Toddler Food Tuesday – Ham,Cheese & Vegetable Muffins

This week i am continuing with the muffin theme as they are proving so popular with the toddler twosome!

Rather than hiding vegetables in a sweeter muffin though, this time i tried a savoury type muffin. And i have to say i was really surprised with how much the girls seemed to like these. I have tried a few different versions of this sort of muffin over the last 6 months but have had no luck tempting them (although they went down nicely in Miss Teen's lunchbox!) This time i added more cheese and also threw in some finely diced ham to add a little texture.

What i like about them is that they work for dinner as well as lunch time. For dinner i served them warm with some of my Extra Crunchy Potato Wedges  and chopped salad (although sadly they still won't touch salad food unless it is carrot fingers!)

They freeze well in a ziplock bag and i just defrost them in the microwave…great for those nights when you just don't have the energy for another frustrating toddler meal. I figure at least they have some vegies and protein in them so i don't need to worry to much!

They are very quick and easy to make…I'd love to know if you give them a try!

The recipe is very simple…I'm sure there are many versions of these sort of muffins but you are really just using a basic muffin batter and throwing in what you think your toddler might eat! There is no need to use ham…you could try some diced chicken or leave meat out altogether. I decided to add the ham as it is a recent addition to Ruby's limited meat diet and although not an ideal meat….i have to keep taking those baby steps to get around her sensory aversions. I have to start with what she will touch and taste.

As usual i tend not to follow recipes…preferring to mix and match from ones i have used over the years so i often don't use any sort of exact measurements…however i have tried my best to write it out for you and come up with some measurements! I promise they will work….if however you feel the mixture is too runny…just add more flour…it should make quite a thick batter.

HAM, CHEESE & HIDDEN VEGETABLE MUFFINS

You'll Need….

• 1/4 Cup grated zucchini
• 1/4 Cup grated carrot
• 1/4 Cup grated sweet potato
• 1/4 Cup grated pumpkin
• 2 slices of finely diced ham (or any diced meat your toddler will eat!)
• 1 Cup grated tasty cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 2 1/2 Cups Self raising flour 
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1/3 Cup vegetable oil (or your preference)
• 1 Egg beaten

You can really mix this recipe around to suit your own toddler's tastes…some corn would go nicely…unfortunately my two won't eat it yet. The pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato lend a sweet taste to the mix but you could really use just about any grated vegetable! You could also substitute the grated vegies for pureed and just add a little more flour.

I hope you have some success with them…..if you are looking for a sweet muffin idea for snack time you might like to have a look at last week's recipe……

Warm Wishes…