Kid Friendly Dinner

Time for a kid friendly dinner! A gal in my neighborhood started a Facebook page for people to share their favorite recipes on. This recipe for chicken nuggets was shared on that group page. I decided to pair it with some veggies--carrot and celery sticks with ranch dressing and roasted broccoli.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme, and basil. Mix well. Melt butter in a separate bowl or dish for dipping.

Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Source: Posted to the Facebook "What's For Dinner" group by Bronwyn Patton Lassen. Originally from Allrecipes.com, submitted by Teresa. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: We dipped these in barbecue sauce, but they would also be tasty dipped in ranch dressing, honey mustard, or marinara sauce. My kids really liked them and that is a big plus in my book!

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli before serving for a refreshing, tangy finish.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by NERDYCHEESECAKE. You can find it here.

Notes: I love this method of preparing broccoli. It is tender, but not mushy, and it is full of flavor. Oh, and it is so easy!