Easy Healthy Dinner | My Kids Really Eat This

The past couple of weeks have been so crazy with the freak snowstorm that knocked out power to 100% of our town, kids home from school for a week, Halloween postponed twice in town (yes, they actually postponed town wide Trick or Treating first to the Saturday following then Monday, a week after the actual holiday), school celebrations postponed several times then canceled, and now just trying to get back into a routine after it all. I have been unsuccessful in getting most of my work done. One reason is because I couldn’t get online for a week. But I’m back and must get it done!!

On the day we went to the week-delayed Trick or Treat Street at our elementary school I had made a Moroccan Chicken with Prunes in the slow cooker. It was the first time I’d used the recipe and will definitely make it again. I was curious to see how the boys would react to it, but they’ve all had prunes/dried plums before and actually used to eat them because I called them “plum fruit snacks”. The two youngest weren’t interested in eating the fruit in the dish but amazingly didn’t complain about any of it. So happy to give them something different that doesn’t have whines accompanying it. AND my eldest actually loved it so much he raided his brothers’ dishes when they’d had enough. He sought out prunes and all.

Moroccan Chicken with Prunes adapted from recipe by Lora Brody
1 ½ pounds chicken pieces (I used breasts but next time think I’ll just use thighs)
2 tsp olive oil
½ cup prunes
1 large onion diced
1 tsp cumin seed
¾ cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic — minced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger — peeled & grated
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste

I sautéed the onion and then garlic until they were done (not browned). Added the ginger and cumin seeds for a minute then other spices, for another minute, stirring often. I then added the chicken broth and brought it to a quick boil then tossed it all into the crock pot. I added the chicken breasts and prunes. Set it for 4 ½ hours on low. I checked seasoning before serving over brown rice. Original recipe calls for couscous but we’d had so much pasta surrounding that meal that I went with the rice. Adding cilantro or mint would definitely add a great dimension to the meal. Next time I may also add chickpeas and a vegetable.

Two days after that was the official Trick or Treating and I made lasagna for that! Once they were done we went out to gather all the candy and junk associated with Halloween. It was fun and I’m glad they actually got to do it. I remember it being my favorite holiday when I was little.

Now back to reality and November. Halloween will be finally over after today (10 days later) and the zombie holiday (it would not die) can make way for my favorite holiday as an adult: Thanksgiving!

Sometimes my dinners aren’t what was originally planned. The other night I was going to make the chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce that my kids all love, but while I was browning the chicken I remembered I’d used the last of the cream to make scones the day before. So, mid cooking I needed to change course. I had brown rice in my rice cooker. I had the mushrooms all cut. I’d pulled out a zucchini… so what direction should I go? I went Asian style stir-fry. I added sesame oil, fish sauce and soy sauce to the chicken once browned and set that aside. I cut up a small broccoli crown, remaining half a head of cabbage, and the kid’s carrot sticks left over from their snacks. My husband came home from work and helped by chopping garlic, grating fresh ginger and thawing/shelling edamame (soybeans). Boy, at the speed of light he can mince that garlic into tiny pieces— I couldn’t even imagine doing. I threw in some frozen red, yellow and green peppers. And voila, a delicious meal that was not what we planned, but was so healthy and delicious.

You can do this with whatever vegetables you have on hand that seem to go together. I purchased the Cascadian Farms organic frozen peppers and edamame because they are handy and also great in stir-fries. Not every vegetable freezes well, but some are fine and they actually retain their nutritional value plus you won’t worry about unwanted additives (the linings from cans or pesticides) this way.

Chicken, Mushroom, Vegetable Stir Fry

5-6 boneless chicken thighs (or 2 breasts), cut into 2 inch pieces

3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 quart shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 quart white mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp fresh ginger grated

1-2 carrots, chopped

1 small broccoli crown, cut into small pieces

1 organic zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced

1/4-1/2 small cabbage head, chopped

handful organic edamame, shelled

handful organic peppers (multicolored), sliced

canola, sunflower or peanut oil

Brown chicken in 2 tsp oil over med-high heat. Add soy, fish sauce and sesame oil. Set aside. Add another 2 tsp oil and sauté mushrooms. Add garlic and ginger, stirring well for two minutes then add broccoli and carrots. Keep stirring for another two minutes then add zucchini, peppers, cabbage, edamame, chicken in soy mixture. Stir occasionally until vegetables are tender. Check seasoning and add more soy or sesame as needed.

Serve over brown rice or rice noodles.

My kids all loved this and ate their entire meal without fuss. Ok, well, my middle son saw it and said he wasn’t going to eat it and didn’t want it before my eldest and younger sons told him that it was delicious. It was. I was the lucky one who ate the leftovers (it was enough to feed all five of us with one remaining bowl for next day’s lunch). My middle son was the first one of the kids to finish.

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t what I planned. It was healthy, tasty, easy and the kids ate it.

My Kids Really Eat This

getting kids to eat well in the real world

Tag Archives: easy healthy dinner

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