What I feed my Kid when I am Stuck. For. Ideas.

I admit I am pretty lucky, Rito is a reasonable eater - but the boy gets damn picky at times. He also is not a very good meat eater, and does not appreciate all vegi's equally. I figured I would post some no fail recipes that I make when he is either being picky or what Dad! and I are eating for dinner is entirely inappropriate for a tiny digestive system. 

Mac and Cheese with hidden Vegi's

3/4 cup elbow macaroni - cooked

1 tablespoon butter 

1 to 2 ounces milk 

1/4 to 1/2 cup Velveeta cheese (depending on how you like it) - melted

1/2 cup pureed steamed butternut squash

Mix it all together. It freezes really well too, so you can have it on hand for those days you don't want to cook.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Stars with extra Vegi's

1 28oz can of tomatoes with the juice 

1 cup of carrots 

1 tablespoon butter 

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese 

1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta cooked (small pasta like stars and alphabet noodles are really easy for the kids to eat when they are little, Rito likes this on elbow macaroni now)

Melt butter in pan, add tomatoes and carrots to pan and cook at medium temperature until carrots are soft. Puree mixture and return the puree to the pan. Add the grated cheese and melt. At this point you can freeze portions of the sauces or you can freeze the sauces plus the cooked pasta. Your choice.

Baby Meatloaf

This stays really moist, so the babes can chew it easy. Rito is not the best meat eater but he likes these quite a bit, in fact I should be making him another batch! 

1lb lean ground beef

1 box stovetop stuffing (we like the cornbread one here)

Moisten the stuffing according to package directions. Add the raw ground beef  and mix very well. Portion into muffin tins for cooking at 350degrees for about 20 minutes (may take up to 35 minutes depending how you portion them out). This recipe also gives you a ton of room to add softened or pureed vegi's to it, we like adding roasted red peppers or carrots and onions. 

AppleSauce Muffins

These make a nice snack for your kid, and if you make the bite size small muffin tin size ones the adults love the "one bite" muffin effect. 

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar (1 white & 1 brown)
2 eggs
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
2 cups applesauce 

Mix all ingredients together and fill greased muffin tins or paper baking cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Batter can be stored in refrigerator and used as needed. Freezes well too. Makes 2 dozen.  NOTE: I usually make 1/4 of this recipe and it makes about 18 bite size baby muffins (those tiny muffin tins). 

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with a protein boost.

Make a regular grilled cheese sandwich, but instead of buttering the outer sides of the bread, drench it in whipped up egg (like french toast). It fires up easy and your kid will never know you are sneaking a shot of protein.

Creamy Cheese Sauce with Chicken and Broccoli

This one can be pureed as needed depending on age. 

2/3 Cup edam cheese grated

1 cup milk 

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup broccoli steamed

1/4 cup chicken cooked and minced/diced/pureed to needed texture

Melt butter in a pan, add flour. Add milk and wait to thicken into a creamy sauce. Add cheese to melt. Finally add the broccoli and chicken. If needed chop or puree to a finer consistency. Freezes great and can be added to small pasta (alphabets or stars) to make a hearty meal.