Starting Meat

[colenliam]

I want to start ds on eating meat/protein regularly but need some help and advice on how to do that.
I have tried all kinds but he just spits it out :
ham, beef, pork, egg yolks, baked beans, chicken, even tried a taste of deli meat, salmon, but nothing, well, I got him to try some of my bbq ribs which he couldn't get enough of but.....
Any ideas, on how to start and what to do with them??

[Mom to M&M]

What form are you trying the meats in? Puree? Lumpy? Finger food? Chicken soup works well (I can send you a recipe). My neice loves pieces of hamburger meat.

[colenliam]

I haven't pureed any.
he is picky with textures.  Ive tried hamburger pieces in spagetti sauce, and usually just cut different meats small and try it then.
The chicken soup recipe would be great.

[Mom to M&M]

Hi there. For chicken soup I take a quarter pullet of chicken (or it may just say quarter roaster chicken - is just a quarter of a whole chicken in pieces) and boil it in water for about 10-15 minutes. Then I clean off the chicken and wash out that pot (very large pot). Then I put the chicken back in the pot and add in 6 peeled and quartered carrots, 4-6 pieces of celery halved, one small onion quartered, one peeled and halved parsnip and a small handful of kosher salt. I let that cook for 1.5 hours and keep adding more water to keep the water level near top of pot. After that time I add in a handful of fresh dill and also one of fresh curly parsley. I let it all cook for one more hour and keep adding bit of water. When done cooking I take some of the white meat chicken (skin removed) and some carrot and some broth and puree it all up and freeze it in ice cube trays. When time to serve I defrost 1-2 cubes and mix them with a veggie like peas or serve a bit of it plain if she'll go near it (she's picky). My husband and I save some for ourselves!

My SIL feeds it to her DD without pureeing - she just mashes it up well and serves it mixed into veggie or plain and lumpy - but my DD would gag.The broth is also good when they are fighting a cold!

You can also brown up any ground meat (chicken, beef, turkey) and then either serve small pieces or puree with a little water. Remember, meats are tough taste to get used to - you may need to mix with fruits and/or veggies at first. My DD would only take the chicken at first mixed with apple/sweet potato.

[Mom to M&M]

Totally OK. They just add a bit of flavor to the broth. The LO isn't actually eating the herbs you are just pureeing the chicken and carrots and broth and I use very little salt myself. My Ped thought the recipe was great and it's very similar to the one in Annabel Karmel's book.

[Mom to M&M]

I offer meat at lunch instead of cereal. So breakfast I'm currently doing cereal and fruit, lunch I do meat and veggies (only chicken so far, will likely try beef or turkey next week) and dinner I do cereal, veggies and fruit for dessert - although my SIL does meat at dinner instead of cereal. It's a hard taste to get used to I've heard - quite strong so you're best off at first mixing it with a fruit or veggie your LO really likes (chicken mixes well with sweet potato, peas, apples, for example). If you mean when in terms of age, my Ped recommends starting around 8 months although we just started at 9.

[Colin Macs Mom]

Colin macs mom makes some beef, veggie stuff and puree's it. I think she actually thins it out with formula too. Sounds icky but apparantly Colin loves it.  Are your pureeing the meat, maybe he doesnt like the textue?

Yeah, I cook the meat with carrots, celery, that sort of thing and then puree it with most of the veggies too. I found that formula works the best to thin it rather than water/broth. I used to puree it really thin, no chunks but now we are onto chunkier stuff so that helps. Colin's favorite is beef and sweet potato together. Boys... 

[colenliam]

Thank you for the soup recipe.  I'll definantly try it.
Actually I made up a few meals for ds today.  I got creative.  I used to buy all the jarred stuff, but ds is soooo picky.  I bought, well I thought sweet potatos but I think they are yams(i don't eat either, and they arn't orange which I thought sweet potatos were) and cooked and pureed them with some pureed pork i did up and mixed with some apple sauce, it was a hit.  Finally
I also did some mixed veg with pureed chicken.  Try that tomorrow.  So I think I will stick with the pork and chicken for a bit and then maybe try some fish.  I don't eat fish so this will be nasty for me.  I don't want to do tuna, but what else for fish is good o start.
I also like the idea of doing meat at lunch and carbs at supper.  Good suggestion.
Thanks again

[Lola]

i do a chicken soup recipe very similar for my LO but I put pieces of pasta in it bc they go all mushy and she can pick them out
she is 8+ months

[Mom to M&M]

Jessica - your meat recipe there - what kind of beef do you use (ground meat, etc) and how do you cook it? In a pot? Frying pan?

[Colin Macs Mom]

I usually use steak, like round. It seems to have the sort of texture he prefers. I cook it all together in a pot with water and then puree with formula. Some people do the same thing but fry the steak instead - but then it always seemed dried out to me.

[Sarah O]

Colenliam: you were asking about fish.  I tried a couple of different approaches with fish and the only one I've had success with so far is this recipe for 'fish fingers':

Heat oven to 350F.  Get any type of white fish fillets (I used Talapia) and cut them into chunks (I do them Chicken McNugget size).  In a bowl, mix together 3 oz wheatgerm, 1.5 oz sesame seeds, 1 tsp paprika.  Whisk together 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 2 egg yolks.  Roll each fish chunk in the dry mixture, then the egg mixture, then again in the dry mixture.  Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, turning fish pieces once halfway through.

I used this same recipe for chicken chunks.  Both are a big hit and before this I had zero success with fish or meat.  Oh, by the way my MIL can't stand to even smell fish cooking but when she walked into the house she said "something smells delicious!!"  and she almost keeled over when I told her it was fish. 

Sarah 

[Mom to M&M]

Jessica - if you puree it with formula can you freeze it that way or does that cause problems? LO has a sensitive tummy.

[Colin Macs Mom]

I have never had problems with it, but my lo doesn't have any tummy troubles. If you don't even want to try, then you could also puree with the water from the pot. I have done it that way too 

[Mom to M&M]

Great, thanks again!