Bread Crumb Chicken Tenders for Kids

Bread Crumb Chicken Tenders

I often go to the frozen, bagged chicken nuggets from the grocery store. However, recently I purchased some chicken tenderloins and decided I would try breading them myself!

My kids gobbled them up like they were any other chicken nugget and I was a much happier mommy giving them real chicken to eat.

It is too easy to bread your own chicken tenders, bake and then freeze for later meals! I used a $.89 tub of bread crumbs from Aldi, but I am sure you can make your own, too.

Bread Crumb Chicken Tenders
3/4 lb raw chicken tenderloins
season salt
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Rinse and trim raw chicken
2. Season with season salt.
3. Dip tenderloin in flour.
4. Dip tenderloin in egg.
5. Roll tenderloin in bread crumbs.

Place tenderloins in greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reads at least 160. Usually, the tenderloins are done at 30 minutes but I like the extra crispy on the outside!

Crock Pot Potato Soup for Two and a Top Sirloin Marinade

Here are two super easy recipes I used for our supper tonight! On the menu? Top sirloin steak sandwiches and homemade potato soup.

I had a 2 lb top sirloin in the freezer and wanted to serve it on bread since it was a cheap cut. I decided to soak the steak in a good marinade for a few hours to enhance the flavor! I was really happy with the results.

I halved the recipe I found via All Recipes. I had plenty of marinade for the steaks with a 1/4 or so of waste. I suggest using my recipe if you are using a similar sized cut of steak or have smaller steaks still equalling 2 lbs, or so.

Top Sirloin Marinade

1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

1/4 cup steak sauce (I used A1)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar salad dressing

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon brown mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon or less kosher salt  (dust on steak just before grilling)

 

My husband did a great job grilling this steak and it turned out pretty tender for being frozen and being cheap! I think I paid $3.99/lb for it.

 

We sliced the top sirloin with our electric knife and served it on broiled buns topped cheese and fried onions. The sandwiches had so much flavor, I didn't think they needed a dipping sauce or au ju. It surely wouldn't hurt to have some on the side, if you like!

 

To go with our steak sandwiches, I decided to try to make my first ever homemade soup! I have been kind of collecting soup ingredients over the last few grocery trips, so I decided to put my pantry to good use for us tonight.

 

I had a bag of russet potatoes on hand, so I went with a crock pot potato soup recipe from Rachel's Recipes. Since I have never made soup before, I decided to halve this recipe as well, in case I messed it up. But, I didn't mess the soup up! It was awesome. I also have just enough left over for me for lunch tomorrow.

 

I suggest using my serving sizes if you are serving 2-3 people. It fed my family of 2 adults and 2 kids perfectly.

 

 

Crock Pot Potato Soup for Two via Rachel's Recipes

1.5 lbs. potatoes, peeled & diced
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. cheese
1/2 c. light sour cream
1/2 c. corn
3 pieces bacon, crumbled
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 small onion minced
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Peel & dice potatoes, layer on bottom of crock pot.
2. Add in onion, garlic & sprinkle seasonings evenly.
3. Pour in broth, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours; the potatoes should be 'fork tender'.
4. Use an immersion blender or hand mixer to mash up potatoes until it reaches a thick, even consistency.
5. Add in sour cream, bacon, corn, cheese and stir until melted.
6.  Top with your choice of toppings!

 

I garnished our potato soup with some more cheese, crumbled bacon, and also added French's fried onions for a little crunch.

 

I had such a nice little Sunday night dinner with my little family. The soup and sandwiches were the perfect combination of food. I just love putting new spins on foods I familiar with, like steak. I also really enjoy trying something new! Especially, if I can get my husband to eat it and like it.

 



Did you do anything different for supper tonight?

No Weekends for Moms - So What?

I can't help I still anticipate weekends. I hurry through Wednesday, watch my favorite TV shows on Thursday night, and finally - the glorious Friday finally arrives!

 

 

 

Ummm. Wait.

 

What the heck?! I am still doing all the usual stuff I do during the week. Where is mom's weekend? Do I sleep in? No. Do I get a break from household chores? No. If we run out of something, does someone else go pick it up? No. Does someone else clean? No. Does someone else cook meals? No.

 

Sigh.

 

To top it off, I had a long laundry list (oh, wait our wash machine is broken to top it off - joy!) of things to accomplish this Saturday with my husband working and also having a scheduled long run of 9 miles to complete at some point. However, one of my kids came down with a fever, snots and cough last night which hasn't gotten any better today.

 

After a quick breakfast of pancakes I pre-made a day ago, I smooched my husband on his way out to work, envious nonetheless, and hunkered down for an awesome Saturday trapped in the house. I groaned at the thought of it.

 

I sat in my "mama chair" for a little while, still crusty, bra less and crabby. I put on 101 Dalmatians for the kids, which we never do. They sat for a solid 15 minutes before getting bored and I was soon welcomed by two pink cheek faces at the foot of my chair.

 

"Ok, ok. " I thought to myself. This is ridiculous. Just because we can't go anywhere doesn't mean the whole day is ruined. I shook it off. I played with the kids for an hour or so, I tried to get my oldest to eat. I succeeded with an entire green apple.

 

I cleaned all the floors in the house, did the dishes, and picked up the bedrooms.

 

I took a shower, did my hair, and suddenly my day wasn't seeming so gloomy after all. Both kids where in great moods and I was clean! Those are two things I can't always count on...

 

When I take care of the things I need to in a day, it just can't turn out bad. If I would have sat in my chair all morning, waiting for Pete to come home, only to be re-crabby when he left for his run, I would have no good thoughts about this day.

 

But, I recognize this error in myself, to get all cranked up for no good reason at all, and I chose to make a better day out of day that was looking to be pretty ordinary.

 

After playing, we ate a "super special lunch" consisting of chicken tenders, cheese sticks, carrots and Popsicles. I made M&M cookies to kill some time, and I gave both the kids a bath. Which, I think, made them feel a whole lot better, too.

 

Post-bath silliness.

James started to wind down pretty fast and I put him down for his nap. David and I played with toys downstairs for a bit and cuddled under a big blanket, still wiping snot from his nose.

 

David went down for his nap shortly after James and now I am sitting in the peace and quiet of no husband, no kids, and no TV on. Just the ticking of writing this blog post. I even ate more than I should have of M&M cookies. Totally worth it.

 

Now that I accomplished things in my home today, I don't have a problem with asking my husband to sneak out for an hour and maybe go thrifting. Maybe I can run to Target and pick up a few things we need, and come home to surprise Pete with a 6 pack for tonight. Maybe we can watch a movie when the kids go to bed and hang out sweetly like we used to before we got married.

 

My day has a much more optimistic spin on it when I remind myself it wasn't ruined upon waking. It doesn't matter what day it is or what we planned for it. What counts, is that we make it the best day we can with whatever we are given.

 

I really need to think like this more often...