Turkey Sticks

Our hungry munchkin has quickly been moving from mush to real food, which means I've been able to experiment with creating food that is very similar to items that I might cook for my husband and myself. My goal has been to "get my baby to the family table" by the time he is one year. We're swiftly moving in that direction! Here is a great recipe that is a fun snack, if a little mild, for adults and, when served with some veggies, a great meal for your hungry munchkin.

Apple Turkey Loaf/Sticks - from Wholesomebabyfoods.com

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup pureed carrots or squash (I used canned squash puree from Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup unprocessed natural wheat or oat bran
1/4 cup bread crumbs
pinch of basil
pinch of garlic powder

Directions:

• Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the egg/yolk, carrots, applesauce, spices, bread crumbs and bran.
• Mix well - If this mixture appears too dry, add more carrots or applesauce. If this mixture appears too wet, add more bran and/or bread crumbs
• Place mix into a lightly oiled (olive oil) loaf pan and bake at 350F for approx. 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. **You may wish to cover with foil to prevent the top from burning
• When finished baking and cooled, remove loaf from pan and slice as you would for bread.
• Break into small bits for finger feeding or Mash or chop gently
• This recipe may also be made into "Turkey Sticks" for Toddlers and older babies who are able to handle more textured/chunky finger foods. Mold into sticks and place on lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
  
  Variations:
  Cook the ground turkey separately, add the other ingredients and puree