Hellobee Boards

This is SO easy and fast to make and I feel like the cheese hides the spinach. My 14 month old loves them.

http://www.onesmileymonkey.com/recipes-2/easy-to-make-spinach-nuggets-recipe/

@macintosh: Is he willing to eat black beans? One of the few.foods my LO will willingly eat are black beans and I serve them straight out of the can.

Could you cook on cast iron more? Like for pancakes, grilled sandwiches, even heating up pasta sauce.
You could also try a dry cereal fortified with iron, like Total as a snack with some fruit or oj.
Try to limit dairy whenever you are able to get him to eat something with iron.

@macintosh: For what it's worth, a blender is very easy to clean - put some warm water and a few drops of dish soap in it and run it for a minute.

Blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron too. You might be able to make him "special milk" by mixing some into his milk to sweeten it up. You can also mix it into his maple syrup or pancake syrup or basically anything that needs a little sweetness, like oatmeal or yogurt or whatever.

Ground beef, meatballs and meatloaf have always been a favorite for our kids. You can make in small servings and freeze the rest so you only pull out a batch at a time. You can make meatloaf in muffin pans.

@macintosh: we use a magic bullet or our regular blender. I think they both clean very easy. I also buy smoothies at least once a week from a smoothie shop. It's like a huge treat for them!

@macintosh: how often have they checked his levels. What you told me on the other thread really isn't shockingly low. So, I wouldn't worry too much. FWIW my DD1 was around a 3.5 when we started at 9 months. But she also has thalassemia minor. So we made it our mission to include iron in every single meal! We literally started cooking everything in the cast iron. That really was when we saw the biggest jump!
Spinach in smoothies, eggs (I hide them in mini quiche, meat near the bone has the most iron. Lamb has the highest iron content.
American Red Cross has a great list. Iron from meat is more easily absorbed than iron from veg! Eating with vitamin c helps with absorption.

Cereals! Read all the boxes and buy the one that has the highest iron content. DS was low on iron too, and it got so bad at one point he would pass out from holding his breath from crying. Doc said it happens because he had an iron deficiency. Then I realized I seldom give him cereal. He actually grew out of it quickly after I started giving him more cereal. I am not sure if it was the cereal or if he grew up.

Other than that, broccoli and spinach has iron right? Just have to do some research on Dr. google Try blending/pureeing some spinach (not a lot) and mix into the tomato sauce. The key is not a lot or they'd see and taste the difference. If he likes it and doesn't know the difference, then blend a bunch and freeze them in freezer cubes. Add 1-2 cubes (or whatever works for you) everyday when you make his pasta sauce.

Good luck!

@macintosh: pinto beans and kidney beans have more iron than black beans. Black beans have a decent amount but we just had this discussion at my house. My LO loves to self feed them (rinsed from the can).

My older DD is pickier about eating but she loves dipping things. So if we make hamburgers she won't eat them as is. But if it cut her burger into "meat sticks" (4 long strips), then she will pick them up with her hands, dip in ketchup, and eat.

Oatmeal also has a ton of iron if that is something he will eat. Raisins are great too!

I routinely add veggies (usually broccoli) and sometimes meat to LO's pasta sauce. I do it in the magic bullet so I just do his portion if we are all eating pasta

Yes to cereal, DS was low on iron at 12 months, but fine at his follow up. We did the iron supplements and Honey Nut or Fruit Cheerios. He would carry them around in a little snack cup constantly, loved them and no work involved for you so win-win.