nutritious food for children

Cooking food at home is easy enough but getting your kids to eat it is not so easy. Healthy meals should include a variety of foods from all food groups like Milk and Milk products, Cereals, Pulses, Fruits and Vegetables, Eggs, Meat & Meat products (in case of non-vegetarians) and less of sugars, fats, and oils. You could also vary your cooking methods to maximize the nutritional value in each meal. For instance, minimizing the heating/ cooking duration helps retain essential vitamins to some extent. Steaming, broiling, and sautéing are healthier options than boiling and deep-frying as they help preserve the nutrients to an extent. Right from childhood, try to incorporate healthy eating habits into your child’s regime.

Here are a few ideas for serving nutritious food in interesting ways.


Fruit Salad

Your kid may not like the taste of fruits. What should you do? Make it interesting for them not only to look at but also to eat.

Cut seasonal fruits (try using different coloured ones) into small cubes, mix, and chill. Serve with beaten yoghurt topping.

Not only do children like looking at the different colours but they also enjoy eating it because it has been served in an interesting way.

Fruits can also be incorporated into custards and milk shakes.


Healthy Bhel

1 small bowl of rice puffs (‘murhi’),
1 small boiled potato (chopped),
½ onion finely chopped,
½ tomato finely chopped,
sprouts,
pea nuts and salt to taste.

For the chutney : coriander and mint leaves, and ½ tsp. lemon juice. Blend all the ingredients in a blender till liquid. Add water as needed.

Mix the rice puffs, tomato, onion, potato, sprouts, pea nuts, and salt. Add chutney as per taste and serve immediately.


Egg in a Basket

Eggs are full of nutrients especially protein which a growing child needs. You could serve them in a number of ways including this new one.

You need: 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1 egg, salt & pepper to taste, and 1 tsp. of cooking oil.

Keep the bread on a flat platform and make a hole in the center of the bread with an upside down glass. Lightly oil a non-stick frying pan and heat on a medium flame. Put the cut bread on the pan. Break the egg in the centre, such that it remains in the hole in the bread, add salt & pepper, and cook. Once the egg white starts to harden, flip and cook till done.

You can use butter instead of oil.


Vegetable Paratha

Your kid eats parathas but won’t eat the vegetables that go along with it. Try mixing them together. Here is a way to do it.

Steam spinach (without the stems) or carrots till soft, with minimum water. Puree in a blender. Mix with paratha dough (make sure the wheat is made from whole grains) and make parathas in the usual way with a dab of ghee, butter, or oil.


Mini Pizza

Take a slice of bread preferably whole bread and toast it. Spread around 2 tbs. of pizza sauce thinly on the toast. Add toppings of your choice e.g. finely chopped onions, tomatoes, capsicum, thinly sliced mushrooms, salami, and sausage. Top with grated cheese. Grill the pizza in the oven until the cheese has melted.


Paalak Daal

This is a very tasty dish and children enjoy it very much.

Soak 1-cup chana daal (or arhar daal)
. In a pressure cooker,
heat 2 tbs. of oil
. Add 1 tsp. of whole jeera.
After a minute, add 1 cup chopped onions and fry till translucent
. Add 1 cup chopped tomato and stir.
After 2 minutes, add drained daal. Stir.
Add 3 cups of chopped spinach and stir.
Add salt to taste and ½ tsp. amchoor.
After the spinach has reduced, add water (use the water in which the daal was soaked) as needed and pressure-cook till daal is soft. Add some lemon juice before serving.


Tomato Soup

½ Kg. chopped tomatoes,
½ bunch chopped basil (tulsi) leaves,
1 cup vegetable broth,
2 cloves of minced garlic,
1 tbsp. lemon juice,
1 tbsp. lime juice,
salt & pepper to taste ..........................................,

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Strain and transfer to a pan and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Basil leaves can be substituted for coriander leaves.

