18-36 Months: Eating with the Family – Out and About (part 2) – Apple-bran Muffins & Tender Chicken Fingers

by

Rushed mornings

If you need to give your little one breakfast on the go, good ideas include: little sandwichesmini-muffin

Apple-bran Muffins

These muffins are full of good things like raisins, apple, and bran flakes. They’re great for a breakfast on the go, but be sure to supervise your little ones when they are eating. For easier-to-hold mini-muffins, bake in a 24-cup mini-muffin tin for 12–15 minutes.




20 minutes

25–30 minutes


NOTE

12

  • 3 cups wheat bran flakes

  • 1/3 cup milk

  • 2/3 cup applesauce (homemade or from a jar)

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

  • 7 tbsp sunflower or olive oil

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • Pinch of salt (optional)

  • 1/2 cup raisins

  • 1 tbsp demerara or turbinado sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a small 12-cup muffin pan with paper cases.

  2. Crush the bran flakes
    into a large bowl. Add the milk and applesauce, stir well, and let soak
    for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract,
    brown sugar, and oil.

  3. Add the egg mixture
    to the bran mixture and stir together. Sift in the flour, baking powder,
    baking soda, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, and the salt, if using, adding any
    residue from the sifter. Fold in, along with the raisins. Divide the
    mixture among the paper cases (an ice cream scoop is good for this). The
    cases will be almost full.

  4. Mix together the
    demerara sugar and remaining 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and sprinkle over
    the muffins. Bake until risen and firm to the touch, 25–30 minutes. Cool
    in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool
    completely.

  5. Store in an
    airtight container for 2 days. Or, freeze in a freezer bag or container;
    thaw at room temperature for 1–2 hours when needed.

Tender Chicken Fingers

Little chicken strips are better for small children to bite into than big pieces, and a marinade helps to tenderize the chicken, making it easy to chew. I find that puffed rice cereal is a very tasty coating.

20 minutes plus marinating

6–8 minutes


NOTE

8 child portions

  • 2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into little-finger-size strips

  • 3–4 tbsp sunflower or olive oil, for frying

  • Marinade

    • 6 tbsp milk

    • 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

    • 1/4 tsp dried oregano

    • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 tsp dried thyme

    • 1/4 tsp paprika

  • Coating

    • 2 cups sugar-free puffed rice cereal

    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

    • 1/4 tsp dried oregano

    • 1 egg

    • 1 tsp water

    • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

  1. Mix the marinade
    ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken, cover, and let marinate in
    the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

  2. Put the cereal, Parmesan,
    and oregano in a food processor and process briefly into crumbs. Spread
    the crumbs out on a large plate. Beat the egg in a bowl with the water.
    Spread the flour out on another large plate. Remove the chicken from the
    marinade, shaking off the excess. Coat in the flour, then dip in the
    egg, and coat in the cereal crumbs. If not cooking immediately, arrange
    on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.

  3. Heat the oil in a large
    frying pan over moderate heat. Cook the chicken fingers until they are
    golden and cooked through, 3–4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper
    towels. Check the temperature before serving.

  4. To freeze (uncooked),
    cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 2–3
    hours, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Cook from frozen,
    adding about 30 seconds per side extra cooking time.