Grown-up Food

Trent's been gone for 3 weeks now, and I am getting around to eating better. It was just hard at first to cook dinner like I did before when I am the only grown up present to eat it. Ashley is a great eater, but Jon and Sammy are various degrees of picky. It was just so much easier to make them dinners I knew they would eat. I, however, was often less than enthused at the idea of chicken nuggets or hot dogs or whatever and would just eat the veggies or wouldn't eat. I was being terrible and feeling less than great, and the kids deserve a better effort as well. Therefore, I have been digging out a few recipes that fit the occasion. I have chosen things that I will gladly eat with the kids and feel good about them eating that they like as well and also things that freeze well so that I have repeated access to some grown up food encouraging me to eat properly and not feel gross. The first two that came to mind were pot stickers and chicken sate. The pot sticker recipe I originally got from my friend Kathy. It makes a ton, but they freeze well, and we all like them. It is very easy to pull a few out, cook them and eat them with or without some brown rice and some veggies or a great salad. I am not posting this recipe, because most of you that would be interested have it already. If you do not and want it, I will gladly oblige. The second is Chicken Sate. It comes from the book One Bite Won't Kill You, which is hilarious reading as well as a source for some good recipes. It is easy to make, and my kids LOVE it. They insist on eating it on the skewers. Somehow, adding a stick makes it so much better. However, you can cook it without the skewers. I like the peanut sauce and dip both my chicken and raw vegetables in it. My kids don't like the peanut dipping sauce, which is surprising since they love peanut butter. Though I do like it, I think there are better peanut sauces out there. Have a good recipe? I'd love it. Anyhow, here is the Chicken Sate recipe:

Chicken and Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken cut into 1 inch pieces

Sate Sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste (my to taste involves closer to 2 Tablespoons)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 smooth peanut butter
2 scallions, chopped (this is marked optional for kids who won't eat bits of green. Mine don't like the sauce, so I now feel free to add the scallions. I don't think it would be the same without them)

For the chicken and marinade: Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the cut up chicken, turn to coat, cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24. (Personally, I put this part together in the morning, and I think it is great by dinner time).
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (I think these would grill fantastically though I haven't tried it.)
Thread the chicken onto skewers, if you're using them, or just put the pieces on a foil-lined pan. If you plan to use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for an hour before hand. Bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, for the sauce: Whisk together the broth, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Over low heat, whisk in the peanut butter (it will be messy at first) until smooth. Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until it's thickened - about 10 minutes. Add the optional scallions. Serve the sauce as a dip for the chicken and any vegetables you want to dip as well.

This week, I am going to try a homemade soup and some chili. Both freeze well allowing me to pull out some to eat on nights when I give into the desire for some kid food.