Simple and Easy Toddler Meal: Turkey Nuggets!

Being a mother of a toddler who is actively practicing her independence, I find it hard to get her the nutrition her growing little body needs. When she scrunches up her sweet little nose, looks up at me with those big brown eyes, and says, “Mama, no,” when I try to “sneak” her some veggies, I melt. You know the drill…Okay, sweetheart, you can have whatever you want…

But when we visited our pediatrician recently, and my once 80th percentile daughter had dropped to the 40th percentile for weight, I got worried. And creative.

{Enter home-made turkey nuggets!}

These are SUPER easy to make, and if your child likes Chex cereal, they might just take a juicy bite into these babies and never look back. Another positive is, if you make it like I do, they are also gluten free! These can be deep fried in oil or baked. I baked mine because it is healthier, but its up to you.

Ingredients:

For nuggets:

• 1 lb. all natural ground turkey
• 1/2 cup finely diced/pureed veggie you want to sneak in
• 1 egg
• salt, pepper, and any other seasoning you want to add

In three separate bowls:

• 1 c. gluten free all purpose flour (or regular flour if you aren’t gfree)
• 1 egg
• 1 c. crushed corn Chex cereal

Preheat your oven to 350° for baking. If you’re frying, preheat your oil in a deep pan or deep frier (360-375°). In a bowl, combine nugget ingredients (ground turkey, veggie, 1 egg, and seasonings).This is where it starts to get messy!! Squish it all up!! Mix it up!! Make sure all seasonings and veggies are mixed well into the turkey. Remember, we’re hiding the veggie! Then, making sure to have your three separate bowls of ingredients, we’ll follow a very easy process…

Form a nugget out of the turkey mixture. Size is up to you, but if you make them the size I did {see picture}, this recipe yields about 18 nuggets. If you want them smaller, you’re going to get more nuggets, so its up to you!

After forming a nugget, dip it into your flour mixture, then into the egg, then in the Chex cereal, and then place onto a baking sheet (even if you’re frying). You might want to use the “dry hand-wet hand” technique to keep things a bit more clean!! Repeat until turkey mix is gone. Place baking sheet into fridge for 15 minutes. This will help to solidify the nuggets a bit more so they stay together while cooking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or fry until cooked through and juices run clear.

If you bake them, they are going to look darker than a regular nugget will; sort of like a meatball. My sweet pea eats about three of these for a meal. All I do is pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds and they are the perfect temperature.

And voila!! Your toddler gets their protein and a veggie all in one sneaky meal!

And that makes for one happy mama. 🙂

What are some ways you get your picky toddler the foods and nutrition they need? Any tips you want to share?

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Erin is a stay-at-home mommy to her lively and talkative toddler Jael, and wife to her husband and best friend, Joseph. She is the owner of {grace-filled}, a blog and shop of handmade accessories.