Winner winner, chicken dinner - kids' meal inspiration

Kids meals.  Dinnertime.  It's really hard sometimes to branch out with kids and their evening meals.  Partly because kids tastes change almost as frequently as their favourite toys, partly because at dinnertime they're getting tired, and partly because let's face it - it's 5 pm and being creative just ain't top of the pops at that time of day.  I make our kids some wicked lunches - they look awesome, they're full of craftily disguised vegetables and the kids devour them.  Evening meals, not so much - it's usually a variation on a well-used theme.  Something they'll enjoy, which is vege-full, and not tooooo messy.  But every now and again you see something that inspires, a recipe or a photo and you think - hmmm, I could totally whip that up and I think the kids would be into it.  The rainbow pizza recently was one such inspiration.  Flicking through some recipes on Nadia Lim's Food Bag website yesterday put forth another one - and this is one which the whole family would enjoy, so whether you have littlies eating at 5, or a whole whanau sitting down a little later, this is a winner (and yes, it is a chicken dinner!).  Maple-drizzled kumara and orange salad with crumbed chicken and lemon mayo, yummmmmmm.  (NB: Photo came from website - I forgot to take one.  But mine totally looked as awesome as that).  

1 medium kumara (about two fists side by side)

maple syrup (real stuff, if you have it)

1/2 head broccoli

1 orange

1/2 telegraph cucumber

1/2 baby cos lettuce (or similar - baby spinach)

1 lemon 

olive oil

500 g chicken breasts

2 tbsp cornflour (or normal flour)

1 egg

panko crumbs (mix crushed cornflakes through, if you have them, for added crunch.  I didn't have any though and plain panko was absolutely crunchy enough)

1/4 cup thick mayo (Pams American or Best Foods are good options)

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius (fan bake).  
2. Cut kumara into roughly cm chunks and place in roasting dish/baking tray.  Drizzle with syrup and roast for about 20 minutes - toss and turn them once, to ensure even cooking.  
3. While kumara is cooking steam broccoli florets and prepare the rest of the salad - orange and cucumber cut into chunks, lettuce into large shreds.  Once kumara is cooked toss together with a juice of half a lemon and a little olive oil.  
4. Cut chicken into tender-sized strips (or into smaller chunks, if you'd prefer more nugget-style).  Dredge through flour, dunk in egg and then coat with panko.  
5. Cook chicken in batches, in hot butter or oil, for 2-3 minutes on each side.  
6. Mix juice of other half lemon with mayo.  Serve chicken alongside salad with lemon mayo dipping sauce.  Easy!!!