| Chickens Go MOOO (Back to Cindy's Other Articles) Ever try serving new foods to your kids? I try to do this once weekly. And I try to make it an educational experience. But sometimes they make it educational for me instead. I give you the case of Moo Shoo Chicken. On one rainy Tuesday evening I whip out my wok and begin the dinner making ritual most mom�s are �enjoying� near the end of their days. Tonight would be Chinese night, and I feel more like quietly meditating some mantra rather than listening to my boys fight over the scrabble words they had chosen. Note to self � �slamit� is not a word. I�ve got my wok and I�ve set the table complete with chop sticks and bamboo place mats, which is farther than I would normally go to set a mood for my boys. �Ok boys, it�s Chinese night. Go and find 3 facts about China for me and bring them back in 30 minutes.� Clever right? Educational right? Don�t be so quick to assume so. �China is very far away, everyone speaks Chinese, and everyone eats Chinese food there.� (My 15-year-old son is such a genius today.) My sneer look sends him off to find some real facts without a word, as I take to the task at hand. Prepare a healthy meal that fits my diet, but interesting enough for my little food critics to eat. Sounds easy right? Let�s make Moo Shoo Chicken I say to my baby boy, toddling underfoot as usual. And my 2 year old chirps right on cue with �moo moo chi chi.� And we begin. MOO MOO Chi Chi (Moo Shoo Chicken) 2 cups of white rice (instant, if you think that�s ok... and I do) 2 cups broccoli, chopped (frozen, if you think that�s ok... and I do) 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 tsp brown sugar 3 Tbsp Sweet and Sour Sauce (from a bottle) 4 egg whites � cup plum sauce (from a bottle) 8 flour tortillas (the fat free ones are harder to find, but worth it, you save 3g of fat per tortillas) Make the rice according to the instructions. Place broccoli in the microwave for 4 minutes with a little water and cook on high. Spray your skillet (or wok) with nonstick cooking spray (fat free) and brown the chicken about 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Remove chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Return the chicken to the wok. Add egg whites and scramble with the chicken for about a minute or two. Add sugar and Sweet and Sour sauce. Stir well. Add plum sauce, rice and broccoli. Toss together. Serve over warm tortillas and roll up like a burrito. Only 310 calories per serving, with just 2 grams of fat (depending on the chicken.) Secure with a toothpick if desired. Chinese pancakes work well too, but are even harder to locate than low fat tortillas. I like to serve this with whole green beans sprinkled with sesame seeds and a little light soy sauce, as a side dish. �China is very far away, everyone talks in Chinese, and everyone eats Chinese food. � my 8 year old tells me with a very serious but proud look on his face. Obviously got some hints from his older brother hoping to stir up more than some Moo Moo Chi Chi. I accepted his answer and called for the teen that was eavesdropping around the doorway. He reports in with �Every spring a dust cloud covers China for a few days, and it�s like a dust tornado. It�s called a tempest. It moves about 1 million tons of sand into the city of Bejing. Oh � And � Uh � China is just another word for fancy dishes that we only use with grandparents.� I smile. �Besides, we are studying Africa in Geography right now Mom. Can�t you make African Chicken?� I guess that will do since he taught me a new word, tempest. And besides, I�m hungry. As my 2 year old starts to taunt our cat with the chopsticks I sit down to eat with my boys and attempt to argue the complaint that it�s still Chinese food, even if you eat it with a Mexican tortilla. �Everyone in Texas moved here from Mexico, that�s how come.� My 8 year old informs me. (This is coming from a boy that can�t tell time on regular watch yet.). �And ya know what?� The question I hear most often in my life. �What?� I give the same answer every time. You�d think he�d quit asking me that. �All cows are girls and they make more milk with the radio on.� Uh.. could that be true? I�ll look that up later. �Milk mustaches are cool, don�t you think?� He adds, instead of eating his food. �And you know what? The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache?� Now there�s something to meditate. Better stop them now before someone tries to make milk come out of their nose. �Cow go Moo Moo Chi Chi� my 2 year old adds, with a giggle. (Ah.. finally some truth). Can�t ask for a better Tuesday than that can you? And in case your little ones want to know a few other facts, here�s some interesting websites. 1. Why is milk white? http://www.uselessknowledge.com/explain/milk.shtml 2. What is a Samuari anyhow? http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=samurai&r=3 3. A fun quiz about China : http://sln.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/apr99/quiz/quiz1.htm By Cindy Lineberry.. do not reproduce in any fashion without written permission. March 2002. |