This is a recipe for a side dish for toddlers. This one ends up sort of casserole-style and is able to be cut in to squares to put in your containers for weekly lunches or dinners!

I don’t use potatoes often in their diets, but they ARE a good source of nutrients! Yes, they’re a carb, but they are a great source of energy, they promote brain development, provide a healthy amount of Vitamin C (strong bones!), and are a great source of fiber!

You CAN replace the potatoes (or add to them!) with SWEET POTATOES, but they make my kids gassy + belly ache! Sweet potatoes are good for potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C, though.

INGREDIENTS

So, here are the ingredients that I use (but you could definitely tweak it in a lot of ways to get the nutrients that you’re looking for):

• Dairy:
  • 1 egg
  • 2 T milk
  • 4 T organic, grass-fed, butter
• Vegetables:
  • 3 whole potatoes
  • Overflowing cup full of baby carrots
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic (or 1 chopped clove; or 1/8 tsp. powdered)*
  • 1 T chopped parsley
  • (substitutes: see below)*
• Topping:
  • 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs (I like the Gia Russa brand, or you can home-make!)

*Substitutes: don’t add MORE but you could SUBSTITUTE some of the veggies for others, just try to substitute about the same amount & it should be A-OK! Other ingredients that I sometimes substitute are: sweet potatoes, kidney beans, green beans, peas, red/orange/yellow lintels, and black eyed peas.

*The garlic isn’t required for this recipe, but it makes it taste a lot better and garlic has endless benefits for us!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Find a 9×13 dish.
3. Steam your starches + veggies
   1. My steamer that I use on my stove was too small for all the ingredients, so I did the carrots separately.
   2. You can also steam foods in the microwave by putting chunks in a large mixing bowl with 2-4 T water, then cover with plastic wrap and cook for 10 minutes.
   3. 

      
4. While the veggies are steaming, mix together the cheeses & breadcrumbs in a separate, small bowl.
5. Drain & pour directly in to your pan (or you can use a large mixing bowl if you want to use the beaters!)

   1. 

6. Mash it all up
   1. Depending on how soft your vegetables are, you can mash it with a spatula – or you might need to potato masher, a blender, or a food processor. I keep mine pretty chunky – it’s all very soft, so it doesn’t make much difference, unless your kids maybe just don’t want to see the orange & green. If you mix it in the food processor or blender it would all look consistent.

   2. 

7. Evenly spread the breadcrumb mixture on top.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes!

SERVINGS + NUTRITION

This made 12 servings for me, so I think that would be about 2 servings of veggies and 1/2 serving of dairy, for a toddler. There isn’t really enough egg to count for protein or enough breadcrumbs to count for grain.

I put this one one side of my meal-prep-container and fill the other side with a protein, like baked chicken nuggets.