Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

Who knew you could make something so delicious, right in your kitchen?? These mozzarella sticks, which taste very similar to Arby's by the way, were a fun treat for us the other night. I'm always looking for ways to make fast food recipe items healthier and these definitely did the trick! They would also be a fun hands-on recipe for the little ones in your house.

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 35 minutes           COOK: 8-10 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 6 mozzarella string cheese reduced-fat
• 1/3 cup panko
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS

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1. Unwrap each string cheese and cut in half.
2. In two small bowls, mix the panko and bread crumbs in one and the flour in the other.
3. In another small bowl whisk the egg and milk together. 
4. Dip the string cheese first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, followed by the bread crumbs. 
5. Put cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes. (This step is essential. If skipped, the cheese will just make a melted mess!)
6. Preheat your oven to 350º. Pull your mozzarella sticks out and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 7-8 minutes. 
7. Serve with marinara sauce. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 string cheese     167 calories   7.8 g fat   13.8 g carbs   11 g protein    0.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Gunny Sack

Healthy Baked Cilantro Chicken Fingers

Ever have one of those nights where dinner needs to be served in less than 30 minutes, you should have gone to the grocery store that day but it didn't work out, and you wonder... what's for dinner? This happens more than I'd like to admit, and this was one of those (many) nights. Luckily I had thawed chicken in the refrigerator with a bunch of random fixings. I needed something kid-friendly as I had binged our family out on soup the week before. My children will only tolerate soup for so long so I decided to make a stab at chicken fingers using only panko, Parmesan and cilantro. The end result was awesome and my children ate the entire plateful. They were nice and light and could be easily modified. If you only have cornflakes cereal on hand, use that instead of panko (it might even be better!). Instead of cilantro, you could use a ranch packet, or a variety of cajun spices in your cupboard. This is such an easy and flexible meal that it's sure to be a staple at our house!

Healthy Baked Cilantro Chicken Fingers
20 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 25 minutes            READY IN: 35 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 large chicken breasts (approximately 1.5 pounds)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Cut chicken into strips.
3. In a large ziploc bag, combine cilantro, Parmesan, panko, and salt.
4. Place chicken strips into the mixture, seal, and shake until all the chicken strips are covered.
5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay chicken strips out on top. Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, or until done.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 chicken strip    104 calories   4g fat   4.1g carbs    12.4g protein    0g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Hidden Valley