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

Lighter Sesame Chicken {Dinner Recipe}

Since I'm back on track and counting points, I've been reverting back to old favorites! Favorite recipes that is. I absolutely love how simple and delicious this meal is. I can make it under 30 minutes and the longest part is waiting for the rice to finish cooking.

If you're looking for a quick and easy take out meal without the cost of take out, try your hand at this delicious lighter sesame chicken! Feel free to play around with the flavors a bit as well. Add a little orange zest, or maybe some flaked red pepper. This dish is so versatile and can be changed up to fit any flavor profile.

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Lighter Sesame Chicken

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch chunks
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.

Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

Serves 4 | 6 WW points

"Roasted" Whole Chicken {Slow Cooker Dinner Recipe}

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With the heat of the summer upon us the last thing I want to do in the afternoon is prepare for dinner. I don't want to go anywhere near a stove or oven and have been quite bad about forgoing a traditional meal for one my husband can pick up on the way home more than once.

Since I am over being lazy about my health I decided to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot this week so that I could not only enjoy delicious, slow roasted goodness, but also have leftover chicken for meals later on in the week (as well including a great topping for salads for lunch)!

Not only is this chicken super easy to make, it's tasty as well! And can be made in 3-4 hours. So if you forget to set the slow cooker in the morning and are home in the afternoon, there's still hope for dinner!

"Roasted" Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 teaspoons red curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sage
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves, whole

Chop up the onion and place 3/4 of the onion on the bottom of your slow cooker. Set 1/4 aside.

Remove all giblets and neck from chicken (set aside if you want to use it to make chicken stock afterwards). Pat chicken dry.

Combine all herbs and spices in a bowl. Rub spice mixture onto skin of chicken making sure to get every inch covered.

Stuff chicken cavity (you know... were the giblets were?) with onion you set aside and garlic cloves. Place chicken breast side up on top of onions in slow cooker.

Set slow cooker on low and let cook 3-4 hours or until tender.

What do you do with leftover chicken?

Crockpot Salsa Chicken {Dinner Recipe}

I absolutely LOVE easy crock pot recipes that can be turn into multiple meals throughout the week. And this crock pot salsa chicken is just that.

Simple ingredients, simple instructions, simple meals... but you don't have to keep the meals simple. Shred this chicken and use it in multiple dishes: enchilada casserole, chicken (tortilla) soup, quesadillas, rolled tacos, chicken ropa vieja (my favorite) and more!

And with a fridge full of yumy salsa from Wholly salsa how could I not make this? I used their mild salsa for this dish but am excited to try changing up the flavors with the pineapple or red pepper mango flavors too. 

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

• 4 chicken breast
• 1 tub Wholly salsa
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can corn

Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Dump all of the other ingredients on top.

Cook for 4-5 hours or until fork tender.

Serve whole or shred to use in multiple dishes!

I enjoyed mine the first night on my Precise Portions dinnerware!

Disclaimer: I received product for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce {Dinner Recipe}

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When I can prepare a meal that is both delicious and quick to make then not only have I found a winner but I've found a winner that deserves a spot on our monthly line up!

This dish not only creates an all in one meal (where each component is layered together... grains, veggies, meat, etc) it's a meal that you can drink wine while cooking. And any meal that includes wine both before and during dinner is a good one.

If you enjoy goat cheese you can totally sub it for the cream cheese we used. We just don't like it in our home.

Inspiration: Annie's Eats

Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin & cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (and drained, if packed in oil)
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas
• noodles

Boil some water and add pasta.

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken breasts. Cook through, about 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Set aside and keep warm.

Add frozen peas to pasta for last 1-2 minutes of cooking. 

In the same skillet the chicken was browned in, add the wine. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, being sure to scrape up the browned bits from the chicken. Add the chicken broth and reduce that by about half too. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and heat through.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the cream cheese. Drain the pasta and peas. Put a piece of chicken breast over pasta and peas and top with sauce. Enjoy!

Serves 4