Healthy And Tasty

Potato , Soya Bean Cutlets !

2010-02-08T11:31:00.001+05:30

A friend told this recipe and we tried this yesterday !

Ingredients

Potatos - 2 , boiled and grated
Soya Nuggets - 8
chopped Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 0.5 tsp
Garam Masala - 0.5 tsp
Salt , red chilli powder to taste

Steps

1. Wash Soya Nuggets and soak them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze and drain all the water amd mash them.
2. Mix all the ingredients and make small patties. you can make them round or oval.
3. Keep them in freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Shallow fry or deep fry them (I shallow fried)

Serve them with tomato ketchup. You can also use them as filling in burgers or bread.

fun with cheese at the breakfast table

2010-02-08T00:15:00.005+05:30

Making eating bread more fun at the breakfast table...
I did this with a slice of cold cut as well. He wanted a house made out of it, so I made one for him. In other ones the next day, I made a star and a crescent moon instead of the windows on his request. He explained the star and the moon live there. It didn't take more than a minute. And, even though we are always short of time in the morning, making him eat his breakfast can be tough and this actually amde things easier.

Millet with baked pumpkin salad

2009-12-10T15:50:00.014+05:30

Millet with baked pumpkin salad with a sunflower seed dressing

I think millets are a healthy substitute for wheat or rice. Since sunny boy can't eat wheat and co., including rye and barley, I try to offer him different types of other cereals. Millets are called Hirse in German and this is a variety called gold hirse here and comes from China, with big sized kernels. These are large in size than the Indian 'sama ke chawal' a hindi word for a variety of millet which you might know usually eaten during fasting. 'Sama ke chawal' are also different in being white in colour than this variety I used.

yellow chinese variety of millet (DE: 'gold hirse')

I took the recipe of baked pumpkin salad from 101 cookbooks, a blog surely well known to you all. I made a slightly different version than as given in the recipe. I used cooked broccoli florets which were still slightly crisp and I cooked them in the same water as the millets and took them out once done. I roasted a handfull of leftover sweetened cranberries and added them to the salad and also canned corn kernels to the plate while serving. I didn't have cilantro (coriander leaves) so I used parsely instead. Apart from that I had to slightly vary the amounts of the sunflower seeds and also pumpkin seeds I added to the dressing in the dressing as I didn't get it right initially but at the end it was a fanastic change to the vinaigrettes I usually make as dressings.

Some notable nutritional aspects of the meal:

Millets: contain B vitamins just like wheat ( see link (Wiki) ), and many other trace minerals required by our body and that way make for a good replacement for wheat

Broccoli : Apart from the many vitamins it also contains the trace element selenium and many other substances suggested to be having anticancer properties (source: Wiki). contains dietery fibres.

sunflower seeds : these are not only a good source of healthy fatty acids from the oil but also proteins. It contains linoleic acid, an omega-6-fatty acid. Like most of the seeds it also contains many useful trace minerals.

Pumpkin: good source of dietery fibres, just like broccoli, and contains a good number of trace minerals and vitamins. Low in fats but contains small amounts of proteins (lower than in potato)

The roasted flavour of the pumpkin was lovely. Since I used hokkaido variety I didn't need to peel it. I made the mistake of cutting the onion into wedges but forgot to take it out in time and they got a bit too dark and almost crisp! Next time I'll keep them whole as they aren't that big in size. We all loved the flavour of crannberries
I made this meal in September and since hubby isn't that fond of kichdi type of food I haven't come to making it again, but he and sunny boy enjoyed the pumpkin. I don't remember any more how sunny boy liked the millet as such, but he did the dressing for the salad. I have to make it soon to use up my two packets of millets lying in my pantry.

Making them eat carrots...

2009-10-25T14:46:00.003+05:30

(carrots from ones own garden - try growing them with your kid in your own veggie patch at home!)

Sunny boy loves to eat carrots raw. Usually he askes for his favorite 'dip' along with it which is nothing but a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil in 1:2 proportions with little mustard, salt and pepper added to it.
But eating them slightly cooked is actually even better as the good vitamin a get much more easily absorbed. Apart from fats /oils that it needs the softened texture makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb the goodies from this wonderful veggie. Of course, the carrots should retain their fresh colour - a good indication that they are not over-cooked.
But, how many of your kids like that. Sunny boy? It depends on his mood, but I HAVE to put it in his mouth usually.
Two things which however do make him eat them with pleasure on hiw own are:

dice them very very finely and cook with rice or cook/fry separatly and add to pasta or the vegetable which he likes. All have worked for me
make them into these good looking flowers and cook or fry them like in the following pictures (you can also add them to raw to salads)

The final products....
My tips on serving vegetables to kids:

Do not mix too many different things together and they will more easily eat their veggies!
Serve very small portions
give some funny or fascinating namesto the dishes you serve

Some old info lying in one draft , posting it finally:

Calcium, just like zinc reduces iron absorption and since iron is a very important mineral required by the body as well, one should avoid eating calcium rich sources along with the main meals.

A good report on the effect of calcium on iron absoption.

Another informative page on trace minerals required by our body.

Here are some good sources of calcium and iron at MedicineNet.com.

Healthy , Roasted Cutlets

2009-09-29T15:40:00.000+05:30

Anirudh is unwell , so over the weekend I wanted to make something thats interesting to him (as you dont feel like eating in fever) and yet healthy.

The usual fried cutlets would be bad on his throat and so I recalled this one.

Ingredients:

Cottage Cheese : 50 gms crumbled
Carrot : 1 grated
Onion : 1 fine chopped
Wheat Flour : 2 tbsp
Broken Wheat : 1/4 cup
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Chilli powder , salt as per taste
Water : 1 cup
Oil / Butter : 1-2 tsp

Steps :

1. Blanch the broken wheat in 1 cup water for 3-4 minutes.
2. Mix all the ingredients and make patties of desired shape
3. Roast with little oil on a non-stick tawa. It should be cooked for long on slow flame.

The recipe was inspired by a Tarla Dalal's recipe that I read sometime back. I don't remember accurately but it required to add soya sauce and chilli sauce as well. I forgot to add soya sauce and I skipped chilli sauce intentionally.

Anirudh had half cutlet , which can be equated to atleast 0.5 roti and some veggies too. So operation successfull. About the taste I cannot say , since I did not get to taste it , everything was over before I made it to the table :-P

Not-too-chilli paneer

2009-09-02T02:07:00.002+05:30

This is a really simple paneer recipe that can work equally well with rice, rotis or even bread.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:
350gm paneer, diced into 1 cu cm cubes(or as large as comfortable for kids)
1 medium capsicum
A puree of

2 tomatoes
3 small onions
a small bunch of coriander leaves
2 green chillies
1.5 tsp ginger paste

Cinnamon
Shah-jeera
Shah-mirch
3/4 tsp salt
Oil

Process:
Heat oil.
Add cinnamon, shah-jeera and shah-mirch.
Once the mixture splutters(I'm not sure how to describe the moment when they're just right!), add the puree
Allow to boil
Add the paneer, boil once more.
Add the capsicum, seeded and diced, while waiting for the thing to boil.
Simmer for about 2 min.

That's it.

Paneer Carrot Parantha

2009-08-20T14:10:00.003+05:30

Ingredients :

Wheat Flour : 1 cup
Cottage Cheese(Paneer) : 100 gms
Carrot : 1 grated
Onion /green onion: 1 finechopped
Coriander leaves : handful , fine chopped
Chilli powder : as per taste
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Garam Masala : 0.5 tsp
Salt : as per taste
Oil
Water

Steps
1. Mash paneer with hands
2. Knead all the ingredients like a roti dough.
3. Now roll out your parantha , like usual , and fry on a nonstick tava.

Tastes best with raita !

Variation : You can also use grated cheese for filling. I did but only for Aryan :D

Mixed Greens Chutney

2009-04-15T10:51:00.002+05:30

This is a rec which has been handed over generation by generation in my hubby's home... Its an excellent way of getting greens in the meals... I usually make it once in 2 weeks and freeze it in small pots and keep using as and when required...

It can be eaten with idly, dosa, used as a sandwich spread, in chapathi rolls, with rice... anything u wish to.. My 16 month old son has been eating this for a very long with great fondness and everyone who tastes it loves it...

Ingredients

1 bunch palak leaves
1 bunch methi leaves
2 bunches red leaves
1 bunch gongura leaves
1 bunch corriander leaves
1 bunch dill leaves
handful of mint leaves
handful of curry leaves
(u can add any other green if u want too, I sometimes add mustard leaves, raddish leaves)
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp channa dal
1 tbsp peanuts (optional, to be avoided in case of allergies)
2-3 dry red chillies (its yummy spicy so if kids are not eating it add more)
Oil or ghee to fry

Method

wash and chop all greens (incase u are adding mustard, boil it seperately before)
Heat oil in a pan and then add mustard seeds
once they crackle, add cumin seeds
add dry red chillies, peanuts, urad dal and chana dal, fry for 3-4 mins till dasl turn little brown
add onions and fry till they turn golden brown
add tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes
add all greens and fry for 7-8 minutes or till the leaves become little soft
add 1.5 cup of water and let it simmer for 10 mins
simmer till the desired consistency is achieved
grind it a little in the mixer and its ready to relish

Nutrition Pack Parathas

2009-04-14T22:36:00.000+05:30

Ojas these days is in a state where he wants to eat everything on his own, so I am trying to innovate in foods which he can eat on his own... the top of the list is Paranthas... here is one I figured out and everyone loved

Ingredients
1.5 cup atta (use whole wheat or I used the pillsbury multi grain atta)
1/2 cup sweet corn kernel parboiled and crushed
1/2 onion chopped
1 bunch palak leaves chopped
1 bunch methi leaves chopped
1/2 tsp ajwain seeds
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
pinch of red chilli powder
some mozzarella cheese
u can add green chillies if kids are not eating

Method
1. Knead all ingredients apart from cheese together to make dough
2. With the dough roll out small chapathi and stuff with cheese
3.fold and roll again
4. fry both sides using oil/ghee or butter whatever ur child prefers

serve with curd

this is very good dish for the dieting people too, just avoid the cheese and fry without oil...

My experiences with cooking and feeding my child

2009-03-24T12:08:00.001+05:30

I did a post on my experiences with cooking and feeding my child. I did not do it here for its not about facts but only my views. Do take a look when you have time and let me know what you have to say.

