Starting this month, and for a limited time, you're able to gift some love (in the form of Cheerios ™) to a friend or loved one by picking up a specially marked package in Walmart stores. There are currently five Cheerios ™ products that will contain a unique code that shoppers can enter online to give an e-card and mailed coupon for a free box to a recipient of their choice. Pretty nifty and thrifty, right?
I'll be gifting my free box to my Dad to re-live and remind him of the fond memories we have of the time we spent together when I was growing up. Many of those memories are still alive with my Grandfather (Papa) as well.
It's been a rough year for our family with the loss of my Grandfather weighing heavy on us all. My dad has become the rock that everyone has needed; moving back with my Grandmother to help her take care of things around her property, as well as being there for my Aunts and Cousins as well.
A lot of times I get asked where my love of cooking started, and it's a question that always seems to come with a different answer. My love and passion for food has been a part of my life for quite a while now. One place where I know I got both my love of food and my creativity is my father who has also been in artsy careers through-out his life as well; photographer, designer, chef, and even a blade crafter.
Growing up, many of my summers were spent almost entirely at my dad's house with him, my Grandmother and my wonderful extended group of cousins. Some of my best memories then revolve around the kitchen there where my Grandmother made her delicious chicken and dumplings and my Papa and Dad smoked up some of the best brisket you'd ever eat. I can say that for all of us cousins, one of our favorite parts of the week was Saturday when my Dad would make the whole lot of us his famous crepes for breakfast. Drool.
To this day when he visits me or when I visit him, he has to make me crepes at some point! It's a family tradition now.
On the weekdays of the summer, occasionally one of us cousins were allowed to go up to where my Papa and Dad worked (a printing company), which was a good hour or so drive from the house. We would have to wake up well before dawn to beat the morning rush hour traffic of Ft. Worth, but thankfully we got to sleep in the back of the van on the way there. Along the way we would stop at a convenient store where my Dad and I always got a famous 'chocolate drink' which was part of my breakfast. Most of the time I would snag a quick grab-and-go sort of breakfast from the house on the way out, and dry Cheerios ™ were always a great choice.
I always had so much fun going with my Dad to work. We always found some fun way to pass the time, whether we were running around his dark room, coloring giant posters, or getting creative with foam board.
It's been a while since I've seen my Dad. It was an extremely busy summer for me and my Dad hasn't been feeling quite well enough to travel. Hopefully, soon though!
Multi-Grain Chicken Tenders
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: About 4 Tenders • Calories: 189.5 • Fat: 6.6.3 g • Carb: 6.4.1 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 25.6.7 g • Sugar: 1.6 g • Sodium: 70.3.5 mg
Ingredients:
3/4 C. Ground Multi-Grain Cheerios ™
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Parsley
1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Sliced into Tenders
2 Tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack atop the baking sheet and give it a light coat of non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Put the cereal, paprika, garlic powder, parsley and salt & pepper to taste into a food processor or blender to form into a 'breading'.
I used my food processor to grind up my Multi-Grain Cheerios ™ into a 'bread crumb' texture, but placing them in a ziplock and crushing them with a rolling pin works too!
Place the chicken into a small bowl along with the olive oil and toss to coat all pieces evenly.
Press the oiled chicken into the breading mixture to coat well.
If you're interested in gifting a free box, just be sure you shop at Walmart like I did, they are the only retailer that will carry these specially marked packages of Cheerios ™.
Transfer the breaded chicken onto the prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, flipping them once halfway through the cooking time.
I've shared my fun Cheerios ™ recipe. What's a yummy and unique thing that you would make with yours?
As you may have heard, some select boxes of Cheerios™ and Honey Nut Cheerios™ produced over two weeks in July at the Lodi, California plant, have been recalled due to a wheat allergen. This recall only affects consumers with Celiac disease or a gluten-sensitivity. To learn more about the recall, and if your product is affected please go to: http://blog.generalmills.com/.
