Thank you to the Egg Nutrition Center for sponsoring this post.
If Riese could talk, and you asked her what her favorite food was, she would most definitely answer: “banana egg pancake!” (Well, that and pulled pork… she has good taste, what can I say.)
When we were first starting to introduce Riese to solids (following the baby led weaning approach – read more about that in a previous blog post: our experience with baby led weaning), scrambled eggs were one of the first foods that I tried. They are such perfect baby food – packed with nutrition, fast and easy to prepare, and nice and soft but firm enough for your little one to pick up. Oh – and not messy. 😉
Given how awesome scrambled eggs are, you can imagine my disappointment when Riese took a bite and immediately gave a huge shudder, and, with a very dramatic “this is so gross” face, spit the scrambled eggs out. Not one to give up easily, I have tried scrambled eggs again and again to no avail. I have also tried fried eggs (with a fully cooked yolk) – fail – and hard boiled eggs – fail again.
Then one day when Riese was about 7 months old, I made myself my favorite Flour Free Protein Pancake (<- full recipe – I make it without the vanilla extract and cinnamon most days), which contains banana, eggs, and ground flaxseed.
On a whim, I put a few small pieces of it on Riese’s tray. And what do you know? She gobbled them down and then looked at me like “Hey mom, you gonna give me some more or do I need to come over there and get it myself?”
Success!
Ever since that day, Riese has been obsessed with this pancake; she loves it as is or topped with plain Greek yogurt or with nut butter. I make it at least a few times a week for us to share, and it stores well in the fridge overnight if you want to make it ahead of time! Now that she’s eating more than just a few bites of it, though, I have to have some toast or something on the side as well because otherwise mama is still hungry. 😉
Eggs have 13 essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, riboflavin, choline, selenium, and lutein, and one large egg has 6g of high quality protein, so I’m thrilled to have found a way for Riese to join in on my egg habit. I’m also glad she’s enjoying eggs a few times a week because research suggests that introducing allergenic foods, like eggs, into the diet of infants as soon as they are developmentally ready to eat, may actually lower their chances of developing food allergies. (A note: it used to be suggested to wait until after 12 months to introduce egg whites, but that’s no longer the case.)
So, if you’re looking for a creative way to serve eggs to your little one, give my baby-approved banana egg pancake a try! And if you want to mix it up, try my pumpkin banana egg pancake recipe for a seasonal variation on the classic.
If you’re a parent, does your baby/child like eggs? What’s their favorite way to eat them? I’m hoping that as Riese gets older she likes scrambled, hard boiled, and fried eggs too – I’ll keep trying them! They are such a fast, affordable, and convenient protein choice!
