Iron-Rich Green Frittata – Baby-Friendly!

Finally, I have Isabella demolishing greens! While I absolutely LOVE my greens,  Isabella isn't such a fan of them from a spoon but give her a broccoli floret and she'll happily chew away on it before it falls from her hand or gets pushed off the high chair onto the floor  (or ground!) where the pooch is a happily waiting recipient of whatever is left of it.

Given Isabella loves eggs, like looooves them, I set about coming up with a delicious and nutritious way for her to enjoy more greens amongst her favourite foods while being able to fed herself. Cue the iron rich green frittata with meat. Yes you read correctly, meat! Iron-rich meats such as beef, lamb, liver and venison are all great first foods for little ones starting solids as they need more iron than what breastmilk and formula can provide for optimal development. Of course, offering it to them in an appropriate form is important. Thankfully Isabella loves feeding herself pieces of leftover roast lamb when we have it on hand but I have discovered a cheeky wee way to add iron-rich foods to simple meals such as frittatas and other vegetable-based recipes. Grate it in frozen before cooking. Anytime I can add vegetables and iron to meals that Isabella loves eating is a win in my books!

There's really no need for a recipe because all I did was whisk 1/2 cup pureed steamed greens with 4 eggs, about 2 Tbspns of grated raw frozen venison steak because the husband loves hunting and we have loads! I also added about 1 Tbspn of grated cheese - Parmesan in fact and then I cooked it in a teeny tiny amount of coconut oil to stop it sticking but you could make mini frittatas and cook them without any added oil in silicone muffin moulds if you prefer. You could substitute the venison for frozen beef, lamb or liver and then simply place the leftover meat back in the freezer in a labelled zip-lock bag for future use in baby-friendly meals. But just in case, I have popped what I did below...I hope your babies enjoy it as much as Isabella! 

Ps: She ate two wedges alongside a peeled, boiled potato and then slept like a dream for two hours over lunch so here's hoping it's a magical wee sleep fairy for ever after!

Iron-Rich Green Frittata

• 1/2 cup steamed, pureed greens (I used spinach, peas and peeled courgette)

• 4 free-range eggs 

• About 2 Tbspn raw frozen meat (beef, lamb, venison, liver), finely grated

• 1 Tbspn cheese, finely grated 

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 180'C

2. Heat a small pan over a medium heat and add JUST enough olive or coconut oil to prevent the omelette sticking to the pan (or use silicone mould as described above)

3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, greens, meat and cheese (I used a microplane grater that I would normally grate ginger with to ensure the meat and cheese were grated finely)

4. Pour the mixture into the pan and let it cook 5-10mins until set on the bottom

5. Transfer to the oven until it is completely cooked through

6. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely

7. Cut into appropriate sized pieces for your baby or toddler

NB: It makes enough to last more than a few days and you could freeze any leftovers if need be for a future busy day!