Toddler Meal Ideas

I have been thinking about doing a weekly/biweekly post with toddler meal ideas for friends of mine that have toddlers or little ones that will soon be toddlers. You should know, I try very hard to feed Bennett food that is wholesome, yummy and packed with nutrients. It is very important to me that my child get everything he needs during the day to make him healthy and strong because he cannot do this himself. If Bennett were allowed to pick his foods, I can guarantee he would eat Birthday cake all day long!
I have this theory/thought process that really presses on me daily, and that is: Bennett doesnt have the ability to make the right decisions when it comes to healthy eating, so its my job to make sure that he eat as healthy as possible. Now, that doesnt mean that I dont allow him to have a bite of apple crisp or a taste of ice cream every once in a while, but its always in moderation. Only Kyle and I have the ability to give Bennett a head start in life when it comes to eating healthy and making the right food choices for his growing body. I have made a point to make sure that our families know that I do not want our son having candy, cake, cookies, ect. on a regular basis, and I do not want him having pop at all! Our niece and nephew drink pop all the time and it drives me crazy! Not only is it not healthy for them, but it sets them up to have a preference for a drink with no nutritional value and empty calories!
Anywho, here is my toddler meal recipe for the week: Ham and Spinach Mini Frittatas. The great thing about these little guys is that you can personalize them any way you wish! We put ham, green onions and cheese in Bennetts and he eats them up! They can also be refrigerated for up to a week, so they are awesome to make a week in advance and you have a quick and healthy staple food that you can serve with some fruit and a quarter slice of whole wheat toast for a yummy and healthy breakfast that will get your little one started off right for the day! 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

Per piece (40): Calories: 22; Total Fat: 1.5 grams; Saturated Fat: 0.5 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Total carbohydrates: 0.5 grams; Sugar: 0 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Cholesterol: 44 milligrams; Sodium: 68 milligrams

***Side Note***
You do not have to stick to the recipe specifically. For example, I basically picked up eggs, cheese, frozen spinach, ham and green onions from the store, thawed the spinach, cut up the ham and then placed some of the ham, some of the onions and some cheese in a greased mini muffin tin, then poured the seasoned eggs on top of them. I only used 4 eggs, omitted the milk and it made 12 mini frittatas.

Recipe found at foodnetwork.com