Boost Your “Baby Bread Eater’s” Nutrient Intake Easily!
Currently, Joey would much rather feed himself than allow anyone to spoon-feed him. Because of this, his food choices are rather limited at times. He isn’t yet able to feed himself from a spoon, so choices like purees, yogurt, and cooked grains like oatmeal are out. He does a great job picking up foods, but anything sticky, slimmy, or mushy seems to end up on his body rather than in his mouth.
He loves soft bread, mostly because of its texture, and how easy it is for him to pick it up and feed it to himself. However, as a dietitian, I get concerned that he may want to fill up on bread, and only bread, and miss out on vital nutrients such as antioxidants and protein. So what better solution than a muffin that’s packed full of protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and even vegetables? And a muffin that both Joey and my husband love?! It’s a win-win!
I love Daisy Brand cottage cheese (full disclosure- I am also a member of the Daisy brand Health Network) and Joey loves it too. But again, it’s one of those foods he has to be spoon-fed, so some days he will eat a full bowl, and other days he refuses because he can’t feed it to himself. Daisy, however, has this great recipe for Cheesy Cottage Cheese and Flax Muffins with Chives.
With just a few tiny adjustments, it makes the perfect finger food for Joey and gives him a great source of protein, whole grains, and veggies J He even loves to help make them!
My adaptive version for little fingers:
- 2/3 cup Daisy 4% Cottage Cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup egg substitute
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican 4 cheeses
- 3/4 cup sliced carrots, cooked, and pureed in a food processor (you can substitute this with any vegetable you may like, for instance we’ve also made it with pureed spinach)
Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, Pecorino-Romano, flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, egg substitute, and water. Mix until well combined. Then gently stir in the shredded cheese and chives. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray, or spray foil muffin cups. Divide the batter between eight muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned on the top and set. Let cool to room temperature and serve in bite sized pieces to your favorite little one 🙂
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