Sweet Potato Balls

SWEET POTATO BALLS

(a fun finger food for kiddos that's packed with nutrients!)

Recipe:

1 sweet potato (steamed or roasted until mushy-soft)

1 cup cooked lentils

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1T nutritional yeast (optional)

mix the ingredients together and roll into little balls!

**shocking tip: babies love lentils!! (ok...I can't speak for all babies, but I have been taking my own mini poll and most give a chubby little thumbs up!) 

to cook lentils: add 1 cup lentils and two cups veggie broth to a pot. put the lid on, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 min. use a very low sodium broth...or make your own.

to make veggie broth: add 8 cups water, 1 bay leaf, 1T thyme, 1T parsley, 1 garlic clove (chopped), 1 onion (chopped), 2 carrots (chopped), 2 celery stalks (chopped). bring to a boil then simmer for a couple hours. Then let cool a bit and strain into airtight container and keep in the fridge for about a week. (use to cook grains and beans for the week) It's really that easy and these are ingredients that we usually have on hand. chopping the ingredients give you the most flavor out of them!

Nutritional info: 

These yummy balls are little nutritional power houses!!

SWEET POTATOES provide a huge punch of vitamin A, plus iron, calcium and vitamin C

LENTILS are a good source of potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K, and are particularly rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, folate and iron

QUINOA we all know by now as a great source of protein

NUTRITIONAL YEAST is a wonderful source of B12 vitamins