Weeknights are hard. Sometimes it is difficult enough cooking dinner for yourself, yet alone your little one. There are so many delicious “adult” recipes that use nutritious, fresh foods that are healthy for the whole family to eat for dinner. That is what inspired me to think up or share some of my favorite easy recipes that provide adaptable ingredients to fill up your child’s plate too! You can see my recommendations for feeding products to go along with these meals by clicking HERE.
roasted chickpeas and kale bowls
This recipe was inspired by a couple others, but I did a lot of substituting with what I had on hand/what sounded good.
Here is what you need:
- olive oil
- 1c quinoa
- 2c vegetable broth
- 1 bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1c red cabbage, chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1c sour cream *can substitute with greek yogurt
- 1 tsp sugar
- Cumin
- S & P
Directions:
Place 1c of quinoa in a pot with 2c vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and put the lid on. Simmer for 15 minutes. When cooked, set aside.
Drain and wash can of chickpeas. Place chickpeas on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin & tumeric. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and chop bell pepper and kale. Put the bell pepper on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven (you can add at the end of the chickpeas or wait until they are done). Then pull out pan and add chopped kale pieces. Drizzle kale with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add back to the oven (with bell pepper still on) for another 5 minutes (*watch closely because you want kale to turn bright green, not roast too much, burn and crumble). You may want to roast bell peppers longer depending how soft you prefer them.
Wash and chop red cabbage. Place into a microwave safe bowl along with a few tablespoons of lemon juice and a tsp of sugar. Microwave about 30 seconds and stir.
In a small glass bowl mix together: 1c sour cream/greek yogurt, juice of half a lemon and a few sprinkles of cumin.
Assemble the bowls. Put the quinoa in the bottom, top with chickpeas, roasted veggies, red cabbage mixture & a few dollops of the sour cream topping.
For baby: I mixed the sour cream topping with the quinoa then served the roasted chickpeas and vegetables separately, chopped. The only thing I did not serve the red cabbage because it was too tender for my son to chew at this time, but if you have an older eater definitely add to the mix!
roasted cauliflower and garlic pizza
This delicious recipe is from one of my favorite foodie blogs: “Foxes Love Lemons”. You can find it by clicking HERE. For my son’s plate I used the roasted cauliflower (small pieces), diced up some of the Roma tomatoes & about 1 tbsp of the cream cheese. If you have a more adventurous eater, they could try some of the chopped chives with the cream cheese also!
meatless taco salad
My husband and I try to eat mostly vegetarian during the week. We both love Mexican food so I tried out this meatless taco salad using brown lentils in place of ground beef and it was delicious! The recipe didn’t call for black beans but I added a can to the lentil mixture for added protein. For my son’s plate we used the avocado (mashed), cherry tomatoes (diced), lentil mixture with black beans (topped with plain tomato sauce I had leftover from another night) & shredded cheese.
minestrone soup
A perfect winter meal! This soup is FULL of vegetables, so it is also very nutritious for your little one! It can be made into a puree or chopped up into small pieces for a baby that is used to “chunky” foods. My son does well with chewing (even without teeth) so he is able to eat small pieces. I chopped up: tomatoes, noodles, green beans, kidney beans & carrots. I left out the celery, onions & garlic to try and avoid stomach upset/hard to chew foods. This soup is also a great way to introduce your little one to new flavors and spices! The recipe made enough soup for days so I was able to prep some lunches for my husband & I as well as stick some in the freezer.
beef stew
This is my son’s FAVORITE! My mom makes a batch for him without the onion/few spices and then I puree it for him and freeze in a food storage tray for future meals. If you are okay with your little one having the spices then you can take right from your batch and feed the whole family!
