It's so nice to have an easy alternative to frying chicken. Baking chicken is wonderfully healthy option too, but having the oven on in the summertime is just not fun. Here's one way to serve up some chicken and veggies with minimal stove time and maximum flavor!

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lb. chicken tenders, cut into small strips

Marinade:
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp orange juice, lemonade or water

Sauce:
1/2 cup broth or water
1 Tbsp corn starch
3 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt

Vegetables:
1 medium green squash, sliced (unpeeled)
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 8oz box baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
1 can baby corn, cut into small pieces
1 cup frozen broccoli floretts

3 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil


INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the corn starch and juice in a small bowl and add the chicken strips. Let marinate at least one hour.

Mix the sauce ingredients in another bowl and set aside.

Heat the two oils in a large nonstick wok. Add the chicken pieces without the remaining marinade. Cook on medium-high heat until the chicken turns white. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the vegetables to the hot wok and stir. Cover and let simmer until the vegetables are softened, approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the sauce over the vegetables and return the chicken to the wok. Mix thoroughly and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice.

So colorful and tasty! This is one easy dinner side dish that goes with almost anything. The potatoes are tasty and flavorful without any dominant flavor. You can use kale or spinach for this recipe, adding a hefty boost of antioxidants and nutrients as well as an appealing color!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. colored baby potatoes (usually found in a sack)
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
few leaves of kale or spinach, torn into 2" pieces



INSTRUCTIONS:

Scrub the potatoes with a hard-bristled brush under running water. Cut in half or quarters, depending on the size of the potatoes. Boil until tender but not too soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Heat the oil in a skillet large enough to hold the potatoes. Add the onion when the oil is hot. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring well and scraping the sides of the pan. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Add the kale or spinach leaves and let cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the leaves are wilted.

What's fun and easy to make, tastes delicious and is insanely healthy? Superpops! Today's pop is actually a frozen smoothie created yesterday by my toddler boy and I. Side tip: A great way to get picky kids to eat vegetables is by using this twofold tactic, which is comprised of (1) intelligently concealing it with state of the art blending, and (2) involving said child in the mission.

We use a Blendtec blender with the Wildside jar to make our smoothies and Superpops because it literally obliterates whatever you put inside it. Do you see any kale bits in the picture above? I don't either! And I promise I didn't use Photoshop to make it go away. Kale is dark green, in case you never saw it and with every other processor and blender I've tried, the kale still shows up. Not that that's a bad thing at all! I love proof of goodness, but with kids who have superhuman vision...

The best part of blending fruit is that you need to work very hard to completely mess up. There's almost always a way to remedy a nasty-tasting smoothie. I like to use a 2:1 ratio for fruits and vegetables if preparing for kids, but I've got no problem with 1:2 or 1:3 for myself . For best results, include only 1 very sweet fruit (e.g. pineapple, mango, orange, apple, banana) to prevent suger overload. Berries are fantastic because besides for all their health benefits, they are really sweet-tasting without containing much sugar.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup kale
2 cups fresh pineapple
2 cups strawberries
1 tsp probiotic powder (optional)
1-2 tsp superfood powder (optional)
1 tbsp hemp protein (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

If you're using frozen pineapple or strawberries, let them thaw for half an hour or microwave them for 1-2 minutes to soften. Blend the kale and pineapple until very fine. Add the strawberries and blend until smooth. Add the optional add-ins if using and pulse for a few seconds.

This makes about 4 cups of smoothie which you can either drink fresh (yum!) or freeze into popsicle molds for an already prepared smoothie when you don't have time to make one. We drank some at the time and then froze the rest for another day.

See more on Superpops Instagram page @eatsuperpops