I had originally decided on this meal because I was feeling lazy and thought it was quick and easy. It wasn’t as time consuming as my past meals, but definitely more prep than I had anticipated - Avocado & Chicken Quesadillas with Veggies

The babies have had chicken and cheese quesadillas in the past - not only did they love them, but I loved them too because they were relatively mess free. After coming across this quesadilla made with avocado, I put it in my backlogs of meals to try.

I started by making the chicken in my Instant Pot so I could prep everything else while they cooked. I used 2 large breasts for these quesadillas and decided to cook them in pineapple juice (from a can of chopped pineapples) instead of water for a sweeter, juicer chicken; I even threw some of the pineapples from the can into the IP as well before adding my spices. I set the IP to 10 minutes on high pressure (few minutes longer if frozen) and when it was done, let it naturally release for another 10 minutes or so.

Next I prepped the veggies, starting with peeling the avocados and plopping them into a large mixing bowl, pulling out the seeds before mashing them as best as I could.

The zucchini and peppers were a last minute addition because I needed to use them up before they went bad. Using the large holes of my cheese grater, I grated 2 large zucchinis and put those into another mixing bowl. Then I lightly chopped the peppers, put them into the food processor for an even finer chop, and added them to the bowl of zucchini.

When the chicken was done, I started shredding it in the IP before deciding to shred it in the food processor instead because I felt the pieces were still to big for babies.

With all the ingredients prepped and ready to go, it was time to make the quesadillas! This is the part that sucked. To get the AAP’s recommended 1/4-1/2 cup of food (per baby), I had to make 1 whole quesadilla (the smaller 8” tortilla) for each day of the week - so 7 quesadillas + leftovers for my husband and I. If you’re not meal prepping for a week for a small army like me, this probably won’t take you as long!

Using a frying pan, I coated it with plain butter (some Land O Lakes brand that is made with olive oil) because I can never get the amount of olive oil right and would have ended up saturating the tortilla in it haha. I would also think you could spray it with cooking spray, but I preferred the butter.

While the butter melted, I spread the avocado on one half of the tortilla using a butter knife, then placed it into the pan. Next, I covered the avocado with shredded mozzarella cheese, sprinkled the shredded chicken on top of that, added the mixture of chopped peppers and zucchini, then sprinkled on another light layer of cheese before folding the blank half of the tortilla over and pressing down.

I let it sit and cook for a couple of minutes before flipping it over on the other side, and kept flipping it until the cheese was melted and the tortilla was browning.

I repeated this 7+ times over the course of an hour of so, having the scrape and clean the plan a bit in between.

By the end, I had a decent amount of leftover ingredients that I made for myself and my husband and stored the rest in separate glass containers.

While I didn’t freeze any of the babies’ quesadillas, the avocado did start to brown and make the bread a little soggy by the last day. If I do this again, I may freeze half and see what happens with those when thawed. I definitely wouldn’t keep these in the fridge for more than a week though!

Because the quesadillas are hard to cut when hot, I put them all, whole, into one Tupperware container and chopped it up each night before their dinner. I love that these stay together in bite size pieces that are easy for them to pick up and eat without smearing it all over the place.

Forrest was a little unsure of them at first. He’d eat it, but then make a face and stick his tongue out like he wasn’t a fan. He maybe did this for a day or two before giving up the dramatics and just eating it haha. The other two were obsessed from the start.

avocado & chicken quesadillas with veggies

SERVES
12+ quesadillas (smaller 8” tortilla)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large Chicken Breasts

• 1 cup Pineapple juice

• Handful of Pineapple chunks

• 1 tsp Ground Ginger

• 1 tsp Pepper

• 1 tsp Cumin Powder

• 2 Zucchini

• 4 small Sweet Peppers

• 3 Avocados

• Motzerella Cheese (your discretion)

• Pack of 8” (or larger) Tortillas

METHOD
Add the chicken breasts, pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, ginger, pepper, and cumin to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Let it naturally release for another 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, peel and mash your avocados in a large mixing bowl, removing the seeds and mashing as best you can to get the chunks out.

Use the large holes of your cheese grater to shred the zucchini and set aside in a different mixing bowl.

Chop the peppers using a knife or food processor, then add them to the bowl with the zucchini.

When the chicken is finished, shred it using the food processor for a finer chicken and put in a separate bowl.

Coat your frying pan with butter (or cooking spray), set your heat to medium, then start spreading the mashed avocado on one half of the tortilla while that melts.

Place the avocado covered tortilla in the frying pan, then add a layer of cheese, chicken, zuchinni/pepper mix, another layer of cheese, then fold over the blank side and press down. Leave in the frying pan for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Continue to flip back and fourth until the cheese is fully melted, the quesadilla isn’t opening up, and the tortilla is starting to brown.

Repeat for all other quesadillas made.