Monday, December 3

How I Got My Toddler to Eat Brussels Sprouts

So how did I get my toddler to eat brussels sprouts?  All it took was a little olive oil and salt.

Yep, thankfully it wasn't so difficult. Brussels sprouts are not a normal food for us to have around the house as I didn't think my husband liked them, and I didn't think my toddler would eat them right now. Boy was I wrong!

The three of us all LOVED this easy dinner I whipped up this weekend that included roasted brussels sprouts, chicken sausage and red potatoes. One of my favorite cooking methods is roasting. Mainly because it's SO easy and doesn't require me to stand over the stove cooking.

Here are the "ingredients" for this great meal. Sorry for the dark photo....the ingredients are brussels sprouts, organic red potatoes and chicken sausage.


Brussels sprouts make for beautiful photos!

I love the color of the sprouts and red potatoes together. Wish I had more time to spend making and taking pretty food photos.

Directions:

  • Chop the small red skinned potatoes into quarters or even smaller depending on size
  • Chop the ends of the brussels sprouts, take off any old leaves, and cut them in half 
  • Chop the sausage into pieces appropriate for roasting - I just slice them into round "dollar" pieces (The key to good roasting is cutting everything about the same size.)
  • Put everything on a cookie sheet already sprayed with olive oil
  • Spray a little more olive oil on top of the food, and add a bit of course sea salt (I like using the larger sea salt for roasting so you can actually see the salt, but regular old Morton's salt will work too).
  • Put in oven that's been preheated to 400 degrees. Roast for about 20 minutes, but keep your eye on it and "stir" ingredients a few times for even roasting.


After roasting, the brussels sprouts turn a beautiful rich green color. I scooped up all of the roasted goodness, put it in a bowl, and added freshly ground pepper. Simple, easy and GOOD.

I think this would be a nice meal to make for friends or family (who also like brussels sprouts). Just add a nice loaf of warm bread with olive oil for dipping, and some sort of rich chocolate cake dessert (recipe yet to be found!).

Here's my son's plate. He was actually most interested in the potatoes and brussels sprouts, and even asked for more brussels sprouts.

I will definitely add roasted brussels sprouts to our menu every few weeks, especially since everyone in the house will eat them! I knew they were healthy, but here are 5 things I didn't know about brussels sprouts:
  1. These healthy veggies have more vitamin C than an orange
  2. They are rich in antioxidants and may help prevent certain cancers
  3. One serving of brussels sprouts (only 4 sprouts!), offers 2g of protein
  4. They're an excellent source of vitamin D and folic acid
  5. "Brussels" is spelled with an "s" at the end!
Does anyone have other favorite brussels sprouts recipes?  I'd like to try making them in other ways too so let me know if you have any good ones!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I love Brussels sprouts, too, and that is exactly how I make them! :-) I had not thought of putting everything in one roasting pan, though. Great idea! I will have to try that next time.

Unknown said...

Hope you enjoy it Elizabeth!

Unknown said...

Suggest adding sliced red pepper for a little more color and nutrition! Also, since the chicken sausage most likely includes salt there's no need to add more to the recipe!

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Hi Lisa - great tips! The red pepper would definitely add some beautiful color and nutrition. I can't help but add a little sprinkle of sea salt to the potatoes and brussels sprouts, but no added salt is a great suggestion, especially for those who are watching their salt intake.

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