Day 3
Saturday night I was brainstorming on what to try and make for the boys on Sunday. Whatever I make, I try to get as much nutrients into the smallest package possible because I know there is a good chance they are going to eat a couple bites at most on some days. Oh ok. Let's be honest here. They are going to eat a couple bites at most on MOST days.
Time and again, I keep returning to eggs. Eggs are nutrional powerhouses, rich in folate, B12, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. My track record with the boys and eggs has been spotty, at best. Even before Max began eating, Rowan would eat and then reject omelettes and frittatas so fast it could make your head spin.
I keep returning to them, though, because they are a great medium for getting veggies into unsuspecting toddlers. There's also the fact that they are easy!
Coming off of my 2 day green smoothie detox fast, I was feeling pretty badly and easy was what I was looking for. I decided to try something slightly different and ended up with mini-frittatas made in mini-muffin molds. I've done something like this before as a brunch finger food, but it was years ago. I thought the round shape and the fact that they are just the right size for little hands would be enticing.
Here's what I ended up with:
Cheddar-Mini Frittatas
3 large eggs (I used omega-3 enriched)
3 tbsp organic, unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp flaxseed oil
1/4 cup finely diced zucchini (any finely diced veggie will work fine. Zucchini was what I had.)
2 sundried tomatoes, finely diced (use dried, not packed in oil or water)
2 tbsp finely diced walla walla sweet onions
2-3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan (I use a microplane)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Dash fresh ground black pepper
Thinly sliced cheddar cheese cut in squares (to top)
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Preheat oven to 375
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Grease, butter or spray a mini-muffin tin
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Wisk together the eggs, flaxseed oil and milk
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Add remaining ingredients through pepper
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Spoon mixture into muffin tins (I filled 12)
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Bake for 9 minutes and remove pan. Lay cheddar squares over tops of frittatas.
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Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until eggs are completely set and cheese is bubbling
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Loosen edges if needed with a knife and remove from the tins.
My Notes:
Next time I do this, I'll fill the containers half-way at the most. On most of them, I filled them almost to the top and when they baked they rose up quite a bit above the tin. One of them I filled only half-way and the result was a small and manageable frittata, which was really what I was looking for. I would probably reduce the cooking time by a minute or two if I did this.
Results:
Moose tried them and liked them, though whether he would actually eat them as a breakfast, who can really say? Rowan ate two of them in one shot and two more throughout the day. Yey for Rowan!
Max rejected them completely. And I mean, touched them once and then would not touch them again, would not even look at them...even cried at one point when I tried to give him one. I tried various times throughout the day to no avail.
Back to the drawing board.
