what's in E's plate? - quinoa cakes

does this sound familiar? you read a recipe and you just think, 'sounds delicious... if only my toddler would eat this. it would avoid making two...three...four different meals.' honestly, there are tons of things we said we would do when we became parents and we've changed our minds on but making different meals for everyone just isn't something i want to compromise on. we find ways to make our meal 'baby-friendly' as much as possible.

here is a simple one. quinoa cakes. add any type of veggie. make a funky mayo/sauce to accompany. and arm yourself with patience. some kids might jump on this like it's the last toy on earth... others might play around with it. E was somewhere in between. we made ours with broccoli and kale knowing she LOVES broccoli and sort of eats kale, depending on how it's made. oh! and we added cheese cause come on... who doesn't love cheese? (sorry vegans...)


ima be honest... i'm not a recipe giver/sharer/followers. i'm really bad with doing things exactly as i should. i have no clue what the proportions are but here are the ingredients:

• quinoa - if you have some left over the fridge... perfect! about 2 cups should give 6 medium-sized patties.
• cheese - we did sharp cheddar cause it has an interesting taste and is good for melting, but you could also do feta or gouda or mozarella... possibilties are endless.
• breadcrumbs - we did regular but you can do seasoned if you want.
• eggs - for about 2 cups of quinoa, we did 3 eggs.
• veggies - now is the time to hide shit: spinach, tiny bits of broccoli, kale, carrots, zuchinni, mushrooms, corn, lentils... go nuts! 
• season to taste - i added cumin cause it's my favorite spice nowadays but go with what you like.

i sauteed the veggies and literally just shoved everything in a bowl. you're best to wait for the veggies to cool off a tad so they don't cook the eggs but other than that, just go for it. mix and let sit while you preheat your oven at about 350-375 degrees. line a pyrex dish with some parchement paper - it will avoid sticking. you can also fry these but we rather the less fatty version since we like to serve it with some curry mayo (literally just curry added to mayo). 

here is E's plate - one patty cut up into quarters served with cold cucumber and roasted carrots. it took a few dozen minutes to convince her to eat it, i'm not going to lie... but once she tasted it, she was sold and even let out a little "mmmmm". BOOM! cue the victory dance. 

it was DE-LIC-IOUS. 

note: curry mayo makes everything taste better. everything. 

what's in E's plate?

my husband is vegetarian. i'm not. he was brought up that way. i wasn't. he asked that our children be, too. he had good arguments and well, given the amount of decisions he had taken thus far, i gave him this one. beyond protein intake and iron consumption, my main goal with my children and food was to not have picky eaters.

our table rules are simple:
- sit properly at the table.
- it's ok if you want to use your hands.
- sing at the table if you feel inclined as long as you keep eating.
- we understand if it gets messy. (enter gypsy, the dog/floor cleaner.)
- always try everything atleast once.
- never force anyone to eat anything. (we don't want tears/drama.)


so far, so good... we've managed to get our 2-year old to eat and try (and love!) just about everything we've ever put in front of her: green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, quinoa, strong cheeses, spinach, omelettes, mushrooms, eggplant, lentils, hummus, squash, quiche, onions, eggs cooked any way you can think of... some of her favorite things are olives and avocados!

i know, i know... we don't always have time. we don't always have inspiration. we don't always have the energy. as much as i can't stand me a child who only eats canned pasta, sometimes we do a simple mac'n'cheese (with a little butternut squash puree hidden in the mix...sshhhh!!! good for E's belly and mommy's conscious!) cause i just don't feel like going all out.

here is another example of easy yet healthy pasta:

whole wheat pasta with a homemade sundried tomato pesto and sauteed zuchinni.

side salad of tomato and cucumber

(dessert: yogurt with maple syrup or homemade fruit jam.)

sounds complicated but frankly, i whipped this up minutes before she sat down. cooking can be simple if you allow it. have fun with it, try new things. i've found that pinterest has been an amazing tool for finding ideas - you have a few awkward ingredients here and there (the day before groceries is always awkward), type in what you have in the search toolbar and BOOM! it has yet to fail me... i'm writing this as i make a super simple sweet potato-cauliflower soup, oven-baked "fried" pickles and a veggie risotto. (YES, all those at once...and all three were found on pinterest!)

bon appétit!

stay tuned for another "what's in E's plate?" coming next week...