Food Ideas
Our food isn't Pinterest-worthy. But it is Real Life-worthy. We don't always measure ingredients or set timers. Because that's life.
This summer, I invited my kiddo to create his own original chicken marinade recipes. This activity was a hit. Check out our special podcast bonus episode on making your own chicken marinade. And when you make your own marinades, tag @KiddosCook on social media so we can see. Here are the recipes my son created developed.
In our house, we eat a lot of tacos and taco bowls and burritos. We love chipotle and green chili flavors. My son loves salsa (as long as it’s not too spicy). So, for a while, I found myself buying spice packets for tacos, but I thought I could save a few pennies (and reduce the amount of salt) if I made my own.
I’ve experimented a little bit, and honestly, I typically make this without even measuring, and the kiddo’s been perfectly happy. So, dial up the chili if you want a spicier taco. Add more cumin if you love that flavor. This is the best part about doing it yourself — use the flavors you love.
The amount below (or a little less) works well with 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken. Depending on how much fat renders from the chicken (if I use thigh meat) or oil I have in my pan, I might add a little bit of water to the pan too.
Ingredients:
1 to 2 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. chili powder (more if you like spice)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
What to do:
Combine all the spices together. Add to meat for yummy tacos!
Few things say fall like stews, soups and chilis. In our house, chili is in the rotation from Halloween to the first of March. Smelling it cook all day is part of the joy. And because you make it yourself, you get to decide the type of beans you use and just how spicy you make it. I've been keeping ours on the milder side in the hopes my son will eat it, and I never use kidney beans because I hate them. I don't care if people (hi, Mom) say it's not chili without them. Regardless of any modifications, I find it's always delicious — and perfect this time of year. And while the upside is that it's super simple, the downside is there really isn't much for kiddos to do to help.
I make a lot of chicken around here. Like, a lot. And I used to buy packets of dry spice mixes for marinades, and while I loved them, they were just too expensive. So, I started playing around with making my own. For a while, I didn't measure, and I'm pretty confident that we can all make our own meat marinades without measuring, but if you're looking for something to try tonight, here's one iteration that's a toddler/husband/mama favorite.
My son is all about chicken thighs with some light spice. Getting him to TRY (much less LIKE) any other cut of meat is not easy. But last night, I scored something of a victory. He's never had chicken nuggets, but if your kiddo prefers the smaller shape, there's no reason you can't cut the chicken into smaller bites before breading and cooking.
