Carrots Are Orange

As you know we are in a transition in my household. Purees are a thing of the past and now we’re onto the big stuff. Well, the problem is my little guy is a texture eater and it is tough to find something he will keep in his mouth. He explores exploring his food, which I like and accept, so finding foods that 1) aren’t as messy (cottage cheese instead of yogurt, for example) and 2) end up in his mouth instead of the floor is important.

Thank goodness for Weelicious where I found two finger foods that saved the day in my household.  I am not going to recreate the recipes so below are the links with a few comments.

Carrot Sticks
Catherine McCord of Weelicious calls these “snack sticks” but lately I have been giving them to my little guy throughout the entire day. He cannot get enough of them.

A few points:

1) Make sure you very finely shred the carrots. I had to make this recipe more than once shall we say because I didn’t finely shred the carrots enough. The water from being finely shredded helps bind the dough. Otherwise you will get super crumbly dough. Once I did this fine shredding properly, I didn’t have to work the dough very long at all. I didn’t need to add extra oil, water or anything. In my experience it was all about very finely shredding the carrots. I used a microplane to do so.

<—See these shredded carrots in the photo to the left? That is the incorrect way to shred. I am not sure what I was thinking – way too “not finely shredded” and of course the dough was not going to take.

2) Carrots are a great vegetable for kiddos but go ahead and try these snack sticks with other vegetables. Zucchini, broccoli (which I imagine you’d have to use a puree instead of “shredding”), etc. We’re going to try out broccoli today. I will let you know how it goes.

3) The parmesan is a great addition. I am betting you could add garlic and your kiddos (and you and your partner!) would love them just as much!

Below are the steps in the process.

Kneading the dough wasn’t actually too hard. It only took a few minutes.

If you don’t own a Silpat, go buy one. They rule the school.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or so.

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Potato Tots
Potato Tots are the healthy version of ‘Tater Tots and, man, are they good. Like the Carrot Snack Sticks, the Potato Tots are ridiculously easy and good for a snack or addition to a “dinner” for your little one.  My only comment on the Potato Tots is that I had to cook them for a bit longer – about 10 minutes longer – than Catherine outlines in her recipe.  It seems everyone’s oven’s bake differently so just keep an eye on the Tots and make sure they are to your liking and not burnt!

Three separate bowls!

I used a microplane to grate my potatoes but you could do it in a variety of ways.

Make a ball with the grated potato.

Roll in the flour.

Dip in the egg.

Then finally the breadcrumbs!

I ended up baking my Potato Tots a bit longer than stated in the recipe.

Both these finger foods are easy for traveling too whether you are going about town, on a picnic or on a plane. I am relieved that my little man loves them so. Now only finding iron foods he will eat…a mother’s job is never done!

Happy Eating!

Marnie