Meatballs are such an easy food for toddlers who like to feed themselves, and you can get creative with the ingredients to give kiddo lots of variety. You can sneak veggies in them, which is good if you’ve got a fussy eater, but still handy if you’ve got a little one who doesn’t have teeth to chew up spinach.

I introduced food to both Ash and Lara with baby led weaning techniques. Ash took a few months to get the hang of eating, but Lara seemed to be a champion eater right from the start. It’s an effort to keep up with her appetite!

These meatballs are good if you’re introducing finger food to babies, they’re great for toddlers, and they’re good for adults too.

I make meatballs in big batches and freeze them, reheating a few at a time in the oven to give her for dinner or to put into her lunchbox.

You can have a few variations in the freezer so you can keep it interesting.

I made these meatballs at a time when Lara was about 8 months old, so I wasn’t adding any salt, wheat flour or egg into her food. If you had an older child or you were cooking this for an adult you could add a little salt to season it, however I found it tasted fine as is.

Also, these aren’t just for kids! They taste pretty darn good so if you’re in need of a quick dinner, use them yourself. Just make a quick tomato sauce, throw in the meatballs until they’re heated through and serve alongside some pasta, zucchini noodles, rice.

One of the tricks is to roll them small. It makes it easier for kids to handle, and it’s quicker and easier to cook. Rather than turn them over in the pan with tongs, I just give the pan a good shake every now and then, so they get cooked evenly.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Large handful pork mince (this might be about 300g)
• Small handful wombok
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 brown onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Olive oil for cooking

Method

1. Dice the onion very finely or chop in a food processor. Add this to a pan and saute gently over medium heat until softened. Scrape this into a bowl, and then add the chia seeds and a splash of water. (This helps to bind the meatballs as a replacement to egg).
2. Finely chop the wombok or shred in a food processor, then stir through the onion.
3. Add the garlic powder, sesame oil, mince and coriander to the bowl. Mix it all together well with your hands for a few minutes. The more you can work it, the better it will hold together as this breaks the proteins down. Alternatively, you can blend it in a mix master.
4. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then roll about 1 tbsp mixture at a time and add into the pan. Cook them in batches and don’t overfill the pan.

The post Toddler friendly Pork and Wombok Meatballs appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

If you struggle to get your children to eat their daily 5 serves of veggies, sometimes it can help to sneak some veggies into their meals. Why not try this recipe: Meatballs that are packed full of veggies.

A hit with kids, and adults like them too.

When it comes to serving vegetables up to toddlers, I like the approach of “hide some, show some”. This way, there is a good chance at least some vegetables will be consumed, but at the same time normalises vegetables by displaying them next to the other favourite foods. I don’t make a big song and dance about vegetables, and I also try to make sure they taste good i.e. aren’t overcooked and are well seasoned. By treating vegetables like any other food, it has helped to reduce the likelihood that Ash will realise I am emotionally invested in his eating veggies, and therefore use that against me (as toddlers are known to do). So far this has been working for me and Ash doesn’t have an aversion to vegetables. There’s a part of me that still wants to make sure I’m getting as much in as possible and I feel that I need to sneak them in to achieve this.

One of the ways I like to hide some veggies is in this variation of meatballs. It makes them a lot softer than conventional meatballs, which I think is good for young children as they can be easily broken into toddler sized mouthfuls. I then serve it in a tomato based sauce alongside some pasta, and you can add in some visible veggies such as broccoli, peas, mushroom or slices of zucchini.

If your child is exceptionally adverse to the sight of vegetables you might want to puree the vegies before mixing it in, peel the zucchini and omit the spinach.

Hidden-Veg Meatballs

Makes 3 meals worth

Ingredients

• 250g beef mince
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 handful sized chunk pumpkin
• 2 handfuls baby spinach, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Grate the carrot, pumpkin and zucchini into a bowl.
2. Add the mince, spices, flour, eggs and salt.
3. Using gloved hands, squish the ingredients altogether until it is really well combined.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add a splash of olive oil, then cook the meatballs in batches. Because they are quite soft you won’t be able to make perfectly shaped meatballs. I find it’s easier to use my hands to get a rough golf ball shape and then put it straight into the pan. Once one side of it is browned, turn it over using a wooden spoon or tongs, until all surfaces are browned and it is cooked through (approx 4 minutes).
6. Place the cooked meatballs onto paper towel to drain the excess oil whilst you cook the remaining batches.

The post Hidden-Veg Meatballs appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.