I sometimes wonder why there are only 24 hours in the day. Why can’t there be more? The days seem to be going by faster the older I get. I remember when days felt like centuries. I got zero online work done today. I’ve been painting the walls, shopping for furniture, hanging photos, mounting my T.V. on the wall, hanging mirrors, and more decor work. I sat down for the first time about an hour ago after screwing in the last leg on my new chair.
Even though I’m close to shutting my eyes and falling asleep, I wanted to post a Saturday night dinner on my blog. It doesn’t feel right to go post-less all day, and it calms me. Last week, Nick and I house-sat/dog-sat for his parents while they were away in Myrtle beach with his little brother for spring break. Thankfully their home is large enough for five crazy dogs.
We didn’t really know what we wanted for dinner, and we didn’t feel like going out, so I browsed my own blog for some of my favorite recipes make. I wanted something fast and easy! I decided on homemade chicken nuggets, glazed carrots, and corn on the cob. While I was walking through the grocery store, I suddenly craved mac and cheese with broccoli, and so I threw that into the mix!
I love glazed carrots. When you bake them, they’re fry-like and kind of taste like crispy candy. They are super easy to make too! You just need a bag of baby carrots, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
*Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then put them in the oven while you’re preparing the rest of the food! Bake for one hour at 385 degrees!
The homemade chicken nuggets are my favorite! I love them so much and could eat them all the time. I still haven’t tried the breading with a fish yet; I need to do that soon.
My old recipe was a little different; this one only requires THREE ingredients! *You can also make these chicken nuggets 100% gluten free if you use gluten free bread crumbs. Or if you want them to be Paleo, use flax seed with Italian seasoning as the bread crumbs!
All you need: boneless/skinless chicken breast (diced), whole grain italian bread crumbs, and olive oil.
In a large mixing bowl, coat the diced chicken breast in olive oil. Dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs and coat them well! Bake for 16-18 minutes above the carrots!
While the chicken and carrots cooked away in the oven, I prepared the Mac & Cheese. It was one of those lazy nights where you don’t really know what you want to eat, but anything is better than dining out again, even if it is settling for boxed macaroni and cheese. I actually like boxed macaroni and cheese, even if it’s not as rich and homely as the homemade stuff. I like the Annie’s Mac & Cheese brand. When I was a nanny in Chicago, that is all the kids would eat and eventually I started to like it. I used to mix broccoli in theirs so that they would eat greens and it worked. I still do that to my macaroni and cheese now, unless its homemade.
I mixed in 4 cups of steam-cooked broccoli in with the mac and cheese! I call it the “grown up” version. For some reason, adding broccoli to mac and cheese makes me feel better about eating it. Cheese and pasta isn’t very healthy, but if you throw broccoli in the mix, it’s a game changer!
The chicken nuggets turned out perfect. They were crisp and had so much more flavor than the freezer section ones. My boyfriend, Nick, loved them! There weren’t very many left over. Plus, they tasted so fresh and natural since they were homemade with less ingredients.
The glazed and crispy carrot fries turned out great too!
Even though it was a simple dinner, with no extra technical cooking, it was still delicious and filling!
Linda @ The Fitty says
Speaking of Mac and cheese! You have to try lobster Mac and cheese, I had it for Easter dinner and I couldnt get enough!!
Taralynn McNitt says
I’m not a huge lobster fan but I do like crabmeat in my mac & cheese!
Kristin C says
Hmmm, I really don’t like cooked carrots, but these look interesting. I agree… I like that they seem fry-like!
Anna says
Oh yum! The chicken looks awesome. I like the idea of adding flax to it! That’s my favorite Mac and cheese. Annie’s also make amazing fruit snacks!
Taralynn McNitt says
They dooooo:) & bunny grahams!
Katie Herr says
What a simple but great idea of adding broccoli into the mac n cheese. I’m SO doing this next time! You should come out with a cookbook! I love all your recipes! Even if it is a simple pdf file that we can download ourselves, I would be first in line to buy it! Or even doing a post of your favorite made recipes?? 🙂
Elizabeth says
Looks delicious!! Are you going to share photos of the inside of your house? I love how you decorate!
Sierra @La Spice Sisters says
Yum!!! I think I am going to have mac and cheese for lunch! I like to add green to mine as well…. usually pees… but broccoli sounds delicious!
Tiffany says
Did you move in with your boyfriend that you’ve only been dating for a few months? 😛
Taralynn McNitt says
I have not and we have been dating for 9 months now. That’s more than a few 😉
katelyn says
even if you were only a few months …he treats you so well, and you have never looked so happy 🙂
Lauren says
I moved in with my boyfriend after exactly 9 months…we got engaged another 9 months later
Ellie says
Hi Tara! I love doing chicken like this and now I must try these baby carrots!! FYI – the word “grain” is misspelled in your image, just thought you might like to know.
ML Bishop says
Thanks for the carrot idea- I’m not a huge fan of cooking carrots but I think this might just be the ticket. Also, the nuggets look amazing and I’m a huge fan of Annie’s Mac and Cheeses- my husband calls that the ‘evil bunny’ mac because the logo looks kind of creepy to him. 🙂 Oh, and your new pup is adorable- an absolutely gorgeous dog, so congrats!!
barbara v. (@myfitnextexp) says
i love that meal !! good plan to add brocolis with the pasta, and i love the carrots too !!
Cassie says
What a tasty and balanced meal! I’ve done breading recipes and actually have had success with coconut flour!
Jessica says
My husband & I make the same exact homemade chicken nuggets. He loves them (which is saying a lot because he’s super picky)! 🙂
Melanie says
This looks like such a great meal!! I love all of the Annie’s products. Love your idea of adding broccoli in. Yum. 🙂
Perfect Recipe says
I made these for the kids two nights ago. Ally hates anything I make unless its from a box or drive-thru, she didn’t just have seconds with these nuggets, she had thirds. Thank you for this recipe as it has changed my motherhood forever. I will be trying more of your recipes very soon.
The Savory Student says
Love this post, perfect recipe when you’re in the mood for a meal to remind you of your childhood.
We at The Savory Student love your blog and will share this post on our site! Check us out at http://www.thesavorystudent.com for delicious, simple, low cost meals! 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you so much! 🙂
whit says
Loved these! Thanks!
arlina says
I love the broccoli idea
serena says
My daughter loved those carrots. I Used honey instead of the brown sugar and it worked perfectly.
garner says
I made your breading recipe with tilapia last night and it worked out just fine! You need to try it!
Elizabeth says
Thanks Taralynn for this recipe! The first time I made the nuggets they were too dry because I left them in for too long, but they turned out perfect the second time! Will definitely be making them again.
jake says
I love the chicken nugget recipe!
Olli says
Best chicken nuggets i’ve ever had