No-Butter Chicken

I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now. I absolutely love butter chicken and when I found that it is Max's favorite meal, I knew I had to get a recipe for it.

For those of you that don't know, Butter Chicken is a very popular Indian dish that is thought to have originated in New Delhi. It is typically made with chicken cooked in a Tandoor, but can be roasted or pan cooked as well. The chicken is cooked with various spices (like Garam Masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili) and a tomato butter cream sauce.

This version is quick, taking about 30 minutes to prepare, very tasty, and omits the butter, making it a healthy option when you're craving this particular dish.

I knew I had a hit on my hands when I brought the bowl of chicken to the table and Max went crazy for it. He ended up eating three helpings! I served the chicken with brown rice and broccoli for a very healthy, filling meal.

No-Butter Chicken

From Gourmet Day to Day

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Ginger
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
4 oz Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup Water

Directions

1. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger.
3. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion is golden.
4. Add the tomato paste, sugar, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and salt.
5. Cook for 2 minutes to incorporate flavors.
6. Add the chicken and coat completely with the spice mixture.
7. Add the yogurt and water.
8. Cook, while stirring, until the chicken is done (about 8 minutes).
9. Serve over rice and/or with naan.

Yields: 6 servings (approx. 1 Cup each)

Wee Bites - Banana Peanut Butter Mini Muffins

I've decided to start posting about some of the food that I make for Max. Toddler food can be so much fun! It's all miniaturized and cute. I try to make his food fairly healthy. I sneak in fruits and veggies whenever possible. Like most kids, Max has a sweet tooth, so I play on that in order to get him to eat more healthy stuff.

I made these muffins for the first time this week. I've made other banana muffins for Max and he always enjoys them. These have peanut butter added in to give them a protein boost. I had some over ripe bananas that needed to be used up and with Max not eating well this week (he's cutting another molar!) I thought I could kill two birds with one stone.

I initially made these following the recipe I found to the letter. Vince ended up eating that batch. They were really really good. Then I played around with the recipe to cut the sugar and butter and I think they came out pretty awesome!

These muffins were featured in this week's Muffin Tin Monday post. They have been a huge hit with Max.

Banana Peanut Butter Mini Muffins

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Very Ripe Large Bananas
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (can sub Whole Wheat)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Optional: 1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Lightly grease mini muffin tins with cooking spray, or use paper muffin liners.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the applesauce, eggs, and sugar.
4. Add the peanut butter, bananas, flour, and baking soda.
5. Mix well, making sure the bananas are completely mashed and incorporated.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using).
7. Pour the batter into the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
9. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Yields: 48 mini muffins

Broccoli Salad

I first had broccoli salad two years ago during Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. I know, I know. Sometimes I think I've lived a sheltered life. Anyway, a friend of the family brought it to dinner and it was a huge hit. We all asked for the recipe, which she kindly rattled off but none of us thought to actually write it down!

I always thought to make it again but never got around to doing it or looking up a recipe for it. Well, I finally did. The recipes I found all seemed to be a little off from what I remembered having. So I took one and modified it to what I could remember. It turned out perfect! I will now keep this in my repertoire for quick, tasty side dishes.

Broccoli Salad

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

6 Cups Raw Broccoli Florets
2 Cups Raw Carrots, shredded
1/2 Cup Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Fat Free Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli, carrots, cheese, sunflower seeds, and raisins.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
3. Add the mayo dressing to the salad and toss until completely coated.
4. Serve chilled.

Yields: 8 Servings (3/4 cup per serving)

Muffin Tin Monday

I finally jumped on the bandwagon of Muffin Tin Mondays! Now that Max has fully reached the independent toddler eater phase, I find myself trying to get creative with his meals. I don't know if it's a common question posed to mom's of toddlers, or moms in general, but it seems that I get asked quite often if Max is a picky eater. The answer is never cut and dried.

In the grand scheme of things, he eats pretty well. He will try just about anything once. He might hate something one day and love it the next. So, I keep testing the waters when it comes to his food. Until very recently, like that last week or so, he still preferred most of his food to be in puree form. I think it's a texture thing. I still can't get him to eat regular oatmeal, but he will scarf down baby cereal oatmeal. He eats most fruits and proteins in their intended/natural form. He absolutely will not eat any vegetable unless it is pureed. But if you puree it, he'll eat any of them.

I take that back, there are some veggies that he'll eat whole. He loves eggplant and recently he started eating tomatoes and mushrooms. He will also sometimes eat peas whole.

Ok, so once I started getting creative with his meals I became obsessed with bento lunches. They are just so cute! However, Max doesn't go to daycare or any type of preschool/nanny so I really couldn't justify getting a lunch box set for him. That's when I found Muffin Tin Mondays! I can do all of the cute little bento stuff and put it all into muffin cups! What a genius idea! The muffin cups are the perfect size for Max's appetite and I can give him a variety of foods to choose from for his meal. He also gets to feel like a "big boy" and choose what he wants to eat. It's a win/win.

Off to Michael's, Target, and Walmart I went to get my supplies. I *may* have gone a little overboard with this stuff. I just couldn't help it! I tried a few over the weekend and they went over well with Max. So today is our first official Muffin Tin Monday.

Please excuse the poor picture. I didn't have much light and haven't had time to set up my new camera and photo studio since moving.

Max's lunch today consists of:
A glass of whole milk
A banana peanut butter mini muffin with chocolate chips
Cinnamon Teddy Grahams
Yogurt peanut butter dip
A cup of yogurt
Leftover Chicken Tikka Masala from dinner last night
Cut up strawberries