The holidays are such a wonderful time of the year and yet, they can be so crazy busy and stressful. Years ago, my family and I were in a car accident and we were incredibly lucky to still be here. So, ever since then, my priorities have shifted and I strive to fill each day with joy, fun, laughter, and love. Family time comes first above anything else! I’ve found with a little creativity it’s easy to turn an ordinary event into something special.
So, that’s what I had in mind as I headed to Sam’s Club to purchase some ingredients for an evening of family festivities with my daughter, her fiance, my nephew, his wife, and their two little ones, ages 3 and 5. I needed a food that was both kid and adult friendly – it had to taste good AND be fun! At one of the demo booths, they were sampling Tyson Chicken Nuggets. Honestly, I’ve never liked chicken nuggets before. I always found them to taste somewhat like cardboard but these were delicious! I knew I had my choice for our dinner AND they inspired me with a fun and creative idea too. You can see my full shopping experience here.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get together with the extended family for our evening of fun, sharing dinner and baking cookies. The little ones had a nasty case of the flu so we had to postpone. But, my daughter (age 24) and I are just big kids at heart so we decided to carry on with our plans! I put out an array of condiments that we like: ketchup, mayo, mustard, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, homemade tartar sauce, and my special dipping sauce made of mayo mixed with BBQ sauce. I also cut up some carrots and celery into a variety of shapes. Above, you can see my daughter getting into the swing of things with her chicken nugget snowman!
Next up was a Christmas tree made of chicken nuggets! Yes, in that first picture my daughter is purposely trying to show off her engagement ring. I put the condiments into squeeze bottles with narrower tips than the ones they usually come in – that made it a lot easier to make details like the mustard star.
Ketchup ornaments and a Ranch dressing garland add to the festive look, We had so much fun thinking up new ideas for turning our Tyson chicken nuggets into holiday treats to look at and eat. We were giggling like little kids!
One final touch of some carrot pieces for the trunk and this tree is ready for eating! What I love about the idea of “decorating” our chicken nuggets: 1) They’re quick, easy, and inexpensive to prepare. Perfect for those busy nights during the holidays or anytime! 2) We had so much fun being creative with them! 3) It turned basic healthy ingredients into something special that would likely appeal to even the pickiest of eaters.
We still have a big bag of nuggets left in the freezer and this weekend we get to go and try this out with the little ones. I just know they’ll have as much fun as we did decorating and eating their chicken nuggets! Try adding some fun to your family meal today!
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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Tyson #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions and ideas are my own!
Amber Trievel says
Great job! Love the Christmas tree idea. These turned out really good.
Kristin Wheeler (Mama Luvs Books) says
Very cute idea! I love the tree!! Nice job!