The Cardiologist's Wife

Chicken Nuggets With Blackberry Dipping Sauce and A Confession

[ Post by Lisa Tedder ][ Post on August 28, 2012 ][ In Chicken & Other Poultry, Diet Tips and Better Eating Ideas, For new Mom's ]

I feel the need to confess today.  If we confess our “sins”, we are much more likely to address them and make a change.  Besides, I always want my readers to understand that my family isn’t perfect.  We don’t eat right all the time and we aren’t exercise fanatics with the exception of my daughter who swims competitively.  The purpose of this blog is to show that you can have fun, eat a few bad things and be healthy.  It’s not an all or nothing proposition.  Still, ALOT of people err on the side of doing nothing for their health.

 

So what is my confession this time?  I have a bad hot chocolate addiction.  There, I’ve admitted it in public and in writing of all things!  I have somewhat of an addictive personality.  I was addicted to Mountain Dew for years.  Then there was the peanut problem.  I could not get through a day without eating a handful of peanuts but I was snobby about the brand.  One day, I simply did not want peanuts any more and have hardly eaten any since.  Now every morning I like to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate with a spoonful of coffee in it.  People who know me well know I don’t like coffee but I started putting just a spoonful in my hot chocolate to get the caffeine wake up.  You can hardly taste it and maybe I’m just imagining that it helps.  I do worry about the sugar content but I’m also betting that one day, I’ll get tired of it.  Until then, my philosophy is that we all have to have some vices and I do make it with skim milk so I am getting some health benefits.  BUT I do exercise nearly every day and I try to eat make healthy eating choices 90% of the time to counter balance my vices.  And so should you.  There, enough with lectures and confessions.  I want to share a chicken nugget recipe with you today.

 

Yes, you read that correctly, CHICKEN NUGGETS.  I have always been critical of parents who feed their children a steady diet of chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers and hot dogs.  But homemade chicken nuggets can be part of a healthy diet.  Plus they can be on the dinner table in no time with little effort and leftovers can be used in a salad the next day for lunch.  The recipe I tried last week also suggested a really nice blackberry dipping sauce which is loaded with nutrition and a much better choice than any you’d find at a fast food restaurant.  Without further ado, here is the recipe.

 

 

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries, chopped and crushed

1 1/2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard

2 tsp. honey

1 lb. chicken tenders (leave whole or cut into chunks for nuggets as you prefer)

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp. cornmeal ( I had to use a lot more cornmeal)

olive oil

Mix the first three ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  Place the chicken in a shallow dish and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Toss to make sure all the chicken is coated.  This helps the cornmeal to stick.  Place the cornmeal in another shallow dish, season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.  Roll the chicken tenders in the cornmeal to coat.  You can cook two ways.  Either heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet and pan fry till lightly brown on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Or, heat oven to 375 and bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown and chicken is cooked through.  Baking is easier and has less fat involved.  Frying makes the chicken a bit crispier and is a tiny bit faster but the oil may pop and burn you.  You pick.  Serve chicken with dipping sauce.

Upadated on August 28, 2012