9 times out of 10, if you ask Aidan what he wants for lunch, he'll pick a PB&J...anyone else sick to death of them besides me? Well, after my 68th PB&J of the summer, I thought it was time to kick that sandwich to the curb, and make me a real lunch, just for mom! Just last week I made my Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Sage-Butter Sauce, and hinted that there were many variations...here's my favorite for lunch. It's not as complicated as it sounds, I promise...and it's so very worth the effort to have real food once in a while for lunch. The kids actually ate the chicken, not on a wrap, but dipped in honey mustard dressing, even asking for seconds if you can believe it!
Pecan Crusted Chicken
Crust
2 eggs whites
2 tsp cornstarch
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup crushed Pecans
1/2 cup Panko
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
zest of one lemon
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a wide, shallow dish; set aside.
2. Combine bread crumbs, Panko, pecans, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a second wide, shallow dish. Crust chicken breast by dredging first through egg mixture, then pecan mixture.
3. Sauté chicken in olive oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn with a spatula, and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Roast chicken just until done, about 8 more minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, cut into strips.
Mustard Vinaigrette, Melissa d'Arabian
Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.
Wrap
Use any wrap you like, today I chose a Sundried Tomato. Layer in spring salad mix, chicken strips, feta (or any other cheese), grape halves and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Tip: If like me, you're cooking for a large group, cook your chicken in batches. Transfer your chicken to a foil covered baking pan, then cook in the oven.
Alright fellow Mamas out there, what the he..err heck are you currently feeding your little monsters? For those that don't know me and my brood too well, I have a just turned 15 year old daughter, and she's on her own for lunch. My problem would be the 3 precious little men in my life (and no, the hubby isn't one of them). My household is rounded out by a picky and temperamental four year old, and two and half year old twins, I'll be nice and call them crazy, little Tasmanian devils!
As you can see by my photo here, I've resorted to Chef Boyardee from a can, in my defense, Aidan (the 4yo) found it in the cupboard and begged for it. He was such a good boy too, he ate two bowls, then helped himself to the twins, since they were having none of it! The boring grilled cheese eventually got eaten, and the Granny Smith apple slices with peanut butter were a real hit, I had to cut an extra apply as they were screeching for more.
OK, so we all know the standard lunches, PB&J, chicken nuggets, cold cut sandwich... a favorite for my kids is Cheese Quesadillas, I even found a great cheese for it, although I'm a tad embarresed to admit it. I tried every shredded cheese out there, and even shredded up some variety I can't think of right now. The winner is: Kroger Brand Quesadilla Cheese. I have no earthly idea what type of cheese is in the bag, it's a closely guarded Kroger secret, but it's a fave here. However, I live in constant fear that Kroger will some day decide to pull this mystical cheese off their shelves (or God forbid, close up shot altogehter and leave town), so if anyone has a better suggest, I'd love to here it.
So, back to the point.... I need help here, what are you feeding your kids for lunch??? I'll take any suggestions, links, whatever you've got, my kids are tired of my lunch options and may start throwing it back at me in protest any day now.
Before trying this chicken salad recipe, it had been years since I'd eaten anything with Tarragon, and it wasn't a happy experience, so I was pretty learey of giving it a go again. Well, I'm so glad I got over it and made the Tarragon Chicken Salad, that comes from You'veGotSupper.com. I've made it enough times now that I don't actually follow the recipe, I just know that I add a ton more of all the good stuff than it calls for. I used some of the left over chicken from my Chicken Noodle Soup, which is perfect for this salad. I don't know about anyone else, but it's just about imposible to find red grapes this season, and the few times I did they were terrible. I was worried that the green grapes wouldn't be as good, but surprisingly they were perfect. I do miss the color that the red grapes offered the dish, but taste wise it was right on! I was having a hard time not just eating this stuff straight out of the bowl, I have a feeling it will be gone by tomorrow!
