Baby & Toddler Meals

• Toddler & Baby Meals, Part 2 - February 1, 2016

I never imagined how much time and energy feeding a baby/todler would require.  My daughter’s next meal is always on my mind: What should I make?  Will she eat it?  Is it balanced?  Do I need to go back to the grocery store?  And I know a lot of other mothers feel the same was.  I’d love it if T ate everything that my husband and I eat, but unfortunately, she isn’t there yet, so her meals often involve preparing something separate.

Here are my two go-to meals that my daughter loves, but are also nutritionally balanced and make extra so that I can freeze the reserves.

 

Cecily’s Bolognese

My sister gave me this recipe and T LOVES it.  When she was a baby, I spooned it to her and then she started using her hands to feed herself (very messy), and now she is on to using a spoon (sort of).  This dish is really standing the test of time.  And, sometimes, my husband and I will eat it for dinner too (minus the immersion blending…)

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lbs 85% lean ground beef
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes in sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 med onion
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

*optional to add in 1/2 a cup of lacinato kale

P.S. I often double this recipe.

DIRECTIONS:

– Sweat the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery together.  Add in the meat and brown.  Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste.  Simmer for 15-20 min, stirring.  Remove bay leaf.  Roughly purée with immersion blender.

 

* I serve with alphabet pasta (I buy at Whole Foods).

* Now that T is older, I add parmesan cheese on top.  I waited until she was older, due to the salt content.

* I freeze single size portions in this.

 

Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties

There are so many variations you can make with these patties and all of the combinations I have tried turned out; I’ve subbed baked chicken for the quinoa, added shredded carrots – you can’t go wrong. Instead of frying them, I have also tried baking them, but I don’t find them nearly as good.  These are also very portable, which is perfect when you need a meal and are on the run.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large sweet potato – skins removed
• 1 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup cooked broccoli – then chop
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme (more to garnish)
• dash of sea salt/pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed

 

DIRECTIONS:

–  Prepare quinoa according to package instructions (I let the quinoa sprout first.  See here.)

– Preheat oven to 400 degrees, rub sweet potato with olive oil and pierce with fork.  Bake for 45 minutes or until soft.  In a large bowl, mash with a fork to remove all chunks.

– Add all other ingredients except for the olive oil, and combine well.

–  Form mixture into balls golf ball sized, flatten into a patty.  Cook in olive oil or grape seed oil.  Brown on both sides.  Remove and let drain on paper-towel lined plate.  Transfer to non-stick coated foil sheet for 15 minutes at 350.

 

*I serve topped with sour cream, which my daughter also loves.

*These freeze well.

 

Here is another take on the patties I found on Baby Led Weaning Ideas:

 

Zucchini Patties

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS:

– Grate zucchini until you get 1 cup’s worth

– In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the oil

– Heat some oil in a pan on medium-low heat

– Scoop the mixture into the hot pan

– Fry in olive oil until golden brown