Recently I was talking about food (as I often do, no surpise there…) with a friend of mine who is a full-time working mom. She loves good food, she said, and strives to feed her family healthfully whenever possible. But after working a long day and walking through the door at six o’clock, it kills her to spend yet another hour on her feet cooking dinner for the family. The question arises: how can wholesome, gluten-free meals make it to the table in just a few minutes?

Fast, family-friendly weeknight meals are a hot topic with just about every mom you’ll meet. My friend is a perfect example. As much as she plans ahead, cooks on the weekends, or freezes meals, the “what’s for dinner” question still comes calling several nights a week.

Today’s recipe for Chicken Strips with Maple-Mustard Dipper is a great option for healthy fast food that anyone—working mom or not—can get on the table in about half an hour. While the chicken strips are baking, you’ll have time to whisk up the dipping sauce and throw together a quick side salad or steamed veggie.

Because the sauce blends sweetness from the maple syrup together with savory qualities from the mustard, it really offers a nice flavor twist on regular old chicken tenders. Any leftover dipping sauce also makes a tasty dressing for salads.

So what are your favorite quick weeknight meals? Do you have any time-saving tips for the rest of us? Please share in the comments!

Chicken Strips with Maple-Mustard Dipper

Serves 4

Look for sugar-free, gluten-free Dijon mustard at your grocery store or co-op. I use OrganicVille Dijon Mustard, which is both unsweetened and gluten-free.

For the chicken strips:

1-1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. all-purpose seasoning or poultry seasoning

¼ tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 For the dipping sauce:

½ cup Dijon mustard (see head notes)

¼ cup dark maple syrup

¼ cup olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together chicken strips with olive oil and seasonings. Arrange strips in an even layer on sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the dipping sauce. Serve sauce with chicken strips.

The blogosphere is filled with wholesome weeknight meal ideas. Here are just a few that made my mouth water!

• Quinoa Salmon Burgers from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
• Easy Oven Omelet from The Spunky Coconut
• Blender Black Bean Soup from Simply…Gluten Free
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore from Gluten Free Homemaker

For more flavorful, seasonal recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Some Big News…

I’ve got some exciting news to share! Over the past few weeks, Daily Bites has been going through an “undercover makeover.” The big reveal of the new site—complete with a recipe archive page and links to resources—will happen soon…keep your eyes peeled! If you don’t see posts quite as regularly over the next week or two, please don’t be surprised. I’m simply working out the kinks of the new site and will be back with you as quick as I can!