Sabudana Khichdi

2009-03-16T14:50:00.000+05:30

Ingredients
1.5 cup sagu/sabudana
1 large onion chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
2-3 dry red chillies
3 green chillies chopped
2 tbsp peanuts
handful of curry leaves
coriander for garnishing
salt to taste

Method
1. wash and soak the sagu for 10-15 mins
2. roast the peanuts and grind them coarsely
3. heat oil add mustard seeds.
4. after they splutter add jeera
5. add chilies and onion and fry till golden brown
6. add the curry leaves and fry for 1 min
7. add salt and then add the sagu and peanut
8. cook till done
9. garnish with coriander and enjoy

some people also veggies in this but somehow i like it this way

Pasta with Sun dried tomatoes

2009-03-09T10:06:00.001+05:30

I love the flavor that sun dried tomatoes bring in a dish, i often use them in my mix veg

This time I decided to spice up my pasta with it... so here it goes

Ingredients
100gm sun dried tomatoes
800 ml water
handful of jalapenos
1 small bunch fresh parsley
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh rosemary
1 medium onion chopped
2 tsp olive oil
500 gms pasta (any shape, my personal fav is fusilli)
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. boil the water and soak the sun dried tomatoes in it for 10 mins
2. take about 1/3 of the tomatoes and chop
3. make the puree of the rest
4. boil pasta till done, clean and keep separately
5. heat olive oil in a pan and add onions and jalapenos
6. when the onions turn golden brown add the tomato puree and tomatoes
7. boil for 7-10 mins
8. add the chopped herbs and simmer for 2 mins
9. mix the pasta and the sauce

u can also sprinkle some cheese on top to make it more interesting and also some veggies can be added to this to make it more nutritious ... i made this as a quick fix when someone was coming over a short notice so didnt do that

enjoy folks... wish i could upload pics to salivate u guys but my camera's usb cable is yet again missing :(

Dahi Vada

2009-02-25T18:24:00.003+05:30

Has to be my fave summer snack ever!

Ingredients:
Urad dal/split black gram - 100g
Adrak/Ginger - about 1/2 inch
Saunf/Fennel seeds or aniseed - 1 tsp
Dahi/Curd) - 300 gm
Imli/Tamarind syrup(sweetened with molasses or sugar)
Jeera/Cumin, roasted then powdered
Dhania-patta/Coriander leaves(optional)
Hari mirch/Green chillies (optional)
Lal mirch/Red chilli powder(optional)
Salt
Water

Process:

For the vadas(dumplings):

Take about 100g split black gram seeds(urad dal) and soak overnight in about 250 mL water. It should swell up to over twice the original volume.
Drain off excess water, then grind with a little ginger and fennel/aniseed. Some people add a green chilli, deseeded.
Take the batter and shape it into flattish dumplings onto a damp muslin cloth.
Heat salad oil for deep frying, and one by one dump the dumplings into the hot oil. Preferably, do not hold the dumplings in hand, but just overturn the cloth over the frying pan.
Fry the dumplings till golden brown, and immediately soak in warm salt water. You can soak these for upto 24 hours, if you refrigerate once they cool down.

For the tamarind syrup:

Take some ripe tamarind - 100g should do.
Squish with water to extract a thick, dark juice.
Squeeze the seeds and peels to get the maximum out of them, then separate the dry pulp from the juice.
Sweeten to taste, preferably with molasses. Sugar will do too.

To serve, lift the dumplings out of the salt water and squeeze out the excess. Pour curd over them, then a generous amount of tamarind chutney, and sprinkle cumin powder on top.
Red chilli powder, chopped coriander leaves and green chillies are optional toppings.

I know this pic(courtesy www.manjulaskitchen.com) looks a bit like vanilla icecream with chocolate sauce. Trust me, it tastes different, but equally good! I really liked Manjula's recipes for Dahi Vada, and if you look up the comments on the post, they explore a number of variations on the recipe.

Cross-posted to my blog.

Oats and Veggie soup

2009-02-17T21:37:00.004+05:30

Ingredients

Dry rolled oats: 1.5 cups
Vegetables: 1 cup (finely chopped carrot, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peas)
Onion: 2 tbsp
Bay leaf: 1
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Salt and pepper to taste

Method for preparation:

1. Powder dry oats in a blender and keep aside.
2. Sauté onions in butter in a saucepan.
3. Add vegetables and cook until tender with bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
4. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick once the vegetables are cooked.
5. Cook oats to a dosa batter consistency.
6. Add the cooked vegetables into the oats.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Drop a sprig of mint in the middle and a dash of cream while serving.

Healthy and yummy oats and veggie soup is ready.

Pasta in Green Sauce !

2009-02-04T10:38:00.007+05:30

Few months back I read this recipe on one of the food blogs and wanted to try it then and there. But then it slipped away from my mind. Yesterday when I was looking to make something different forAryan and I saw spinach in fridge , this clicked to me again. But as usual I could not remember which blog was that and so I had to scratch my tiny brain to remember the best I could.
So I do not know the best way to make this pasta , but it tasted good in whatver way it was made :-)

Ingredients :

Macroni : 1.5 cups
Baby Spinach leaves : 1 cup (I used handful)
Frozen/Boiled Green Peas : 1/2 cup
Onion : 1
Garlic cloves :2-3 grinded ( I used 1/2 tsp garlic paste)
Grated Cheese : 1 cube
Olive Oil / Cooking Oil : 1 tsp
Black pepper : 1 pinch ( I use red chilli powder since hubby is allergic to black pepper)
Salt to taste

Steps :
1. Wash and grind the spinach into a paste
2. Boil and drain macroni.
3. In a pan , add the oil and saute the onion till translucent.
4. Add peas and saute further for sometime.
5. Add the spinach paste and garlic paste and bring to boil.
6. Mix with macroni and cheese.

Trust me it was yummy and three of us gobbled it within minutes.Here is a quick pic :

Apple Raisin Cake

2009-02-02T21:19:00.003+05:30

Ingredients

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar (powdered)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
a Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Apple, peeled, cored and chopped finely
1/4 cup Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/4 cup Raisins
1 Egg, beaten

Steps

Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake together and leave aside.
Pour in all the liquid ingredients and run the processor for 2 minutes.
Blend in the apple and raisins.
Fold the flour in this mixture.
Prepare an 8 inch round/square cake tin by spreading some oil/butter.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes at 180 C.

Personal Notes

Brown sugar instead of regular sugar would have given a better look and texture both.
I poured few drops of honey on the cake slices and it tasted even more yummier.

Pasta in White Sauce

2009-01-17T23:27:00.002+05:30

Well, the brat loved it, so I thought why not share the joy in the blog!

For white sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour (I used maida)
2 cups milk (add more depending on the consistency that you want)
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning (optional, I used the small sachet from Pizza hut/Corner, whatever)

Thinly sliced vegetables (Red/green/yellow bell peppers, onions) - less than 2 cups
Pasta -200 gms
Cheese - for topping the pasta

Serves - 3 children

1. Cook pasta as per pack instructions. I cooked it a little softer, so that it is easy for the baby also to eat.
2. Drain pasta and keep aside.
3. Add butter to kadai and melt it.
4. Add flour and mix well.
5. Add milk little by little and whisk with ladle till the paste is smooth. Add more milk if you want the sauce runny.
6. Add salt and pepper and the seasoning.
7. Stir-fry vegetables.
8. Add the sauce and pasta to the veggies.
9. Grate cheese over it.

Serve and let the creamy yummy pasta work its magic.

Sooji cheela with carrots

2009-01-13T21:40:00.006+05:30

Ingredients:

1 cup sooji
1/4th cup besan (optional) - it just gives different flavour
1/4th cup grated carrots
salt - 2 tsp
water to make thick paste
Oil/Ghee to roast

Steps:

Sift sooji, besan and salt to mix properly.
Add water and make an even thick batter.
Add grated carrots and leave for 10 mins. Add more water if required. The amount of water to be used varies on the type of sooji being used.
Brush some oil in the tawa/girdle and pour a ladle of batter and spread.
Scatter few drops of ghee/oil on the visible side.
Once done, flip to roast from both sides.
Eat it with coriander-mint chutney or just plain ketchup.

Vegetable soup - short and simple

2009-01-08T10:51:00.000+05:30

This one turned out lovely by fluke, so although I'm putting it up I'm not too sure of its success. Whatever it is, it's simple and nutritious!

Ingredients(measurements not at all accurate):
4 small Carrots(200g), cut into sticks of equal volume
Beans(150g), cut into about 2 inch long pieces.
Peas(200g after shelling)
1 medium Onion, cut into semi-rings of about 1/8in thickness
1 inch Ginger, cut into thick slices
4-5 peppercorns, slightly crushed.
Salt to taste(about 1.25 tsp)
Butter on top(optional but delicious).

Method:
Add salt, ginger and beans to water, bring to boil.
After about 1 minute add carrots and peppercorns. Some trial and error necessary to figure out the relative timings and how to cut the veggies for uniform boiling.
After another minute or two add peas and onions.
Boil until vegetables are soft to taste.
Remove from flame and add butter.

Using onions and ginger without garlic gave the soup a wonderful flavour. I'll try experimenting with onion/garlic and ginger/garlic some time.

Eggless Orange Cake

2009-01-07T20:56:00.003+05:30

After lot of requests from so many of you to post the eggless orange cake that I tried recently, here is the pic and the recipe. Although the one whose pic you see above didn't turn out that soft or spongy because halfway through the baking the power went off and came back only after 30 min. So the heating, cooling and heating didn't work too well for the cake :)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp soda bicarb
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup yogurt
3/4 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
2 tsp orange zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Lightly grease an 8" round baking pan.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, soda bicarb and baking powder.
In another bowl, cream together the oil, sugar and yogurt.
Add the juice, orange zest and flour; mix well and pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes or till the cake tests done. Let it remain in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

For Microwave Baking:

Add 1/2 cup milk additional to the above specified ingredients.
And bake for about 12 min at highest power initially and do more if required.

First Award for our blog !

2009-01-05T10:25:00.002+05:30

Hey everyone , this is the first award for Healthy and Tasty ...and it doesnot really go to me , but to all the authors of this blog. Thank you Preeti and I pass this one to all the people who have contributed atleast one recipe to the blog. Thank you ladies , for making this blog happening !

Chocolate Marble Cake

2009-01-03T21:07:00.000+05:30

This chocolate marble cake serves about 3-4 people only. Good to be eaten at tea-time.

Preparation time - 10 mins
Baking time - 15 mins

You need-

6 tbsp flour/maida
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

Steps:

Preheat the oven at 200C for 10 mins.
Mix flour, baking powder and keep aside.
Cream egg, oil and sugar.
Add vanilla essence and slowly fold in the flour mixture.
Take a quarter of the batter and mix cocoa powder in it.
Pour the pain flour batter into the greased tin and pour the cocoa batter in cricles over the white batter.
Bake for 15 mins at 180C.

For Microwave:

Add 3 tbsp of milk if making in microwave.
Bake for only 7-8 min ( in 1300W). Adjust the time based on the wattage of your microwave.

Dahi Sandwich

2009-01-01T22:00:00.003+05:30

Last weekend I made this Dahi Sandwich (Curd Sandwich) totally desi style and it was yumm.

