These BLW Spinach Chicken Protein Muffins are perfect finger foods for toddlers & babies because they’re rich in protein and iron and easy to eat!
I get asked a lot in my mom and baby family feeding Facebook group – WHAT DO I DO IF MY KID DOESN’T LIKE MEAT? HOW WILL THEY GET ENOUGH IRON AND PROTEIN?
I get it.
There are days/ weeks when Baby E is like HELL NO to the meat, poultry or fish and even though I know he will easily make it up through his hummus consumption alone, I kinda freak out. This is why I invited this recipe for BLW spinach chicken muffins. Kids love muffins. They love all carbs! So these toddler and baby friendly spinach chicken muffins are a hit every time.
How to Make these BLW Spinach Chicken Muffins for Toddlers & Babies
I’ve got lots of great muffin and fritter recipes on my blog, but I never thought to make a BLW savoury muffin that is iron and protein packed AND sneak in a little vegetable. WIN WIN.
This recipe combines some leftover chicken and frozen spinach with the natural sweetness of corn and deliciousness of cheese. What is not to like?
I mix all the veggies, chicken and cheese together along with some flour, iron fortified baby cereal, and some flax and hemp hearts for healthy fats and bake them into mini muffins. I strongly suggest using a silicon mini muffin tin for easy removal. You can also totally do this as regular sized muffins but I prefer the minis for easy packing and snacking.
Are these Spinach Chicken PROTEIN Muffins rich in iron?
Yes! If you are struggling to serve your baby or toddler meat, but want to ensure they’re getting enough iron and protein, these spinach chicken muffins are perfect. They have lots of iron from chicken, spinach, iron fortified baby cereal and eggs, yet they eat like your kids’ favourite carb- MUFFINS!
Can I make these baby Muffins dairy free?
You could definitely use oil instead of butter and try using non dairy cheese in place of the regular cheese if you have a dairy sensitivity.
Can I make these easy Spinach Chicken PROTEIN Muffins gluten free?
You can! Just make sure to use a gluten free flour and a gluten free baby cereal if your infant or toddler is gluten free.
Can these kid friendly Muffins be frozen and made ahead?
You bet! This is so easy! These protein muffins freeze beautifully. I suggest popping them out of the muffin tin and letting them cool, then transferring to a baking sheet to freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, then add them to a freezer bag so they don’t all stick together.
I want to know what some of your strategies are for days when your kiddos aren’t getting a lot of protein!
Leave me a comment below with your kids’ favourite high iron and high protein snacks!
BLW Spinach Chicken Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups frozen thawed or fresh corn kernels, divided
- 150 g frozen spinach thawed
- 5 omega 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup iron fortified baby cereal
- 1 3/4 cups cooked chicken meat chopped finely
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese divided
- 3 tbsp ground flax
- 3 tbsp hemp hearts plus more for topping
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease 24 mini muffin tins.
- To a food processor, add 1 1/2 cups of corn and spinach and process until fairly smooth. Add to a bowl with the remaining corn kernels, butter, eggs, chicken and 1 cup of cheese.
- To another bowl, mix the flour, baby cereal, baking powder, flax, hemp hearts and a pinch of salt. Add the wet to the dry and mix until smooth.
- Fill the muffin tins with the mixture and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a sprinkle with additional hemp hearts. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian, an avid food writer and blogger, a cookbook author and the founder of Abbey’s Kitchen Inc.
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