Kenya has had an unusual transition from purees to solids. Sometimes he only wants solids to feed himself and other times he only wants purees for me to feed him. This recipe is for one of the first solid foods I fed him and he loved it. It was especially fun for him to feed himself the tiny pieces of vegetables, grains and meat (delicious and good for fine motor skills!). This is also a great dish because it contains a vegetable, protein and several grains.
As I’ve written time and time again, I’m a huge fan of Trader Joes when it comes to food shopping. The prices are usually lower than most stores, they carry a huge array of organic products and items that are very kid friendly. The Harvest Grains I use here are healthful, fast and easy to cook. Sometimes I cook them longer then the package calls for so the grains stick together. Kenya really likes to take a handful when he feeds himself. He always looks at me like he’s so proud to be part of the process.
Mediterranean Medley
Ingredients
- 1 Tsp olive oil
- 1/4 pound ground organic meat
- 1/4 Cup zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 Cup tomato, chopped
- 1/2 Tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Harvest Grains (a mix of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo
- beans and red quinoa from Trader Joes), cooked per the instructions on
- the package
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the ground meat and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetables and thyme and cook for 3 more minutes or until
- all the ingredients are fork tender and the meat is cooked through.
- Mix the meat and vegetable mixture with the grains.
- Cool and serve.
- *Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.
The first time I made this, I just used couscous and it was delicious. Then I made it to Trader Joes and got the harvest grains medley – and it was beyond fantastic. Thanks for highlighting this amazingly versatile grain blend – it’s now one of our go-tos for all kinds of side dishes!
Whats good to use instead of harvest grains from Trader Joes?
Just found this recipe and love the idea of it. However, my “baby” is not such a baby anymore and I was wondering how you might spice this up a bit for a toddler?