COFFEE DROP COOKIES RECIPE

Ingredients:




1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Shortening
1 Egg (beaten well)
2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Cloves
3/4 cup Cold Coffee
1/2 cup Raisins (chopped)
1/2 cup Nuts (chopped)
1 tsp Vanilla




How to make coffee drop cookies:
Mix shortening and sugar together to make cream type mixture.
Combine egg.
Mix well.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together.
Add alternately with coffee to make mixture wet.
Combine raisins, nuts, and vanilla.
Mix well.
Combine more flour if required to make a drop cookie dough.
Drop them onto greased baking sheet.
Bake them at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.

APPLE RAISIN CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:




3 cup Flour (no sifted)
2 cup Sugar
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Milk
2 Egg
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp ground Cloves
3 cup Apples (chopped and peeled)
1 cup Raisins (seedless)
1/2 cup Walnuts (chopped coarsely)
2 cup sweetened whipped Cream with Cinnamon (for frosting and filling)




How to make apple raisin cake:
Flour and grease 2 baking pans.
Mix flour, sugar, mayonnaise, milk, eggs, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves with a mixer for about 2 minutes.
Scrap bowl frequently.
Combine in apples, raisins and walnuts.
Stir well.
Spoon batter into pans.
Bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Let it cool in pans for about 10 minutes.
Remove from pan.
Let cool completely.
Frost and fill with the whipped cream.

Ghazala Recipe

Ingredients:




1/2 kg Mutton
1/4 kg Green chillies
1/2 cup Curds
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 cup Ghee
1 kg Onions
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
3 cups Water
1 bunch Coriander leaves
4-5 tblsp Lemon juice
As per taste Salt




How to make ghazala:


Grind half the green chillies and mix with curd, turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder.
Slit remaining green chillies and fry in ghee or oil till they change colour.
Remove chillies from oil and keep aside.
Fry onions in the same oil till they are a light golden brown.
Add mutton and stir fry till well browned, and the juices are released.
Simmer till water has evaporated.
Add ginger, garlic and curd and 3 cups water.
Cook together on low heat with a cover on the saucepan till mutton is tender.
Add coriander and chillies and continue to simmer till it is well cooked and the ghee/oil comes to the surface.
Add lime juice and mix well.
Serve hot, preferably with roti.

CABBAGE APPLE DELIGHT RECIPE

Ingredients:


1 sliced Red Cabbage (if not available then normal cabbage)
2 meduim sized sliced Apple (Sabe)
1 meduim sized chopped Onion (Pyaj)
1/2 cup Vinegar
4 Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)
1/2 " Cinnamon (Tuj/Dalchini)
2 Cloves (Lavang)
1 tsp Oil
1 tblsp Fine Wheat Flour (Maida)
1/2 Litre Water
Lemon Juice to taste
Salt to taste
Artificial Sweetner to taste



How to make cabbage apple delight:
Heat oil in a teflon-coated pan.
Saute onion for a little while.
Add apples and cook for a few minutes.
Add sweet-n-low, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, vinegar, salt, lemon juice and water and bring to a boil.
Add chopped cabbage, cover and cook on a low flame.
When it's done, just before serving, add flour, stirring continuosly to avoid lumps.
Serve immediately.

MAKING OF MASALA NOODLES

Ingredients:


1 packet Noodles
2 Onion (Pyaj)
3 - 4 chopped Tomato (Tamatar)
4 tsp chopped Coriander Leaves (Dhania Patta)
1 " chopped Ginger (Adrak)
3 - 4 flakes chopped Garlic (Lasun)
4 5 chopped Green chilli (Hari mirch)
1/2 tsp Red chili pepper (Lal Mirchi)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tblsp Oil



How to make masala noodles:
Boil the noodles as directed on the pack.
Drain them in a strainer and wash with cold water. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a nonstick pan and fry garlic, ginger, green chillies and onions until they are golden.
Add tomatoes along with salt and masala.
Cook till tomatoes are tender.
Add the noodles and stir well.
Cook for a while and remove the fire and serve immediately.