Here is how I made it -

You need

1 cup curd
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
bread slices
rye seeds
Heeng/Asofotedia powder - 1 tsp
3-4 tbsps oil/butter

Steps

Mix yogurt with salt and black pepper
On the girdle/tawa brush up some oil/butter.
Sprinkle some rye seeds till they splutter, sprinkle some heeng powder.
Put the bread slice and spread curd over it.
Put the other slice of bread and move it to the side.
Again brush some oil and let the rye seeds sprinkle and heeng powder and then flip the bread and roast it.
And then..what are you waiting for..just eat it! :D

Variations:

Add chopped coriander, grated ginger and finely diced green chillies in the curd for enhanced flavour.
You can add chopped onion for a crunchy bites.

simple noodle soup with lots of veggies

2008-12-24T14:10:00.004+05:30

I made this soup for sunny boy one afternoon, when he hadn't gone to the kindergarten and was home. I didn't wish to make an elaborate meal, which I do in the evenings usually when we all eat together. After asking sunny boy, I choose to make this soup and he liked it a lot.
Although there are many ways of making it, I made it this time with the Indian tadka in the beginning and you can always replace broccoli with cabbage or beans or any veggie of choice.

For 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

a few broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
3 small carrots, thinly sliced or cubed
a few mushrooms, chopped or thinly sliced
2 handfuls soup noodles (or vermicelli)
salt, to taste
400 - 500 ml water
2 tbsp coriander leaves (I had none)
1 tsp organic vegetable broth (optional)

Tadka
1 tbsp mustard oil (use any other)
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 tsp turmeric
chili powder to taste

Method:

clean, wash and prepare the vegetables
in a large sauce pan heat oil and splutter the cumin
reduce heat and add the remaining spices,
stir quickly and immediately add the veggies,
stir for a few minutes on medium heat
add water, broth and salt and cook till the water begins to boil
add the soup noodles / vermicelli and cook till done*
if you wish, you can add a teaspoon of mustard oil, olive oil or ghee to the ready soup at the end and some chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Bon Apettit!

*NOTE: depending on the cooking time of the noodles and the type of veggies, the cooking time of veggies before adding the noodles could change. Adjust accordingly.

Quick corn snacks

2008-12-23T16:49:00.000+05:30

A very very simple & quite healthy recipe for evening snacks of toddlers and kids. I know you might already know this or a variant of this but still I am writing for people like me who discovered it quite recently :-)

Ingredients :

Potato : 1 small
Frozen Sweet corn : 1 tbsp
Frozen Peas : 1 tbsp
Butter : 1/2 tsp
Roasted and crushed cumin seeds : 1 pinch
Salt to taste

Optional :

Chat Masala
Black Pepper

Steps :

1. Cut potatos in small chunks.
2. Mix protatoes, corn, peas, butter and water in a microwave bowl.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes.
4. Add salt and roasted cumin seeds.

a quickfix meal with scrambled bread and veggies eggs

2008-12-21T01:13:00.007+05:30

Before I begin with the actual post, let me just inform you that after a few exchange of emails we have sorted out things and everything is fine! :)

I made this meal for my sunny boy in a jiffy as we had been out of the house in the afternoon and by the time we came back it was late and he was hungry, a bit early for dinner, but that's how it is with children. So, I had to make something quick which was wholesome too. And this is what I made:

For 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 tbsp ghee or oil
2 slices of bread (white , whole wheat or gluten free), cut into small or large squares
2 eggs, beaten to make very frothy, like with a twirl whisk
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, grated
1/2 tsp cumin (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)

Method:

cut and prepare the bread and mushrooms and carrots
you can also choose veggies of your own choice like very finely cut cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini or green beans, or peas
heat the ghee or oil in the pan and add cumin so that it splutters, add coriander and turmeric, stir shortly, add onion and veggies and stir and cook on medium heat till done
add the bread pieces, stirring for another one minute
add salt and pepper and stir to mix
add the beaten eggs and either prepare like scrambled eggs for another one minute
or just simmer till the eggs have been cooked through

I initially thought of making a french toast with the egg mainly on one side and veggies on the other, but then it didn't work out, so I cut up the bread into small pieces and mixed with the eggs.
Sunny boy enjoyed it a lot. He ate it with some home made apple onion and tomato chutney, but you can substitute it with anything else you have handy at home.

What affects Calcium absorption?

2008-12-12T19:02:00.022+05:30

Updated on 11. Jan 2009

Before I write anything here, it is important to note that a healthy and balanced diet as we know it from our parents and grand parents is normally good enough to take care of any problems and parents of healthy and happy children growing properly need not worry.
Sometimes, if some doubts appear about the child's growth then it is surely good to consult the doctor and clarify things and ask for some good tips on increasing the calcium intake, if required.

I am required to remove some important calcium sources from my son's diet temporarily. Here are some facts I collected subsequently to ensure a good calcium intake despite that:

Calcium Absorption is affected by:

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is very important for good calcium absorption. It is the signal for the body to absorb calcium , if absent causes calcium malabsorption. Among children known as Rickets among children and osteomalacia in adults. Apart from being produced by the body from sunlight, some common and good sources of Vitamin D are saltwater fishes (sea fishes) ; milk and milk products; eggs (egg yolk); liver; fortified products - cereals, margarine, vegan milk sources etc.
Phytates (phytic acid) : reduce calcium absorption by binding to the calcium ions. These are found naturally in plant sources like grains, whole grain breads, (wheat) bran, soy beans (although the calcium is still partially available for absorption by the body - source), soy isolates, nuts and seeds. Phytates can be reduced by cooking, sprouting and fermentation (lactic acid - through naturally occurring yeasts). Some examples of such fermented products are yoghurt, sour /leavened breads, sour dough starters, yeast breads, rice preparations like idlis, dosas uttapams made with fermented/leavened rice. Sprouting is another wonderful way of reducing these toxins.
Oxalic acid: It reduces calcium absorption by binding to the calcium ions. Found highly in vegetables like spinach, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb and beans. (check the link to jugalbandi for more infomation that)
Age: The amount of calcium absorbed by the body decreases with age. This is one of the reasons why increasing the calcium intake after the age 50+ is so important to prevent calcium malnutrition and prevent osteoporosis, a not so uncommon problem among women and men at this age.

Calcium excretion (loss) is affected by (source):

Sodium (Na⁺ ; the mineral, a constituent of table salt) and proteins in the food increase the loss of calcium. However, if the food high in sodium and proteins also contains calcium, then it could counteract the effect of calcium loss, as this calcium will get used up to prevent further loss.
Potassium (Ka⁺ ; the mineral): High potassium diet, like eating more than 7-8 servings of fruits per day, in the presence of high sodium diet can help decrease the calcium loss .
Caffeine intake can temporarily increase calcium loss, but it can be easily counteracted by increasing the amount of calcium intake. Do not drink it together with meals.

Sources:
Office of Dietary Supplements
AboutCalcium.net
Wikipedia

As a response to a comment, a clarification:
Please note that building of stones to our present scientific knowledge in whichever part of the body is not less frequent among those who eat meat than those who don't. Vegetarians do not have more stones than those who eat meat. It is, however, advised to those who have kidney stones, for example, to avoid eating plant products high in oxalic acid, or also those who have gaut or rheumatoid arthritis. It is usually a genetic predisposition for some.
If you do not agree with the facts given here or believe them not to be true, then you are most welcome to disagree, but then please include a reliable source of your information, or mention it accordingly and please don't claim it to be a fact just because you have been hearing it from a "neighbour", or have some vague information in your mind, it is irresponsible. use this as a chance to check the information you have before you put it here, please.

Another important aspect of calcium uptake is its interference with the intake of other important dietary minerals like Iron, Magnesium, Zinc and Phosphorus (a separate post on this topic will follow).

Other related posts at H&T:
How much calcium does a child need?

Update on 11. Jan 2009:
Just found this very informative page on calcium at Bee and Jai's Jugalbandi:
Calcium Q&A

Dairy free Milkshakes

2008-12-12T15:37:00.002+05:30

Some recipes of milk shakes I'm using for sunny boy to give him the otherwise-not-so-good-tasting calcium fortified rice milk, but these are wonderful with normal dairy milk too...

Raspberry milkshake

You need:
8 raspberries
150 ml milk (about a coffee cup) - I used calcium fortified rice milk
1/2 tsp sugar or honey (is required as the raspberries are quite tart)

Mix everything with a hand blender in a deep bowl. To remove seeds pass through a tea sieve. You can make it the same way using straberries and blueberries too.

Banana milkshake

You need:
1/2 medium sized banana
150 ml milk (about a coffee cup) - I used calcium fortified rice milk

Mix everything with a hand blender in a deep bowl. make it frothy by holding the blender at the surface.

Date milkshake
Recipe from Priya's Easy N Tatsy

You need:
3 dates, deseeded and chopped coarsely
1/2 tsp cocoa (or 1 tsp drinking chocolate powder) -optional,
150 ml milk (about a coffee cup) - I used calcium fortified rice milk
1 icecube (optional)

Soak dates in milk overnight (if you don't mind serving it warm then you can also soak it for half an hour in warm milk, as per the instructions at Priya's blog). dissolve the cocoa in 1 teaspoon hot water. Puree everything together. serve with a date on the glas rim.

Although, dates don't seem to go so well with rice milk, as they only make the milk sweet, but being comparitively low in flavours, don't hide the stronge taste of rice milk. So, I tried it with some cocoa, which did seem to help a bit and I made him drink half the milk, by letting him take one sip for each of his relatives - nana, nani, cousines, mausis, bua, mumma-papa etc, or sometimes I use his pet softtoys - Leonie, Wau wau and so on. :)

Today I also tried making a fruit pudding with rice milk, where I pureed some fruits along with the milk and cooked it up with one tablespoon of cornstarch. The thing I didn't like about it is the fact that I had to add a heapful of sugar fo it to be palatable. But, as such I think it is a good idea. It worked better than the milk shakes. But, I can't make it every day.

Reasons for using fortified rice milk: He has to be on this diary and soya free diet for about two to three weeks, to see if he is showing any improvement, as he showed a low level allergy to them and wheat in a bloof test. If you have other ideas, they are most welcome.
A good source of information on calcium from the Office of Dietery Suppliments (National Institute of Health), USA.

