Kid-Friendly Meals: Fish Sticks!

We started a new family tradition where every Monday night will be "kids night" for dinner where we'll have a (healthier) version of kid-friendly meals. This week I decided to kick it off with a meal that is near and dear to my heart and quite far from my husband's...fish sticks. Growing up I really wouldn't eat anything except macaroni and cheese, but occasionally I would eat a fish stick.  However, my husband's experience with fish sticks ruined his taste for fish (I believe he used the phrase "I gagged" and "it tasted like Lake Erie").  So, this week it was my mission to redeem the fish stick in my husband's eyes and show him that fish really is quite good!

I am pleased to report that both C and my husband ate the fish sticks, and although he wouldn't admit it, I think my husband enjoyed them. I wanted to serve these with macaroni and cheese, but C does not like macaroni and cheese! So I served them with baked fries instead, but either would work well.

Fish Sticks
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp. salt-free seasoning (I used Trader Joe's 21 salute seasoning)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lbs white fish (like tilapia, halibut or cod), cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the flour, oil and panko crumbs in separate bowls. Mix the seasonings in with the panko crumbs.  Coat each fish stick in flour, dip into the oil and then coat with the panko/seasoning blend. Add more flour, oil and panko crumbs if needed. Place the fish sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

These will also freeze really well if you want to make them ahead of time and then save them for busy nights :)