Key to raising big, strong kids!

Iron is so important for littles. When my oldest had her first round of blood work, we found out she was iron deficient (within the low end of normal). I felt so much mom guilt. I thought I had failed to ensure a balanced diet. Fortunately, my daughter’s amazing pediatrician assured us kids often grow so fast they need additional iron. This started my journey to try to boost her iron through different foods and of course, iron supplements.

With my second, I made sure he had iron-rich foods every day, and we thought we were safe not to provide iron supplements. But, like his sister, we just found out he also has very low iron levels. Despite all my efforts we are in this for round two.

I look forward to boosting even more recipes to be “iron richer.”

If you are going through this, hop over to BabyBlackBox.com to see the wonderful iron-rich recipes and follow me for new, upcoming recipes.

If you are just starting your iron boosting journey, my go-to meal items are listed below:

Breakfast:

• Eggs with black beans
• Eggs with chopped spinach
• Fried rice with extra egg
• Egg bap (rice)- Korean dish using brown rice and a fried egg.
• Oatmeal
• Protein waffles
• Enriched foods - baby cereal & rice. (if your little is extra little)

Snacks:

• Nuts (be aware of allergies)
• Dried apricots, dates, prunes and raisins.
• Bagels with whole wheat flour

Lunch:

• Bean and cheese quesadilla
• Loaded nacho’s with multigrain chips

Dinner:

• Garlic and spinach pesto with wheat or chickpea pasta
• Broccoli
• Zucchini tots
• Black beans
• Chilli
• Meat - beef, turkey or chicken