Lunch today is healthy comfort food that adults and babies (from 6-7 months) would enjoy:
- Mashed potatoes with corn and peas
- Chicken mushroom meatballs made from scratch
The idea of mixing potatoes with another vegetable is not new but recently it caught my eye again when I was flipping through other mommy cooks Instagram pages. Some of my friends have been whipping their mashed with broccoli – a great idea. Today I made ours with peas and corn. Here is how to make it:
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 potatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn (organic)
A bit of milk (nut or any other kind)
Butter or olive oil
METHOD:
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 inch cubes. Place in a pot of water, add a little salt and boil until almost done. Right into that water add the peas and corn. In 4-5 minutes, strain the vegetables, and mash with some milk, butter or olive oil. I used the hand masher. If you want a very smooth consistency, you can purée it in a blender.
- 1 lb of chicken thighs (or ground chicken)
- 1 celery stalk (roughly chopped)
- ½ small onion (roughly chopped)
- 6 crimini mushrooms (or any other kind)
- 1 egg
- A sprinkle of dried oregano
- If making from scratch, place all the ingredients in a blender. Add salt & pepper (skip for babies under one). Pulse a few times until the chicken and veggies are ground. The mixture will be kind of pasty. That's good.
- Heat a pan with canola or coconut oil, form medium size meatballs with your hands and pan fry for no more than 4 minutes on each side.
- Place the meatballs in a pot with a tablespoon of water on the bottom. Close the lid. Steam for 5 minutes. .
Sometimes I buy ground chicken but most of the time I use my Vitamix blender to grind organic chicken thighs or breasts. When made completely from scratch, these meatballs outdo any homemade recipe. I’m warning you right away: make sure to prepare a large amount of side dishes so that you are not tempted to eat all of the meatballs at once. They are so good.
❗️TIP: to make these meatballs really tender, pan fry for 4 minutes on each side and then place in a pot with a tiny bit of water (tablespoon) and steam for 5 minutes. This will ensure that all the bacteria is killed and they are safe to eat for babies. Do not overcook! That’s the key.
Another❗️TIP: if you are using a blender to grind the chicken, it’s very important to clean it very well afterwards. I know, the obvious. But I want to stress this because meat fibers can get wrapped around the blade (especially underneath) and easily get stuck there and overlooked. I assume that you have just one blender, which you mainly use for raw smoothies and such. So wash it very well in a soapy water. After, rinse with BOILING water! I use an electric kettle and it takes no time.
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