that the crust was hard as a rock. Nor did it matter that I had to sweep up a pound of flour from the floor. They ate it and beamed. Mission accomplished.

Not sure if you knew this, but getting a loaded pizza onto a pre-heated pizza stone is not easy. Especially when your topping is sugar and round berries. Next time I will use a plain ol' rimmed cookie sheet.

And I might "help" with the cinnamon-sugar portion control so it doesn't melt off the pizza and do this:
When they are all grown and married with their own kids, I can only hope that they remember mornings like this and smile. And their wives can sit back with a cup of coffee and the newspaper while dad whips up some gourmet breakfast!

Worms in Dirt

Had to post these cuties! Having a birthday party for Wes tomorrow with a "Camp Out" theme...I can't wait to see all the 2 year olds playing in the tent and "fishing" in the pond.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

My friend had a couple extra free tickets and so we decided to go to Monterey for the day. We got there at about 11:00 and despite our attempts with bringing snacks and drinks, the kids were hungry and antsy by noon. The place is a little different from when we last visited 4 years ago. It seems that almost every corner of the aquarium is geared to kids who love to push buttons and manipulate exhibits. This is a big plus for our guys. It was really cool, but very crowded, so keeping track of them was a little daunting. I would suggest, if you can, to make your visit on a weekday.

We really enjoyed the Jellyfish exhibit, the Bat Ray touch tank, the sharks and otters. There was an area called "Splash Zone" which was a great kids area, but again, so crowded that it was hard to navigate with the kids and a double stroller. I loved the concept though, and maybe on a non-spring break, non-weekend, it would be fantastic!

We ate at the cheesy Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, but it was perfect for us...they had a sand pit playground to use while we waited for food. (Notice how our restaurant choice revolves around 2 active boys). The kids got pizza, fries and jello with their kids meal ($4.99), and I had the clam chowder. It was pretty decent; the clams were tender and the thickness was perfect....a little too much celery, but that is my own opinion as I don't really care for it. Scott had a Cobb Salad with Shrimp which was served with a Raspberry Vinaigrette and Gorgonzola. He said the flavors were nice, but it was over-dressed. I didn't get a picture of the food because my batteries pooped out!

All in all, it was a nice day....but maybe a little too much work with the young 'uns. I would like to try in another year or two. Those of you that brave Disneyland in the summer with any toddlers in tow....hats off to you!

Bay Area Discovery Museum - Sausalito

Arrrrh, matey....where is that darn treasure?

Okay, mom...this is it. The most fake smile that I can muster.

Wow, frogs!
How many crabs did we get this time?? That should yield us at least a hundred bucks!

Wes and dad at the water resistance machine.....Owen behind at the wind resistance.

On Owen's Pond...Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. --Henry David Thoreau

I know what I am doing here...

Just proof that we've been here, done that!

This was a fun trip for us, and a beautifully clear day in SF...what a treat! If you've never been to the Bay Area Discovery Museum, it might be worth the trip. I'd say that if your kids are under 7, they'd be pleased with the offerings.

They have several distinct areas to explore....a great outdoor area and playground, a train and boat room, a wave and wind room, art room, an exhibit hall that changes every couple months, shows and music in the auditorium, an exclusive toddler area for kids under 42 inches. They have a cafe and lots of picnic tables too!

We packed a lunch to save some cash, and we also have a ACM membership that gets us in free and includes Children's Museums from all over the country. If you don't have that, its $1o for adults and $8 for kids. Every second Saturday from 1-5 pm is free. One thing to consider...strollers are not allowed in any of the halls, so be prepared to leave your strollers outside as you explore the exhibits. Carry wallet and keys in your pocket and your camera around your neck if you are wary of that.

Worm Day

Okay, just wanted to share a couple of pictures of my boys being boys!