Mom's Meat Loaf

There are some women who say that there are postpartum hormones that make you forget all about the physical pain of childbirth so that you'll want to have more children. For me, I think there is a hormone that is less talked about but it nonetheless must exist. This, of course, is the hormone that makes you forget about the difficulties 14-30 month old child - specifically, his diet. While this time is full of giggles, snuggles, and a learning curve that is fascinating to watch, it is also the time when Mr. or Mrs. Newly Independent decide that dinner time is going to be the next battle royal.

My son was an excellent eater, from the moment he crawled out of the womb to the moment he took that first bite. This blog is filled of delicious beginner recipes that he gobbled up voraciously. Over the last month, my happy, little diner has been replaced with an angry little food elf, asserting his ability to let me know that HE WILL NOT EAT that meal I have lovingly put before him and instead will use his fork to fling it against the wall or throw it to the dog. I asked a good friend of mine what could be wrong. Is he sick? Have I entered into a kitchen slump? Are we doomed to dinners of avocado slices and yogurt forever?

"No," she smirked. "He's 15-months-old."

How could I have forgotten? The toddler. Behind that toothy grin and those chubby cheeks lies a little boy who can now make decisions for himself. And he is going to show me that he can at every meal. EVERY MEAL. So, I'm forging ahead by turning back to Lisa Barnes's cookbooks, filled with recipes that are tried and tested with just my little man in mind. And the first one I tried actually worked. And my daughter loved it, too. It's easy for the entire family, and it has very little prep. Mind you, the mashed potatoes did end up on the dog's ear, but the main course was a hit.

You need:

1/4 c. diced red pepper
1/4 c. diced carrot
1/4 c. diced onion
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tbsp. fresh parsley
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 lbs. lean ground beef

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a shallow baking pan (I use a loaf pan) with foil and grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except bee. Add beef and mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Place in prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes. You can also divide the meat into properly greased muffin tins and freeze the leftover meat. It will make a total of 24 "beef cakes," so you can bake 12 now and freeze the meat for 12 later!