Mung sprouts, a salad

2008-12-08T02:48:00.003+05:30

Sprouts are in general quite healthy. As all the nutrients once the seeds start to sprout, are mobilised and so to say in an active form, which is quite valuable for the body and much easily available to be absorbed than otherwise. Sprouting also minimises the phytotoxins (phytates) present in beans, which make it unhealthy for them to be eaten raw.
But, still slightly heating it with some water and optionally with spices on medium low heat for a few minutes is the best way to eat them.
This is how I make it for a quick meal or snack:
Mung sprouts salad

Ingredients:

2 cups mung sprouts
1 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
a few tbsp water
salt to taste
1/4 th English cucumber or 1/2 of large Indian varieties, peeled and cubed
1 large tomato, cubed
1 small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large boiled potato, cubed (optional)
1/2 green chili, finely chopped (optional)
1 - 2 tbsp lemon- / lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ground roasted cumin
1/4 tsp ground black salt, or to taste

Method.

heat oil in a fry pan on medium heat
add cumin so that it immediately splutters, add turmeric and sprouts
stir immediately and add some water, cover with lid and cook on medium low for 3 -5 minutes
cut the fresh cucumber, tomatoes, potatoes and onions in a bowl
add the lemon juice, chilli and coriander leaves
add salt to the sprouts, once done, to taste
either mix with the vegetables or keep in separate bowls while serving,
sprinkle with roasted cumin and black salt to taste and serve

This time Rishab ate it like this:
with parantha and another potato-red bell pepper sabzi and a small piece of mozarella

Southwest sauce

2008-12-05T14:54:00.000+05:30

I've recently become a Subway addict, and suddenly realized that I could make myself a Sub of sorts, if only I had some Southwest sauce and mayo. Got this recipe from a friend, am yet to try it out. I'll update this post when I do!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Vinegar
Squeeze of lime juice(can use the juice of 2 limes instead of vinegar)
1 cup Mayonnaise(preferably sugar-free, or diet mayo)
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
To taste - pickled jalapeno or chipotle.
8 cloves garlic, ground to paste

Substitute for jalapeno or chipotle in India(can be used in any recipe demanding pickled peppers, so you can pickle more than 2 at a time):
Take those absolutely mild green chillies, you'll need about 2 for this recipe.
Marinade in some vinegar, add a few poppy seeds("posto") and mustard seeds.
Salt generously. Add a teeny-tiny bit of sugar if you want.
Keep for 3 days, then deseed the chillies and puree them with a bit of the vinegar used and a little capsicum for the peppery smell.

Procedure:
Mix together the pickled peppers, mayo and mustard.
Add the garlic, adjust salt and seasoning(some chilli powder works nicely) to taste.
Drizzle some refined oil and mix in the vinegar and lime juice.

Et voila!
(Er... does this count as healthy enough to be here? It's definitely healthy for me 'cause i'll use about 1-2 tsp in a sandwich FULL of veggies!)

Banana "mushie"

2008-12-05T13:06:00.000+05:30

I've been eating at least 4 bananas daily recently, so trying to find out new things to do with them. I used to have them chopped up with oats, but got bored of that soon enough. Plus it takes too long to eat!

Then I remembered something I'd heard once in passing a few years ago. Tried it out, and it's turned out beautifully.

Ingredients:
Bananas(I use 2 bananas on 3 pieces of bread)
Bread(preferably unsweetened, cut into 3/4in. slices)
A little ground pepper
Honey if you want.

Process:
Toast the bread lightly.
Mush up the banana with a little pepper and honey, spread it on the toast - I like mine slightly warm - and devour immediately. This also works for slightly overripe bananas which you might not want to eat otherwise.

Carrot, the best way to eat them....

2008-12-05T02:01:00.006+05:30

...is with some oil or a type of fat. Give them to kids grated or cut into thin slices.

It is the oils and fats which are necessary for the good pro-vitamin A (β carotene) to be absorbed by our body. Let the children chew the carrots properly as well.

These are three tempting ways that I remember of doing it for the kids:

A yoghurt dip: mix some yoghurt (strained, if possible)/curd/low fat- quark with whipped cream or clotted cream (Indian malai), add some salt and pepper or a pinch of ground roasted cumin. Serve with carrots, grated or cut into thin sticks or rings to be eaten as finger food
Just sprinkle grated carrots (or in any form) with some edible oil (which has not been heated!), a teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper or ground roasted cumin
A vinaigrette: mix some olive oil (or oil of choice) with natural white wine vinegar , salt, mustard (optional), roasted ground cumin, pepper or a pinch of chili powder, stir thoroughly with a spoon till you get homogeneous mass and dip your carrots in it, like we did today (see picture above)

We will use the leftover vinaigrette tomorrow, maybe again with carrots or some cucumber and tomatoes.

TIP: try to use as much oils high in unsaturated fatty acids (mono and poly unsaturated), as they contain the types of fatty acids which cannot be produced in our body. For example.

cold pressed rapeseed oil
cold pressed mustard oil
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

These oils are not good for deep frying, as they mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids degrade on heating on high temperatures, the reason why one needs to buy these which have been extracted by cold pressing. But, these can still be used for cooking or (stir-) frying or baking

Some examples of oils which should :

not be heated (at best to be used cold),
always kept in the dark,
in air-tight containers (should not come in contact with too much air - oxidative degradation)
and at best be used up fast as they are very unstable, being so rich in unsaturated fatty acids which make them so healthy :

walnut oil
sesame seed oil
almond oil
pumpkin seed oil

Some more comparatively stable oils, which are good for deep frying (should not be done too often, of course!):

peanut oil
sunflower oil
coconut oil
ghee - not a plant oil, but animal fat, but, is also a good substitute. But, one should keep in mind the high amount of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in it

Therefore, deep frying should best be done not more than once a month, or at best even lesser.
Any type of oil should always be stored in airtight containers otherwise it degrades (becomes rancid) and even the comparitively stable ones, once heated on high temperatures, also start to degrade much more and faster, so repeated heating of oil, especially in large gaps of days is not good. Do not store deep fried oil for long, but, either use it as much possible in the next few days or throw it away. Wastage or not, nothing is wrong if it is for your health.
Give me more names of oils if you want to know about them which I have left out. I have only mentioned the most common ones.

How much calcium does a child need?

2008-11-24T21:52:00.017+05:30

This is a post which I'm writing more like in a note form, so that I finally am able to publish it.

Hope it is still of help to others too. Please leave your feedback or comments for any other question you think should be answered in this topic or wish to know more. I'll try to include it. Do check the links given at the bottom in this regard. I have tried to keep the list as small as possible and it contains good links to reliable information, which are also the source of information for this post.

Why do children (and adults - to a lesser extent) need calcium?

Required for healthy mental and physical development of the child - by their growing bones and teeth, important for general cellular (body) functioning, especially nerves and muscles, and activating enzymes required by the body to produce energy, and for blood clotting, and many other important body functions.
Long term shortage can lead to rickets among children (osteoporosis among adults-especially 50+).

How much calcium does a child need (a rough estimate)?

Upto 3 years of age: about 500 mg per day calcium - about 1 1/2 - 2 cups milk or plain yoghurt
4 -8 years of age: about 800 mg per day calcium - about 2-3 cups of milk
9-18 years of age: 1,300 mg per day calcium - about 3-4 cups of milk or the equivalent amount of cheese and yoghurt

The calcium in 1 cup of milk = 1 cup of yogurt = 1 and 1/2 ounces of cheese= 2 ounces of processed cheese. 1 ounce = 28 (25-30) g cheese.

For the body to absorb the calcium properly, adequate amounts of Vitamin D is neccsary. A very good source of Vitamin D is the sunlight, which is required by our body to produce vitamin D in our own body.
Good physical activity, like walking, running, jumping, other sports activities which require the legs to carry the body weight, is necessary for children's bones to develop properly and to promote new bone cells to develop and grow.

Food rich in Calcium

Dairy products are supposed to be the best sources of calcium:
Milk, yoghurt and cheese: gouda, chedder, mozarella, ricotta, soft cheese - mould cheese and many others. Cheese is a much more concentrated form of calcium source than milk. Yoghurt is a more easily digestible (proteins) source of calcium than milk. The best option is to include all of them. Cheese also has much lower lactose content than milk or yoghurt, as it has been broken down and used up by microbes present in cheese, which is usually stored for much longer than yoghurt, for example, which is again a better option than milk.

In case of allergies or lactose intolerance or those living on a vegan diet, it can be compensated with many other vegetable sources, beans and fortified products like orange juice fortified with calcium. But in such cases, a doctors advice needs to be taken to see how it can be achieved best.

Calcium rich non-dairy products, some examples:

Tofu (soyabeans)
Soya milk, fortified
Orange juice (packed), fortified
Muesli and cereals, fortified
Green leafy vegetables - like spinach, beet greens and pak choi,
Beans : soya beans- ripe, white beans, baked beans
Crucifers (Brassica spp.): broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, musttard greens, etc.
Other vegetables: Okra
Nuts and seeds: especially sesame seeds, almonds
Grains: amaranth, quinoa

Many common fish varieties, like rainbow trout (cultured), salmon, atlantic sardines

Following is the list of good links to recipes for the above mentioned categories
(I'll update it everytime I find some good information/recipes):

Beet greens at Madhuram's Egglesscooking.com

Update: A good source of information on calcium from the Office of Dietery Suppliments (National Institute of Health), USA.
Sources of information for this post (please check the websites below for more detailed answers to the above questions):
wiki
Keep kids healthy.com
iVillage: toddlers
About.com
Children need calcium...
Parentingideas.org
calcium for children and teens
good sources of calcium for my child
Calcium: The vegetarian resource group - Nutrition

Other related posts:
What affects calcium absorption?

Update on 11. Jan 2009:
Just found this very informative page on calcium at Bee and Jai's Jugalbandi:
Calcium Q&A

Easy Peas-y Pasta

2008-11-18T10:05:00.004+05:30

I know it's been a while since I've put up any new recipes here and I should have been posting regularly now that I'm home with the Noobie all the time. I've been experimenting with her and at 19 months, she's now eating everything. I don't make anything on the side for her, she usually eats everything we do. We've ever been big on spicy food anyhoo so it wasn't too hard.

This is her all-time favorite. She'll eat this when she won't eat anything else.

Ingredients:
A handful of frozen peas
A handful of sweet corn
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp onion paste
1/4 tsp ginger-garlic paste + some
Coriander powder
Chicken / Vegetable Stock
A pinch of salt
Cumin and rapeseed
A cup of pasta - I usually go wth the rice-shaped one

Process:
1. Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt and very little ginger garlic paste. Drain and keep aside in a colander when ready.
2. In very little olive oil, fry cumin and rapeseed until they splutter. Add the onion paste and cook until the color changes to a light pink. Add the ginger-garlic, tomato puree, salt and coriander powder and cook for a few minutes. Add the peas, and sweet corn and stock. Cover and cook until peas and sweet corn are soft. Add pasta. Mix well and serve.

Variations:
Noo's liked this with boiled eggs.
Once in a while, much like my everything-rice, I throw in whatever veggie I can find in the fridge - Noo loved the cabbage version as well as the squash version just as much.

I'm looking for a good eggplant/brinjal recipe to get the tyke to like it. Ideas?

Zucchini and Mushroom saute

2008-11-17T15:25:00.006+05:30

...or just call it subzi ;)
Since someone requested me to give the recipe, I'm posting it here too:

Ingredients:
1/2 zucchini, cut into thin strips
150-200 g small mushrooms, whole or quartered - I used crimini mushrooms, but white ones are fine too, but they should be fresh and should not give in on pressing 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated finely (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped - I left it out as sonny boy doesn't like it
1 tsp cumin, whole seeds
1 tbsp coriander, ground
1 pinch hing, ground (or just pressed down with the flat side of a large knife )-optional
chilli powder or black pepper to taste
salt to taste (use sparely for children)
1 tbsp rapeseed oil and some more if required

Method:

heat rapeseed oil in a saute pan / fry pan on medium high
add cumin, let splutter and add the onion if using
fry till the onion is golden in colour and / or add the coriander and stir once quickly
add the ginger stir again, reduce heat
add the zucchini , fry for about 3-4 minutes till half done
add the mushrooms and saute (do not stir too much, add some olive oil or rapeseed oil, if desired) on medium heat till they get a nice brownish tinge
serve warm with rice or bread or roti / parantha

Sometimes I also add some sesame seeds to the food, as I love them in food. But, I'd do that once you are sure that your child is not allergic and is old enough, maybe 2 years or above.

