Meals Kids Love: Jenny Yarbrough from The Southern Institute

Yes, that's right, it's my turn!  I couldn't very well run a whole series of recipes without contributing one myself.  So far I have tried several of the recipes my fellow bloggers have shared and they have all been excellent!  Tough acts to follow, if you ask me.  


It seems to me that the more kids you have, the harder it is to find a meal that all of them love.  I count a meal a success if they all eat at least some of it, I'm not going to push my luck and hope that all three will love it.  Over the weekend I found a new recipe that I wanted to try out.  It came to me in my inbox from Fitness Magazine.  I thought it looked pretty good and hoped that the kids would agree (especially Levi, he's the pickiest eater I've ever had).  So last night we tried it out, with a few adaptations.  


All three kids ate it!  I quickly took a few pictures on my iphone to share with you.  

Chicken Soba Bowl 

makes 4 servings

I used a bit more chicken and noodles than the recipe calls for, but didn't increase the sauce amount...duh.  I ended up adding some Trader Joe's Soyaki to the mix and it was pretty good, although Tom preferred regular soy sauce on his.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons minced lemongrass or lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Salt
1 pound chicken tenders
6 ounces soba noodles
3 cups broccoli florets

The original recipe also called for 2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (stems removed), and 4 baby bok choy (quartered).  If I had included those, my kids never would have eaten it.  Use your judgment.

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey,  lemongrass or lemon zest, and ginger.

2. Fill a large skillet 3/4 full with water, add a sprinkle of salt and bring to a simmer. Add chicken tenders and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is tender. Drain chicken and shred directly into bowl with dressing.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add soba (and shiitakes); cook 3 minutes. Add (bok choy) and broccoli; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until noodles are al dente.

4. Drain noodles and vegetables and add to bowl with chicken and dressing. Toss gently to combine. 

Did you know that half of a chicken breast has more than three-quarters of your daily intake of vitamin B3 (niacin)?

This is a super easy meal to make, and it gives us a reason to break out the chopsticks, which makes any meal more fun for my kids.  Have fun with it!  Don't be afraid to add or subtract from it if you know your family will or won't like a certain ingredient.  Enjoy!