Chicken Parmesan Bites {Toddler Approved Meals}

I have been trying to come up with healthy, fun dinners that my preschooler and toddler would be more interested in. Lately all they want is carbs and sweets so I've been thinking up ways to turn typical chicken dishes into more kid-friendly meals.

And I've been craving chicken parmesan for a while so why not make it into parmesan bites? Put a side of noodles and sauce on the plate and I had one meal my son and daughter were more than likely to enjoy. Right? Right! 

I put a plate of three chicken parmesan bites, 1/4 cup of noodles w/ sauce and a few broccoli florettes in front of them and they went to town! And the best part? I used only one chicken breast to feed my whole family. Isn't that awesome? And budget friendly!

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Chicken Parmesan Bites 

• 1 chicken, breast, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tablespoons 1% milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup Progresso® Italian-Style Bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Place chicken breast pieces in a bowl and cover with milk. Let soak for a few minutes while prepping the other ingredients. Place 1/4 cup of flour into a large ziploc bag. Measure out 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and place into a container with salt and pepper. Grate parmesan cheese into the same container, stir to combine and set aside. Place egg white in a small bowl.

Take chicken and place in bag with flour. Shake vigorously until the chicken is well coated. Put coated chicken in bowl with egg white and stir to coat chicken. Place bread crumb mixture in bag you just used for flour. Put chicken back in the bag and shake again coating the chicken with bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add coated chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. When chicken is cooked thoroughly remove from pan and serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce. Add some steamed veggies or a nice salad to make this a complete meal.

3 servings* (5 bites) | 7 WW+ Points

* Does not include spaghetti & marinara sauce

Quick Toddler Lunches: 5 Easy Solutions

One meal that I find the hardest to make for my children is lunch. I don't know what it is but every time I go to fix lunch my mind draws a blank. So I've come up with 5 easy solutions for quick toddler lunches. That means that in less than 10-15 minutes your kids will have a healthy, delicious meal to eat for their mid-day meal.

Frozen Foods and Pasta

Grab a bag of pasta out of the cupboard. Or let the kids decide what pasta they want. Then go into the freezer and grab a few hot dogs and some frozen veggies. Now you're ready to make lunch in under 10 minutes! 

1. Boil water
2. Add Pasta and set timer (cook for however long the bag says)
3. 1/2 way through, add frozen hot dog - cutting up is optional*
4. When 2-3 minutes remain, add a handful of frozen veggies
5. Drain and serve!

Usually takes less than 10 minutes and the kids love it!

Change it up! Don't want to use hot dogs? Toss the noodles and veggies in some olive oil or butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Toss some pepperonis or deli meat in for a change in flavor or cube up some cheese.

Mmmm!

*If cutting up the hot dog, remember to cut up length wise first, then width wise to reduce the chance of choking. 

Roll Ups and Fresh Fruit

Another lunch idea that takes less than 10 minutes. Simply pull out some lunch meats and cheeses and put them on a plate along with a few veggies. When your kids are deciding what to put in their roll ups, wash and cut up some fruit to go on the side!

Once they've decided it's time to start building! Here's what you do:

1. Place a slice of meat down
2. Add some mayo or mustard (or other spread)
3. Add cheese on top
4. Sprinkle with veggies (easier to slice up or shred)
5. Roll up and eat!

Serve with some fruit on the side and enjoy.

Quesadillas 10 Ways

Quesadillas are super easy. The most work spent on them is the time prepping what goes into them. And that can be done in as little as 5 minutes. You just have to know what you want in them! Here are a few suggestions for what to put in your quesadilla:

Now it's time to make your quesadilla!

1. Heat up pan and butter one side of tortilla. 
2. Put tortilla in heated pan, butter side down
3. Sprinkle with cheese and other ingredients
4. Fold over into a half moon and cook until golden brown
5. Flip, cook other side, and serve!

I love serving my queadillas with some left over rice and some ripe avocado and salsa. The kids love theirs with apple slices and tortilla chips.