"My Child is not eating...."

2008-11-13T03:34:00.022+05:30

Update: see below.
This is the same old story one hears so often in different versions, but, which I think every mother goes through. How easy is it to say "Don't worry!", but how difficult once it is you yourself as a mother who has to deal with it. I remember how long I was worried about my son's eating habits. But, it is always good to inform oneself about such things to know "Is my child really eating very little.... Is it so little that I need to worry? A lot of times the doctors measure the weight of the child and check his growth curve and say "All is well!" And you "Huh!...that's it?!.... It can't be?!".
Since I'm not a nutritionist I can only tell you what I have learned through experience as a mother and what I read and hear around me from others and which makes sense to me.

But, before I begin, one thing should be clear that the focus should always be the child and his well being and his physical and mental health rather than the (amount of) food. As, a lot of times despite worrying so much, a simple reason is that children's taste buds and sense of smell are much more sensitive and there being so many new tastes which they encounter day in day out that they need time to get used to all of them. Keep offering your child these fruits even if it refuses to eat them. But let it remain to that, let your child decide on its own what it wants.

Some tips which might help you deal with the situation better:

An important rule, which applies to major number of everyday situations with children: "Give them Time". Keep trying, again and again.... and again.... and again.................. That is what motherhood means.
Don't force feed. Do not feed him something which he refuses to eat and shows complete dislike for.
I do want him to try and taste the food, but if he refuses to eat then I have to respect it. I can pester a lot, but he is even more stronger willed, thankfully!
Once, I had read that one has to offer a child the particular food at least 32 times (or more; corresponds to the number of teeth an "ideal" human mouth can have) over a longer period of time before you know if your child really dislikes it. I like the idea a lot.
Here, there is an old saying which is difficult to translate (Ein kind holt sich, was er braucht) but means something like "a child will come and get for himself / eat when its body needs it" - this will apply given the condition that you offer them a balanced diet, offer enough choice and a healthy meal is served on the table, the rest can / should be left to them. I'll be honest - I find it hard to follow this rule. But, it is surely a good line of thought to follow. Trust them a bit more in taking the right decisions on their own.
Involve your child while preparing food, like cutting fruits or vegetables. Let them also lay the table get the spoons for example for them to realise that it is time for lunch or dinner.
Eat together with your child. It is mor fun for them. It applies to toddler age too, onmce they beginn to eat with their spoon, however much they can.
Encourage them to eat on their own, don't refuse. Take time to let them eat, It may mean 20 minutes more. Plan this time whenever possible , if not always. You'll be rewarded wit an independent and enthusiastic eater one day.
With children 3 or 4 years onwards, go shopping with them and ask them what they would like to buy. Try and see how long will the child want to eat the same vegetable every day. One day he might come and say "mom...let's buy something else today.."
One thing which I learned after becoming a mother was that a lot of times children quite often instinctively know what is not good for them and avoid eating it, like in case of allergies or intolerance. Now this may not necessarily be always the case, as in such cases you would also see physical signs of these most of the times. But, one does need to pay heed to it and also respect it.
Don't feed babies and toddlers too many things in one go. Offer just one fruit at a time. Less variety is a much better choice at that age. The lesser number of fruits a child is exposed to at an early age, the better. Only after they reach the age when they start going to school, should one worry about offering them a variety of things.

If you want to start your baby with solids then, two important things one should keep in mind (see also this post on food allergy and intolerance):

Choose one vegetable which is considered hypoallergenic, trust your instincts too in this matter and as to what your child would like.
Do not give anything else for at least a week. Depending upon the age of the baby, you could either stay with this one vegetable for as long as you feel like (1, 2 or 3 months or even longer) and if the baby rejects it even after a week or you feel that it does not suit the baby - watch his stool and any physical reactions like rashes and redness, then try something else. Even if your child is not allergy prone, it may react to the food, as the body's immune system is developing at that age and it needs time to get to know its environment and overexposure is not good.

Good sites to go to for good tips regarding baby food:
Starting babies on solids
Introducing solids to babies and charts at Wholesomebabyfood.com
Recipes for babyfoods at Wholesomebabyfood.com
I highly recommend you to go to Wholesomebabyfood.com for any questions regarding baby foods. It is good guide. Many questions to which your paediatrician cannot give good answers to may be given here, or to questions which pop up in your mind.

This is what my midwife, surely the age of my mother, once said and it impressed me a lot: "...Today's mothers always seem to be in too much of a hurry with their children.... want them to grow so fast ..... do everything and do everything fast...". It's true in different ways, isn't it? Maybe it has reasons, why we are like that, like external pressures, wanting our child to survive in today's speedy world where everybody is wanting to be better and faster than the other. But, for that very reason, we have to teach our children to stay healthy by having a healthy attitude towards food. To learn to enjoy food. And, honestly, do you like all the vegetables? An did this thought ever cross your mind that maybe had we had the chance to choose between eating this particular vegetable or leave it, that today we might actually react totally differently today than we do now, the moment we think of this vegetable. Vegetables are important, but we need to trust our children much more that they will choose to eat healthy if given enough options and time on the longer run. That they will still develop into healthy beings with an healthy mind.
We do need o tell them to keep trying a vegetable, find ways, force or motivation or tricks (fair ones - the child should not feel cheated, the are way smarter than we think, isn't it?),.......... but only to make them try it. Let it be a tiny piece only. Accept their "No, I didn't like it" and don't forget to tell them that you are proud of them that they at least tried it.
And this site was created by Swati just for the purpose of having ideas on offering different thing which your child might like to eat.To share your recipes which were successful with your child. I guess picturee are not even so important ass long as you give ideas and a rough guideline as to how to makeit. And if you can't do that at that moment and give the readers the option of asking you by email for example when they want to prepare the dish you posted about.
This (picture above) is what my sonny boy ate a couple of days back. If you want the recipies then ask me: Zucchini parantha with sauted / stirfried mushrooms and zucchini in some cumin and coriander powder and salt and 'rasa aloo' with ajwain seeds (the zucchini in the mushrooms was the other leftover half I used up for parantha dough).
Please do give me your feedback and suggestions on this topic. Or a link to any good site you know. Looking forward to your feedback as experienced mothers/parents.

Update: Good tips here:
What to Do with a Picky Eater

Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance

2008-10-31T16:09:00.026+05:30

Updated on 4th November 2008:
Last month was an allergy awareness month, so this is my belated contribution to it:
Through the blogsphere I am getting to know that the concept of allergy is not clear to all. I know, even here, people misinterpret and use the terms too loosely. But, I feel as smart blogging mothers, I expect you to know and understand it thoroughly! -
The basic difference between an Food allergy and a Food intolerance.
Allergy is an immune-reaction of the body against the foreign bodies it encounters - also termed as Allergen(s). An allergic reaction happens when the white blood cells (lymphocytes) get activated and recognise certain "harmless" foreign "protein-aceous" substances as a danger and start producing antibodies against them. These allergens could be present anywhere - dust (mites, spores), pollens, foods - fruits and vegetables, nuts, but also eggs and milk and its products. Viewed at the molecular level it is almost invariably a protein or a peptide ( a small sized protein). Now you might have heard of people having an allergy against uncooked or unroasted foods like nuts or fruits like apples, but, can eat the cooked / roasted forms, as the allergens - proteins degrade through it. But, it is usually in cases of a milder forms of the allergy. As over-activated lymphocytes is not good for ones health and can also get very dangerous.
For those showing a strong hypersensitivity to certain allergens, they need to avoid it completely, as it can be fatal for them! (Anaphylaxis) They need an immediate treatment, if they come in contact with the allergen.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction are listed here.
The best thing to do when one notices the first signs of allergic reactions to certain things is to talk to ones doctors and take care of the allergy at an early stage. As, one can get oneself desensitised to many of the allergens and prevent them from getting worse.

Food Intolerance: This is usually the body's response - a much slower one as compared to an allergy - caused by its inability to produce certain enzymes or other digestive substances, otherwise present in a healthy body. The reasons can be varied, genetic, but also environmental. Some common examples of intolerance are:
Lactose intolerance and
Gluten intolerance (also called coeliac disease; Not gluten allergy!).

The less common ones for example: Fructose and sucrose intolerance, or intolerance towards certain medical drugs or also salicyclate intolerance (Active principle in Aspirin).

An allergic reaction involves a hypersensitive reaction through antibodies and the white blood cells, whereas an intolerance does not - it is more a metabolic defect.

Hope I didn't make things even more complicated than they already were! If, yes, write your comments here or contact me.

Update on 4th November:
Tharini has also put a similar but very good information of clarification on both (here).

Many of you have actually made me check on one point about lactose intolerance once again. I keep hearing from many that they were or their child was temporarily intolerant. It confuses me, as it is the enzyme lactase we are talking about which breaks down lactose (a disaccharide) into glucose and galactose, which can then be absorbed by the intestine into the blood. I checked in wikipedia and am going to ask Rishab's doctor too. Normally the situation is like this:
1) either the enzyme is there in abundance or
2) its production is reduced or
3) it is almost absent. It has genetic and environmental factors.
But (I had not gone into details about this part of the information), sometimes it can get temporarily interrupted (source: wiki) :

through infections of the gastro-intestinal tract like gastroentiritis.
But, this is, as I understand, a very short term interruption, i.e., lactase production would restore as soon as the disease is over or the intestinal wall is healthy which would normally be within weeks.
Another reason is the lactose overload, i.e., not enough lactase can be produced to break down the lactose sugar. Another very intersting point which was unknown to me (I'm not sure about its correctness)

I just found a very good link on Lactose Intolerance at kids health.org, which points out more situations where it can arise temporarily.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm not a doctor and any information given here does not replace the guidance required by a doctor in both the forms of medical conditions mentioned above!

