Recipes: Chicken Tenders, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Cookies

Last night was a go-to dinner for me. We had chicken tenders, mashed sweet potatoes, and salad. In case you're interested, here's what I do:

Baked Chicken Tenders

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Place chicken tenders in a bowl or Ziploc bag.
3. Cover the chicken with about 1/2 cup of ranch dressing (I use fat free). Make sure the chicken gets evenly coated with the dressing. (The chicken will absorb more flavor if you let it marinate for an hour or so, but I never do.)
4. Dip the chicken in panko bread crumbs (or whatever you have on hand--last night I was out of panko and used crushed up wheat Ritz crackers--YUM!).
5. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with a little Pam.
6. Place chicken on the baking sheet, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1. Cook sweet potatoes either in the oven or the microwave:

• For cooking in the oven, poke the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, lightly rub them with olive oil, and place them in a baking dish. Bake at 375 for about an hour or until you can stick a fork all the way through.

• For cooking in the microwave, poke the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, then place them on a plate in the microwave. For 3 sweet potatoes, cook for about 10-12 minutes, then let them stand for about 5 minutes.

2. After the sweet potatoes have cooled a bit, scoop the flesh into a medium bowl and mash
3. Add a splash of orange juice, some chopped pecans, a spoonful of brown sugar, and/or a pat of butter to taste. Enjoy!

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Ok, and here is my absolute favorite cookie recipe. I made some of these yesterday, too, for an after-dinner treat. The original recipe is here and is called Iowa City Oatmeal Cookies. I've made just a couple of changes to cut down on the fat and boost nutrition.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter (I use Smart Balance 50/50 blend)
  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal (I've used granola, too, but the Grape Nuts do give a great crunch!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate, nuts and cereal.
6. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Cool on wire rack.