Finger Food Fun: Broccoli Cheese Nuggets & Avocado Spread

Hard to believe Charlotte is 10 months old!  As you can tell by her cheeks, she’s a good eater.

We have moved beyond smooth purees and are fully into chunky mixtures and finger foods.  Charlotte loves fruit — pears and bananas are her favorites — and enjoys many veggies — especially roasted broccoli and string beans.   She has really taken to yogurt, hummus, and string cheese.  Turkey seems to be her favorite meat.   And, nothing can compare to her favorite snack food — Happy Baby Puffs!  Any flavor will do!

Angus is loving Charlotte’s growing eating repertoire as well.  He gobbles up anything that falls to the floor.  And, when her hands get messy, Charlotte offers them up to Angus for a lick.  Kind of gross, I know!  But it is heartwarming to see Charlotte and the pup forge a friendship.

Here are a couple of finger food recipes Charlotte has enjoyed.  I’ve adapted them from some similar recipes I’ve seen in cookbooks and on WholesomeBaby.com.

The first recipe is for baked veggie nuggets made with chopped broccoli, shredded cheese, and breadcrumbs.  Beaten eggs bind the mixture together.  If you haven’t introduced egg whites to your baby yet, just add some extra yolks (which is what I did).  I used a shredded cheese blend from Trader Joe’s that consists of mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses.

Charlotte loves the nuggets, and Tim and I thought they were super tasty as well!

Broccoli & Cheese Nuggets

• 16 oz. frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1.5 cups shredded cheese
• 3 eggs beaten (you can use 5 egg yolks if you have not introduced egg whites yet)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.  Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.  Roll the mixture into ball place on baking tray.  Bake for 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes.  Serve warm. Break up into appropriately sized pieces for your little one!

***

The other finger food is a spread I make with avocado, plain yogurt, and a hard-boiled egg yolk.  I spread the mixture on a piece of thinly sliced rye toast with the crusts cut off and then cut into tiny squares.  Typically I feed about half to Charlotte (so I can ensure she is actually getting some in her mouth) and then let her feed the rest to herself.  It is a little messy but Charlotte loves it and can gobble up a whole slice of bread with the avocado spread on it!

Avocado – Yogurt Spread

• Half of a ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 hard-boiled egg yolk, mashed
• 1 tablespoon of whole-milk organic plain yogurt
• 1 slice of bread, toasted

Combine the avocado, yogurt, and egg yolk.  Spread on toast.

***

I look forward to introducing Charlotte to other delicious flavors and dishes!