Pizza Perfection

What kid doesn't love pizza? In our home pizza comes in all shapes and sizes. Don't have pizza dough? That's ok! Grab one of the following to get started:

1. Base
Tortilla
Pita
English Muffin

Then move on to the sauces. I love just grabbing whatever jarred pasta sauce we have in the pantry:

2. Sauce
Pesto
Marinara
Meat sauce
Alfredo sauce

And for the fun part!

3. Toppings! Toppings can range anywhere from veggies to meats to cheeses. And variety is key. When you give your kids a few options you'll be surprised to find what they choose for their pizzas.

Simply go in this order: Base, Sauce, Toppings when creating your pizza pie masterpieces.

Then just use the oven (or a toaster oven) and cook at 400 degrees for a few minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown! Looking for a great pizza dough recipe? Check out this one here.

Salad Bar

Just because your two year old hates lettuce, don't rule out the power of an awesome salad bar! And as always, get hte kids involved. Ask your kids to pick 5 fun toppings to add to their salad. I suggest having fruit, veggies, nuts, and some sort of crunch for them to choose from.

Then give them a few lettuce options. Spinach is a favorite in our house with romaine coming in close second. But they also love the crunch of cabbage and the pretty shapes and colors in micro greens.

Here are a few great ideas for Salad Bar fixings:

Once the kids have chosen their 5 topping choices I give them dressing choices as well. From oil and vinegar to ranch dressing and everything in between, giving them 2-3 options makes our salad bar a success.

What's your favorite lunch time fast fix?

Food, Nutrition and Health Tips for Kids

One of the biggest problems I have when it comes to my toddler and eating is that he doesn't eat meals like I do. He would much rather snack all day then have large meals. So in order to get him to eat during the day I let him have small snacks every two to three hours versus a set breakfast, lunch and dinner. And because it's so easy to grab a pre-packaged snack from the cupboard I needed to find some simple, quick, healthy snack ideas to keep him fueled throughout the day.

Below are quite a few more nutrition-packed snack ideas courtesy of the American Dietetic Association. I've mentioned healthy snacks on the blog before but only gave the first five suggestions from the list of 25 healthy snacks. Having some simple ingredients on hand to make these fun snacks with your kids will make snack time engaging and healthy.

Some of these snacks are easy enough for your child to assemble themselves but some require a mom, or dad, to help. I find that allowing my son to assemble his own snacks leads to healthier eating choices and a positive outcome for everyone. Enjoy!

20 More Healthy Snacks for Kids*

1. Top low-fat vanilla yogurt with crunchy granola and sprinkle with blueberries.

2. Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.

3. Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.

4. Toast a whole grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and sliced peaches.

5. Spread peanut butter on apple slices.

6. Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.

7. Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a dinner roll.

8. Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.

9. Toss dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in instant oatmeal.

10. Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.

11. Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole grain crackers.

12. Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.

13. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.

14. Banana Split - Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.

15. Sandwich Cut-Outs - Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!

16.  Turkey Roll Ups - Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.

17. Mini Pizza - Toast an English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.

18. Rocky Road - Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.

19. Inside-Out Sandwich - Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.

20. Parfait - Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries in a tall glass. Top with a sprinkle of granola.

And if your children are anything like mine, then they love to dip! Most dips are high in calories and fat so choosing low fat and low calorie options keep their snacks healthy and filling. Below are a few bonus snack ideas that include different snack and dip pairings.

Dip it! Bonus Snacks

• Dip baby carrots and cherry tomatoes in low-fat ranch dressing.
• Dip strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt.
• Dip pretzels in mustard.
• Dip pita chips in hummus.
• Dip graham crackers in applesauce.
• Dip baked tortilla chips in bean dip.
• Dip animal crackers in low-fat pudding.
• Dip bread sticks in salsa.
• Dip a granola bar in low-fat yogurt.
• Dip mini-toaster waffles in cinnamon applesauce.

* Tips courtesy of The American Dietetic Association. ADA is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.



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