Here are some more informative posts from fellow bloggers about their personal experiences and on Food Allergies:

Tharini's Post on the same topic
On Food allergies at Karmickids
Childhood allergies at Sujatha's Blogpourri
Dotthoughts at Karma Calling
Monika's at Everyday life
Sundar Narayanan's personal story
Indianmommies

Vanilla Pudding (or a vegetarian Vanilla Custard)

2008-10-26T15:34:00.020+05:30

Update: do go and read the below mentioned post of Bharati, a good read for all health conscious mothers!!
Inspired by this post on chocolate pudding by Bharati of Veggie foodist , I also tried my hand at home made vanilla pudding and it turned out great. It is a very simple thing to make and I knew it all the time, and I had also seen on the packets of puddings the ingredients and found it quite easy too, but never tried it myself until now.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Utensils: a whisk, a deep saucepan, a tabelspoon, a bowl, measuring spoons

For 4 servings

Ingredients:

400 ml milk (depending on the thickness required one can also increase the quantity later)
1 pinch of curcuma (a pinch is enough to give a light lemony colour to the pudding)
2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract (or any vanilla extract)
4 level tablespoon cornstarch
4-6 level tablespoon sugar (take lesser in the beginning , as sugar can also be added later)

Method:

Take out about 6 table spoons of milk before adding it to a deep saucepan
Add the cucuma and vanilla extract to the milk and whisk
while stirring in between, bring it to a rolling boil, reduce heat and stir
In the mean time mix the cornstartch and sugar with a spoon and add 6 tablespoon of the cold milk to it to make a smooth paste*
When the milk starts to boil, remove from heat and while whisking continuously slowly add the cornstarch paste.
Stir further till it mixes evenly
Place back on heat and bring to boil again on medium heat while stirring in between, making sure that the base of the pan does not burn
When it starts to throw bubbles reduce heat and let it simmer for a few minutes, while stirring
Serve warm with fruits of choice or just plain

*NOTE:

add the milk to the cornstarch after adding sugar
ad the milk slowly one spoon after the other and mixing thoroughly in between
use a small whisk or fork to crush the lumps, if they don't dissolve

As you can see in the picture, this time I was abit careless and burnt my pudding a bit at the base. It wasn't that bad, only slightly and partly because of bourbon vanilla. But, I would love to know, if any of you have tips for that. One is to put some cold water at the base before adding milk, it does not seem to do anthing for me.
So, guten appetit! we enjoyed our simple dessert with some fruits, hope you do yours too.

TIP: I also use vanilla pudding to make fruit triffle.

Multi Grain Chilla

2008-09-30T13:48:00.002+05:30

Ingredients
1 cup Multi Grain Powder*
1 cup water
1 finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped capsicum (I had put yellow and red ones)
2 green chillies finely chopped
salt and chili powder to taste

note - u can any other vegie u like

Method
1. Mix the powder with water to get a batter of smooth consistency...
2. Add salt, chilli powder and rest of the ingridents
3. Heat a tawa and spread the mixture on the tawa...
4. Roast on side and then turn and roast the other.
5. Enjoy with ketchup or green chutney...

* - the funda here is the powder... we usually make it the following way...
100gms ragi (Finger millet)
100 gms wheat
100 gms bajra Pearl Millet
100 gms jawar
100 gms corn
100 gms green moong dal
100 gms black gram
handful of almonds
handful of cashew

wash all the grains and the soak overnight for slight sprouting
dry roast them on low flame and then grind them till powder is ready

Its extremely nutritious and my son loves it... for him I usually make it by just cooking it for 5 mins with water and later feed him by mixing it with his formula or some curd

The above is a cumbersome process and if u dont have the time and energy to do so.. u can get a similar ready powder in the market (atleast in the southern parts of the country its pretty popular)

Honey lemon chicken

2008-09-23T10:07:00.000+05:30

Honey Lemon Chicken
- simple and easy.

Ingredients
1/2 kg skinless, boneless chicken
Oil for frying(I used sunflower oil - avoided mustard oil)

Make batter of:
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt as per taste
Pepper as per taste
2 egg whites
1/4 cup milk
Pinch of cinnamon

For Sauce:
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup clear honey
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Cut chicken into small(bite-size) pieces
Marinate overnight with salt and lemon juice
Make batter - should be quite thick, because fluid from the chicken will thin it out.
Dip chicken into batter
Fry in a non-stick pan till golden brown
Remove and drain
Mix honey, butter and lemon juice, warm slightly
Serve hot, pour honey sauce over the fried chicken on the plate

I wish I had pics, but no camera here :(.
I found that just the fried chicken dumplings tasted really nice - this could be a nice evening snack if you roll the dumplings in breadcrumbs before frying. Otherwise, tastes nice with rice noodles(stir-fried with bits of chopped boiled veggies added) or even just roti.
Another option which will completely change the taste around is to add soya sauce, basil and some herbs to the honey instead of lemon.

I'm longing to try this out again, and carry out the combinations and alterations in my head :)

Cheese Parantha

2008-09-20T18:20:00.001+05:30

This parantha is a favourite with Anirudh. And I guess it would be for all the kids who like cheese.

Ingredients:

A ball of roti dough.
2-3 tbsp of ghee/oil/butter (I prefer to use ghee with Anirudh)
Cheese (I used regular cheddar from Brittania)

Steps:

Roll out the dough into a shape of a roti.
Spread 1 tsp of ghee over it.
Grate the cheese over it.
Fold it up.
Roll it out again.
Put it on the tawa (girdle) and make it like just any other parantha.
Once done, take it off and give to your hungry kid who will definitely love it!

Variations:

I have once made it with Gouda cheese too and it turned out as delicious as it was with cheddar.
You can make aloo-cheese parantha too by using a boiled aloo, mashed and mixed with grated cheese.

Meethi Moong

2008-08-29T17:18:00.000+05:30

Everyone in my family enjoys eating methi and though we make it in quite some ways... aalo methi, gajar methi, methi-palak toor dal, methi paneer... we had got kind of bored with all this and thus I put my thinking cap and tried to get something different... the result was very good and all at home loved it :) Its an simple and extremely healthy dish... do try it our

Ingredients

2 cups fresh chopped methi leaves
3/4 cup moong dal
2 medium onions chopped
1 large tomato chopped
3-4 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp tava fry masala (u can make it at home also but easier way is to get MDH tava fry masala)
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
chilli powder if u want it spicy (i was like my food spicy)
2 tsp oil

Method
1. Wash and soak moong dal for about 15 mins and then keep it for boiling in a pan with abt 1 cup of water, boil for about 5 mins or till tender and drain the water... they should just be boiled and not sticking to each other

2. Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds to eat... after the cumin becomes brown add the dry chillies and fry for 1/2 minute

3. Add the onions and fry till they start becoming golden brown

4. Add the tomatoes and fry till it leaves oil

5. Add all dry masalas and fry for another 1/2 minute
6. Now add the methi leaves
7. Fry for about 4-5 minutes till they become tender and then add the boiled and drained moong dal

8. Fry for another 3-4 minutes and then bingo its ready...... enjoy.......

Dahi Walla Bread Upma

2008-08-28T11:45:00.000+05:30

I got a mail on Aug 26th ..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
Recpie to contribute to the blog... my first one... :) http://monikamanchanda15.blogspot.com/2008/07/dahi-walla-bread-upma.html also let me know how to contribute further
Regards
Monika
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monika , sorry for the late post. Sending you an invite to this blog so that you can write directly here , instead of depending on me :)

Guys , go read , cook and enjoy the upma :)

Wheat Flour Cheela

2008-08-26T13:45:00.000+05:30

Kheer Cheela is one of the loved occasional weekend brunch at my in laws place. Occasional because its high in calories and loved because we all love sweets. Its nothing but rice kheer served with two kinds of cheelas.To all my south indian friends , cheela is nothing but small dosa.

Of the two kinds of cheela served , one is salty moong dal cheela. I did share the recipe here , the only difference is that instead of moong sprouts , moong dal is used.

Other one is the sweet wheet flour cheela. This post concentrates on this cheela , because Aryan loved it and I now make it often just for him , without kheer , as evening snack.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Cardomom powdered - 1 pinch

Water - 1 glass

Steps
1. Mix water in flour , to make a smooth paste.

2. Add sugar and cardomon powder and leave for 10 minutes for sugar to dissolve.

3. Mix well. The paste should be of dripping consistency.

4. Spread like a dosa on a non stick tava and roast using little ghee.

Bad Picture Quality ..Sorry!

Thats my plate ..SLURP !!

To add to variety , coriander chutney and Potato gravy is also served along , but I did not make potato gravy and rather served another gravy from previous night.

Cheese Toast

2008-08-15T12:39:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:

Cheese - 250 gm
Milk - 1/2 cup (may need more while preparing paste)
Italian seasoning that you get with pizza
Black pepper powder
1 -2 capsicum
1-2 tomatoes
1-2 onions
1 cup of corn pearls
White/brown bread slices
Pizza sauce or simple tomato ketchup

Steps:

Put cheese, milk and Italian seasoning and make a smooth thick paste. If you make it too thin, it will pour out while baking fro the slices to the baking tray.
Dice all the vegetables finely.
Spread bread slices on the baking tray.
Put pasta sauce or tomato ketchup on the slices.
Put the diced vegetables.
Put the cheese-milk sauce.
Bake it for about 10-12 min in the oven at 200° C
Let it cool before digging your teeth into it as the cheese paste is VERY hot! :)

Variations:
1. You can make it with plain cheese-milk paste.
2. You can add mushrooms and olives as well.

Uttapam

2008-07-28T12:50:00.001+05:30

Ingredients:

1. Dhuli Urad - 3/4 cup
2. Rice - 1/4 cup

Steps:
1. Wash and soak the rice and daal for 2-3 hours.

2. Grind them adding little water to make a thick batter, add salt and asafoetida (heeng) and let it to rise overnight (8-9 hours)

3. You might have to add little bit of water after the batter has risen as the batter should not be very thick.

4. Spread it over a tawa (girdle). I've never been fussy of perfect rounds which is obvious from the picture.

5. Sprinkle some chopped onions and put little droplets of oil on the open side and flip it when its done from the other side.

7. Serve it with coconut chutney or ketchup as you like it!

Variations:
1. Instead of onion, you can use finely chopped tomato as a topping.
2. You can make mixed veggie uttapam by finely dicing capsicum, diced tomato, chopped onion, coriander and grated carrot for topping.

P.S. I forgot to click the pic of the uttapam when fully done.

Healthy Bhel Puri

2008-07-25T15:31:00.000+05:30

This is a healthy version of Bhel Puri - the eternal favorite of all things children and adult.

Ingredients:
1. Murmure - 2 cups
2. Onion - 1/2
3. Potato - 1 small
4. Cucumber - 1/4
5. Apple - 1 very small slice.
6. Sprouts - About 50 gms
7. Assorted vegetables that can be eaten raw - about 1/2 cup (incl carrots, matar et al)
8. Pudina Chutney - to taste
9. Gur-Imli Chutney - a little more than pudina chutney, as per your preferance.
10. Salt, Pepper, Green Chilli and Black Salt to taste. No red chilli. Add oregano if u or the children like it.
11. Grapes - one for each child.

Preparation:
1. Dice all the vegetables into really small pieces.
2. Mix Murmura, Vegetables, Salt, pepper, black salt, seasoning et al. in a bowl.
3. Now toss the vegetables and add again(apple is a vegetable in this recipe)
4. Add both the chutneys and mix like bhel is normally mixed.

