Turkey Meatloaf- Trial and Error

Well, it seems both Sabrina and I now have independent eaters. I completely agree in that it is hard to find ways to incorporate the necessary nutrients when you have to make it in a form that they can pick up with their little fingers!

I scoured my favorite websites and books, and decided to try wholesomebabyfood.com's recipe for Apple Turkey Meatloaf. Olivia has loved sauteed ground turkey so I thought this wasn't a far stretch. 

Apple Turkey Loaf/Sticks 

 

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten 
1/2 cup pureed carrots
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup unprocessed natural wheat or oat bran (I used baby oatmeal)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
pinch of basil (I didn't use*)
pinch of garlic powder (I didn't use*)

*but maybe should have, since it was so bland

 

Directions:

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. 
Add the egg/yolk, carrots, applesauce, spices, bread crumbs and bran.
Mix well - If this mixture appears too dry, add more carrots or applesauce. If this mixture appears too wet, add more bran and/or bread crumbs

Place mix into a lightly oiled (olive oil) loaf pan and bake at 350F for approx. 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. **You may wish to cover with foil to prevent the top from burning

When finished baking and cooled, remove loaf from pan and slice as you would for bread. Break into small bits for finger feeding or Mash or chop gently

This recipe may also be made into "Turkey Sticks" for Toddlers and older babies who are able to handle more textured/chunky finger foods.

 

Ok, first things first, I do not recommend adding any more veggies or fruit even if it does seem dry, because then it is too moist. I ended up dumping out about a 1/2 cup of water halfway through the baking. And even then, it was still really squishy and thus not great for little fingers. 

I tried feeding it to her on a fork and letting her eat it herself. Every bite came right back out with a shake of the head. (Shaking 'no' is her new thing!) So then I tried adding cheese to it, as that usually gets her to eat just about anything. She didn't buy it. So I'm all sad since I made this big meatloaf and no one is going to eat it. Yes, I tried it, and it is really bland..... so I'm not eating it either!

I cut it up and froze it, and thought we would try again another time.

So I reproached it today at lunch. I made her some macaroni noodles and shredded cheese, and mushed up some of the meatloaf into it. She bought it! She ate quite a good helping and didn't spit any out! 

Needless to say, it was an experiment and I will keep trying different ways to hide it from her!

 

Edamame, Carrots & Cauliflower

I wanted to introduce edamame, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I didn’t want to just give it to him plain just yet, so I thought some carrots would accompany it well. I used frozen, shelled edamame that I thawed in the microwave and fresh steamed carrots. I hand chopped them into fine pieces. I gave Drew one bite; hmmm, no. Tried a second bite; hmmm, still no. So, I thawed out one of my dressed up cauliflower cubes and mixed it in. That did it; Drew was good to go after that! Just goes to show that cooking for your baby is mostly trial & error and experimentation.

Alternative uses for baby food...

So before I knew about the nitrates or whatever in carrots, I had made a big batch and used the reserved cooking water in them. Once I read that was a no-no, I decided to figure out a way to use them in our food (not Olivia's) so as not to waste it. 

My husband is not a huge veggie eater, so I thought I would try to sneak it in some of his food! Here was tonight's spaghetti sauce right after I threw 6 cubes of carrots in it! He never even knew, and I'm not telling!

We're Like Peas and Carrots

Awww, reminds me of Forrest Gump!

DD and I made peas and carrots on Thursday. As always, I used organics, and the peas were frozen, and the carrots were fresh. Who wants to shell peas anyways! It was super easy with my steamer/blender (see below). All I did was steam, and blend. I did use the reserved cooking liquid to thin them down, and plan on using breastmilk or water to thin it further, if need be, when it's time for Olivia to eat them.

The most interesting thing about this time was the comparison I did. I had some "canned" baby food leftover from a game at my baby shower. Now I am not bashing prepared baby food. I am sure that is what I ate, and lots of other babies are perfectly fine with it. But when I made the peas and carrots this time, I dug out those jars and actually tasted them both. The difference is amazing. The taste is completly different and the color is sooooo much brighter with the fresh food.

I am using the Fresh Baby freezer trays. BPA free, and they come with lids. Sounds good to me. They have been easy to use. I just freeze things in them, and then transfer them to freezer bags later.

Oh yeah, and Olivia didn't try any of the food yet. I plan on introducing them in a couple more weeks. She is still on the cereal, and is only just starting to get more interested in it. Since the sweet potatoes were a big FAIL, I decided to wait a bit longer for other "food".