Chicken Fingers!

After my huge brownie accomplishment, I think I indulged a bit too much.  Which made me think about some of my other questionable choices- too many nuts, too many dried cherries.  Everyone is doing Sugar-Free Challenges, Whole30, etc, and while I don't think I can detox quite to that extent, I do think a little abstaining is in order.  No dried fruit, no treats, and less nuts (but not none, that would be almost impossible!)  I've also recently started a new job, and my schedule has changed pretty dramatically, and I'm still trying to figure out how to fit in my daily exercise.  Part of me is ok with taking a little break, things have been pretty rough lately and I just need a break.  I'm not hardcore about my workouts, but 7 days a week of anything will burn you out eventually.

Wow I got off-topic there!  Basically, what I was trying to say was that when you decide to do a little detoxing, reduce your carbs/sugar or even grain/sugar-free treats, you need to be sure you are getting an adequate amount of protein and healthy fat to curb those cravings!  I have been craving chicken fingers and french fries for awhile now, and after seeing some interesting recipes on Pinterest, I thought, I can definitely GFGify something!  And I did!  So once again folks, when sh*t gets tough, you can still get in the kitchen and make a healthy meal your whole family will love, and that always manages to put a smile on my face!

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers
1 package chicken tenders, mine was about 1.5 lbs
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, or coconut powder
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tbsp kosher salt (I wanted mine salty, so use less if you don't have a salt-tooth like me)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs
EVOO for the pan

Whisk your eggs in a small bowl.  In a large dish (I used a glass pie-dish which worked great) combine your coconut, almond flour, S&P and mix well.  You want to create a little assembly line so that you can get your chicken tenders in the egg, then dredge them in your coconut/flour mixture, and then lay them out somewhere easily accessible to the stovetop.  I laid all my chicken fingers on a large strip of wax paper.  Coat all chicken fingers well, and then heat up some oil in a large pan.  You could of course also bake these puppies but I wanted them super crisp, and also didn't have the time to wait for them to cook in the oven.  Cook about 3 minutes per side, or longer depending on how browned you want them.  I tend to like mine pretty brown and crunchy.  These chicken fingers were AWESOME!  You do not need to miss out on one of the world's best bar foods anymore.  Chicken fingers are back!  I served mine with some homemade ketchup.  Yummmm!  We also had these with some carrot fries, which I'll post about soon.

Hope everyone's new year is off to a great start, and that you are happy, healthy, and grateful!  XoXoGFG