Serving:
1. Place a single grape at the bottom of each serving bowl.
2. Top with Bhel puri.
3. Decorate with a wedge of Apple if you'd like. (not really recommended)
4. Challenge the children to find the hidden grape in their bowls while eating and to say "Bingo" each time they are able to identify a piece of sweet apple in their spoon.
5. Reward all children. :-)

Why this is healthy
You will notice that Bhel tastes nice even without the sev and the puri et al, if there are enough veggies to maintain variety in each bite. This one is totally fat free, and manages to push a little roughage down.

Sevain ki Kheer

2008-07-20T21:10:00.000+05:30

One of my favorite childhood sweetdishes "Sevain ki Kheer" (sweet vermicilli in milk) is what I made yesterday, which we all enjoyed as a hot dessert and I think it is quite healthy for a child too. Since I used whole wheat vermicilli and whole cane sugar (something like north Indian shakkar) that makes it all the more healthy. So, enjoy!

But there is another thing I would like to share regarding this dish. This dish also reminds me of "Java ki Kheer" which both my grand mothers made for us now and then. These are home made whole wheat (atta) noodles (I'm calling them so) and resemble vermicilli to a certain extent, except that they are very short (1 -2 cm), spindle shaped noodles, about 2 mm thick in the middle and thinner outside. And are prepared just like "Sevain ki Kheer".
Since this is another one my recipes I learnt through watching my mom prepare it, I cannot give you precise measures. But, then there isn't much that can go wrong, simple as it is. The only important thing is that shouldn't leave it for long in the pan over the stove, as the vermicilli swells up too much and gets too soft. It is best enjoyed when still hot. Store the left overs in the fridge and add hot milk to it for the next time.
The most important flavoring in this "kheer" comes from whole cane sugar. It gives a wonderful aroma to this simple but delicate dessert. Once you have eaten it like this, you would never want to make it with white sugar. I would also love to use palm sugar or jaggery for this, but then there is more work involved, and I don't get them here in any case.
So, here it goes, the easiest and yummiest recipe around!

Makes for 4-5 people.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
(These are approximate measures)

2 cups (100 g) whole wheat vermicilli
750ml milk
100 g whole cane sugar (or use north Indian Shakkar)
1 tbsp almonds, chopped
Optionally:
1-2 tsp ghee or butter for roasting the vermicilli
2-3 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp raisins
1 cardamom , powdered (if using white sugar)

Method:

Roast the whole wheat vermicilli for short on medium heat , with or without ghee
Add milk and stir. Increase heat to full. Let cook while stirring in between, till it starts to boil. Reduce heat to low.
Add whole cane sugar (if you use refined sugar, then you might require cardamom powder or rose water for the flavour)
Keep stirring while coking the vermicilli till done. It should be al dente, just like spaghetti
Serve garnished with raisins or almonds

My son wanted some raisins in his dessert which I added just to his hot vermicilli in his bowl.

Whole wheat Banana Pancake

2008-07-18T19:45:00.000+05:30

Yes, again banana! But, wait, the recipe is really simple and finger-licking tasty! :)

The inspiration for making this recipe comes from A&N's Banana Muffins. On seeing A&N's lovely muffins, I knew I have to do something with my over-ripe bananas lying in my fruit basket too. So, here is my ultra-simplified version (Although, I plan to make the muffins one day too!).
Since I have a three year old son, I have become very conscious about what ingredients I use, how healthy it is, if I can reduce the amount of sugar in it or replace it with something healthy and so on. This time I served it with some stirred sourcream and blueberries as an evening snack which was enjoyed by us and my son thoroughly. He ate so much that I could forget about his dinner, but then I didn't worry! As this is a wholesome meal for children for now and then.

The picture is not showing the best pancake, but just didn't remember to click. Managed to take one picture later on. The pancake got a bit wrinkled while turning. :(

Preparation Time: 1 h 15 minutes
Baking time: 3 minutes for each pancake
Makes about 8-10 pancakes

Ingredients:

Pancake Batter:
2 ripe bananas (overripe is as good!)
150 g Wholewheat flour
2 tsp Baking powder
250 ml milk
1 tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
or
1 large pinch cardamom powder

Oil or butter for frying the pancakes

Method:

Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl
Mix the whole wheat flour with the baking powder and add to the crushed bananas
add milk and maple syrup and mix everything with a whisk into a smooth batter
Set aside for about an hour , if for longer, then put in the fridge, covered
Use butter or oil for frying them in a fry pan or griddle
For that, heat the pan on medium heat, spread a tbsp of butter and put one ladle of the batter on the pan and spread slowly with a base of a ladle into a round pancake.
Cover the pan immidiately. Reduce heat slightly
After about half a minute, when the upper part is no more fluid and shows bubbles, turn it upside down. Use some more butter, if required.
Bake till the other side is done.
Serve with maple syrup or honey or sweetened apple puree and chopped nuts or fruits!

Keeping the blog alive! ;)

Mung Sprouts Parantha

2008-06-21T04:18:00.000+05:30

This is one variant of using mung sprouts which I had to improvise as my hubby protested about having to eat mung salad which I love to make, where I steam the mung sprouts for short with a pinch of turmeric, add my simple home made chaat masala, chopped onion, tomatoes, diced cucumber, some fresh cilantro, if I have it at home, and lemon juice. But NO! It was too healthy for him. I guess you might know what I am talking about.

So, here is a creation which wasn't bad at all. I steamed the sprouts like I mentioned above and I made the paranthas with rape seed oil (mustard), which added to the flavour a lot. I just mixed the sprouts to the usual dough while preparing it with atta (whole wheat chapati flour).
All you need is the atta, salt, spices of choice, mung sprouts steamed with turmeric and salt for 3-5 minutes with little water, if required.
I could not make these paranthas puff up so much, because of the sprouts, but they still tasted really good. If you want to know exact preparation method, here are two links: one at about.com, the other at Indian Foods link.

It can be eaten with yoghurt raita, daal or any vegetable preparation.

Brown Vs. White Bread

2008-06-18T16:41:00.000+05:30

Did anyone tell you that white bread is more fattening/high in fat /has more calories than brown bread ????

Look at this chart.

After I see the chart I can say that brown bread is healthier than white but not less fattening. It has got equal amount of calories and more fat. But then it also has vitamins , minerals and protien in better quantity , so its healthier.

Also note that if you think, that the colour of the bread is brown , its whole wheat bread , then you are wrong. It can just be artificial colour.

If you don't believe me, read it here.

Strawberry smoothie

2008-06-05T22:04:00.000+05:30

Call it a smoothie or a shake, this is how I often make a strawberry drink, earlier for me and my hubby and now more often for my 3 yr. old son. Like today!

Preparation time: 5 minutes
For 2 persons

Ingredients:

6-8 strawberries, washed and pat dried, cleaned of the green cap or any other blemishes
2 small tubs (300 g) Yoghurt
1 scoop of strawberry icecream (or any other)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
2 mint leaves, chopped finely (optional)
a mint leaf as garnish

Method:
Mix everything with a blener untill smooth and homogenous.
Pour in a glas and serve garnished with a mint leaf.

Tips:

Substitute the strawberries with other fruits like raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.
When using tropical fruits, like mango (delicious!) adjust the sugar accordingly.
If it is too thick, just add some milk. Yes, you can replace yoghurt completely with milk too!
For those living in hot climates, a few cubes of ice would be great too!

Banana Sandwitch

2008-05-31T14:08:00.000+05:30

I guess you are wondering that I'm so fixed about bananas!
But in the afternoon, when my son is hungry, I like to give him half a banana (these south American ones are usually so huge that half is really enough), as it is a fruit, i.e., has vitamins and minerals, is sweet (a very important factor for my son!) and has calories (starch) too (important for the mom, as his weight is really on the margin). I may sound like one of those worrying mothers always complaining about how little their child eats, but just can't help it. So, I find it a good thing for an afternoon snack.
Now that he was getting bored of eating a banana which I had already cut into slices for him. He asked for it but then did not want to eat it, once it was on the table. Hhhhhhmmm....
So, I had to think up of something. Always eating away his leftovers is not doing me any good (Need I explain?!).
And this is how he enjoyed eating it, atleast half of it and then he was not hungry anymore, but that's OK! :
Whole wheat bread with a layer of a haselnut nougat creme (one famous brand is Nutella)
and banans over it.

Bananas playing Hide and Seek

2008-05-31T14:05:00.001+05:30

This is yoghurt with banana and honey. I have done this post earlier, but toda it is a little different. In this picture you don't see bananas. 'cause they are hiding!
That is how I made my 3 year old son eat his yoghurt the first time. And now he himself askes for it.
"Versteckte Bananen" is how I called it in German, to make it a game for him. I guess in Hindi I would call it " केला खेले छुपन छुपाई".

Aalo-Palak Parantha

2008-05-29T11:48:00.000+05:30

This again is nothing too different. But may be I want to post it for myself as I keep forgetting my options for Aryan's food :-P

Ingredients

Spinach/Palak - 1 Bunch
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Potato - 1 or 2 , boiled
Coriander leaves - (optional), washed and chopped
Onion - 1 small, fine chopped
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Mango Powder - 1 pinch
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp (only for adults)
Salt to taste

Steps :

Dough
1. Wash and pressure cook palak for 2-3 whistles
2. Grind it into the paste
3. Mix the paste with the flour and add little salt.
4. Make the dough just as you make for chapatis. Use all the palak and the water that remains when you pressure cook.
(Extra water may be added)

Filling
1. Grate the potatos and mix onion and coriander leaves.
2. Mix all the masalas

Process
1. Take a small ball of the dough and roll it using a rolling pin.
2. Keep a handful of the filling and close the edges.
3. Roll the parantha
4. Make the paranth on the non-stick tava , using little oil.

Serve it with curd or just like that.

Just another way to feed them with the greens :-)

Bread Poha

2008-05-28T09:33:00.000+05:30

I made bread poha today morning for breakfast. Its a quick and easy snack. Everyone in our family likes it. plus feel its a nice change from regular poha or eating bread toast.

Ingredients:

6-7 Bread slices (white or brown)
2 tomatoes
1 big onion (or take 2 small ones)
Salt
Garam masala
Red chilli powder
Coriander powder
Kadhi Patta
Rye/Mustard seeds
Fresh Coriander
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup milk (optional)

Steps:

Dice onions and tomatoes finely and keep them separate.
Dice bread slices into small squares. You can decide the size as per your liking. I usually dice them into very small squares.
Wash and clean the kadhi patta and either use it whole or dice it thin. (I dice it thin because my son doesn't like whole leaves coming into his mouth)
In a kadhai/wok, put the 1 tbsp oil.
When oil has become hot, add the rye seeds and let them splutter.
Add diced kadhi patta and onions. Saute them till translucent.
Add coriander powder, garam masala and red chilli powder.
Add tomatoes and salt. Saute it for a minute.
Add bread slices and diced fresh coriander. Mix well on low to medium flame.
Add the milk and mix.

Variations:

You can add vegetables in it as well. Use grated carrot, diced capsicum, green peas and saute them with onion before adding the diced tomatoes.
You can add fried peanuts or cashews.
I sometimes grate cheese over the serving and microwave it so that cheese kind of melts up. Betu likes it that way a lot.

Quick Macroni

2008-05-26T11:52:00.000+05:30

I am not sure if you would want to call it pasta , so I called it Quick Macroni.

Ingredients :

Macroni - 1 cup
Onion - 1 Big , fine chopped
Tomato - 1 Big , fine chopped
Salt - To taste
Chilli powder / Pepper powder - To taste
Oregano /Italian Seasoning (Optional)
Cheese - 1 Cube (Optional)
Oil - 1 tsp

Steps
1. Boil and drain macroni and keep it aside.
2. Heat the oil and saute Onion for few minutes.
3. Add Tomato , Salt and Chilli powder and saute for few more minutes.
4. Add cheese and let that melt.
5. Add the macroni and mix well.
6. Garnish with Itatian Seasoning.

I'm not sure what to call this dish..

2008-05-25T13:15:00.000+05:30

..I made it this weekend for the Nooster. During the week, she gets to eat stuff that my mom makes for her so over the weekends, I like to try my hand at making something fresh and healthy and ofcourse edible for her. This weekend, I tried this kichdi-cum-chicken pulao and Noo loved it. God, I was on cloud 9 for most of the day. No acheivement's felt better than this one.
Enough babble, on to the recipe.

Ingredients
1 tsp orange lentils (masoor)
1 tsp yellow lentils (tuvar)
2-3 tbsp rice
Ginger and garlic paste
Onion paste
Tomato puree
Salt to taste
Chicken stock
Left-over chicken

Method
Add a quarter of a chicken stock cube to half a glass of hot water and keep aside.
Heat a one tsp of oil, butter or ghee. Add a quarter tsp of onion paste and a quarter tsp of ginger-and-garlic paste and about a tsp of puree. When the mixture's started to brown, add the lentils. Add salt to taste. Add rice and stir well. Add the chicken-stock-water and cover and cook.

If you're going to add already cooked chicken, mash a cube with your hands, and add just as the last bit of water in the rice is drying up.

I served this with yogurt and Noo obsolutely loved it.

Maybe next week, I'm going to add potatoes and either a spoonful of zucchini or spinach to add to the flavor and fool Noo's tastebuds into thinking that this is a new dish.

Vegetable - Cheese Sandwich

2008-05-22T10:55:00.000+05:30

When ~nm posted her favourite sandwich , I realized that I have missed mine.This has been everyone's favourite ever since I made it first time after my wedding. Its one of my mummy's easy simple recipe and I just love it.

Ingredients
Cheese - 1 cube grated.
Finely Chopped :
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Capsicum - 1/2
Cabbage - handful
Carrot - 1

Salt
Pepper /Red chilli powder
(Husband is allergic to pepper , so I use red chilli powder , Mom used pepper)
Oil - 1 tsp

Heat the oil and saute the onion. Add the remaining vegetables and saute for 5 mins. Add salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and mix well. Sim and leave till the cheese is melted and mixed well with the vegetables. If the vegetables leave excess water , roast till its gone.
Let the filling cool off for few minutes. And then fill the same between slices and grill /roast them on tava.

Variations :
1. Cottage Cheese (Paneer) can be used in place of cheese. Thats tastes yummy as well.
2. Finely chopped Cucumber can be added to the mixture , just before filling between the slices.

Aryan has started loving this recently. And I think its quite healthy. This should be given to kids after they start chewing properly.

Tomato - Onion Sandwich

2008-05-22T09:45:00.001+05:30

This is a very simple sandwich variation which I usually make on the tawa/girdle but can be made in the toast makers as well.

Ingredients:

Tomato
Onion
Dhaniya/Coriander leaves (optional)
Salt
Red chilli powder (optional)

Steps:

Finely dice the tomato and onions.
Mix them together in a bowl and add salt and chilli powder.
Butter up one side of the slice and put the buttered side down on the tawa.
Spread the mixture with a spoon and put one slice of bread over it and press it with your palms or a flat ladle as you feel comfortable.
When its almost done on one side, apply butter on the upper slice and flip it.
Once done, cut it into 2 halves. I cut it into 4 squares for Betu as it makes it easier for him to eat that way. Eat it with Ketchup or plain as you like it.

Variations:

Add grated cheese into the mixture as mentioned above.
You can use mashed boiled potatoes roasted with cumin(zeera) and onions as a filling.
You can make mixed veggie sandwich by finely chopping the veggies and saute them in butter

What is probiotic yoghurt?

2008-05-13T16:33:00.000+05:30

A good question (put up by Suki in my previous post): what is probiotic yoghurt?
Well, it is also the yoghurt that you make yourself at home. Yes!
This word is important only for those who buy readymade yoghurt from the market. Because, with the non-probiotic ones which you buy in the market, they do a heat-treatment which kills a large portion of the bacteria, to make their shelf-life longer. The bacteria are still there, but in trace amounts which isn't really as beneficial for the body as the untreated yoghurt. The probiotic ones are a lot of times made with special bacterial strains, which are good for the body, but are commonly found and also present in your yoghurt. I remember that from my practicals we did with home made yoghurt at the university during my Masters.
The word probiotic is used for bacterial starins which are beneficial for the body.
Here is one wikipedia link, if you want to know more.
Another interesting read in daily mail about the real facts about probiotic yoghurt.

Yoghurt with Banana

2008-05-12T18:05:00.000+05:30

I think this is the quickest recipe posted here. Yoghurt with banana. I use probiotic yoghurt for this. I slice one banana into one cup (150g) of yoghurt. If needed add some honey and that's it.
For toddlers who still do not have teeth or no molars one can puree any kind of fruit or grate them and mix with yoghurt. Try out first what your child likes. They usually love it.
My son used to love eating plain yoghurt, without anything. But since a couple of weeks he has learned really fast to demand for honey. He has become a big honey fan (anything with sugar is great!) By mistake, I bought vanilla yoghurt this time, which, of course, also has some sugar in it (but it was mildly sweet). He loved it with banana.

Sooji Dhokla

2008-05-09T10:45:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:

Suji/Rava/Semolina - 1 Cup (not roasted)
Dahi/Curd - 1/2 cup (preferably slightly sour)
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
Water

Tadka:

Rayee/Sarson (Mustard seeds) for tadka
Curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp Oil
Red chili powder (optional)

Steps:

Whip curd in a bowl
Add 1 cup water in it.
Mix salt in dry Suji/Semolina.
Add the curd and water mixture in the Suji/Semolina.
Leave it for 5-7 minutes. The texture of the batter should be of dripping consistency. If required add more water.
Add baking soda and mix it well.
Line a microwave dish with little oil.
Pour the batter in it and try that the the batter layer is not more than 1.5 inches in depth.
Microwave it for 2 mins at high.
Leave it for 5 mins to cool and then cut pieces of the desired sizes.

For tadka:

Put a pan on the gas and add 1 tbsp of rayee/sarson/mustard seeds in it.
When they have spluttered add curry leaves(optional)
Then add dhokla pieces in it and add coriander and red chilli powder.
Stir it on medium flame for 2 mins and take them off the gas.
Serve them with tomato ketchup or have them plain!

Variations:

If you have time you can have some variations to the above recipe. In the batter add shredded ginger, and roasted kaju (cashew), finely diced red chillies and roasted chana daal before microwaving it.
You can also layer the bottom of the microwave dish with slices of tomato and then pour batter over it. So when its done and you upturn it, you can see the rings of red tomato on the cooked dhokla.

The pictures:

Sooji

Batter after adding curd, water, salt to Sooji

Dhokla ready to be eaten :)

spinach and corn sandwich

2008-05-08T14:12:00.000+05:30

Ok! This is the first time I am putting across a recipe (am not much of a cook anyway), so I really dont think I can put measures like you women! :( But experienced Mommy's and cooks that you are, am sure your andaaza will work just fine! :)

Kabir still doesn't have teeth, but that doesnt stop him from tasting everything we eat! :)

So here goes!

Ingredients
Palak (you know how less palak becomes after being cooked, so take quantity accordingly)
Sweet Corn - Fresh/frozen - a small handful.
Mayonnaise - I use Fun Foods garlic Mayo.
Salt to taste

What Next?
Finely chop the washed Palak leaves and pressure cook with little water for approx 2 whistles. Keep the sweet corn in warm water for 5 mins to thaw and soften naturally (this applies to frozen corn, never used fresh).

Drain excess water from palak, add a spoonful of mayo, sweet corn and salt to taste and mix well. Toast brown bread as per your liking and spread the filling between 2 slices of bread.

Your palak and corn sandwich is ready! Ketchup not reccoed unless you can't eat sandwich without it! :)

Sprouts Pulav

2008-05-07T20:53:00.000+05:30

Before you read further, let me tell you thats its just a normal vegetable pulav with sprouts :-)

Rice - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Moong sprouts - 1 tbsp
corn kernals - 1 tbsp
Green peas - Handful
Grated Carrots - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 small , finely chopped
Tomato - 1/2 small , finely chopped
Cauliflower - 1 floret , finely chopped
Beans - 1,finely chopped
Oil/Ghee - 1 tsp ( I use Ghee)
Salt - to taste
Coriander power - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

1. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker
2. Saute onions for 2-3 seconds
3. Add all the veggies, corn and sprouts and saute for few seconds
4. Add salt , coriander powder and garam masala
5. Add water and rice and pressure cook for 2 whistles

This is usually the monday lunch for Aryan , since my fridge is full of vegetables on mondays.The ingredients vary with availability :-)

**Sorry about the picture quality , you know it was monday morning ;-) **

Eggless Chocolate Cake (Microwave)

2008-05-05T13:58:00.000+05:30

I baked this cake on Saturday and it came out really nice. Below is the original recipe that I had found over the net but somehow just cannot trace it back to its origin.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Flour
3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Powdered Sugar
5 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp White Vinegar
1 cup Milk

Steps

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, backing soda and powdered sugar together.
Add milk and vanilla essence to the flour mixture. Then add oil and white vinegar.
Mix well.
Pour into a greased microwave safe bowl and microwave on high(900W) for 5-7 minutes.
Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Personal Notes:

I added extra bit of milk as the batter seemed too thick.
I baked for 1.5 minutes since my microwave's highest power is of 1300W

Moong Sprouts Cheela

2008-05-04T19:10:00.000+05:30

Aryan does not like sprouts. So what do I do ? Make something out of sprouts :D Here is what we had in breakfast yesterday :

Green gram (Whole Moong) : 1 cup
Chopped Onion : 1 tbsp
Grated Carrorts : 1 tbsp (not mandatory)
salt : to taste
Chilli powder : to taste
Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
Mango powder : 1 pinch
Oil : 1 tsp

Sprouts :
Soak Green gram overnight.
Drain the water and keep for 24 hours in a covered container.
Your sprouts are ready.
You can alternatively buy sprouts from any super market or use any sprout maker.

Cheela/Dosa :

Grind the sprouts into smooth paste.
Add all the spices and carrots.
Heat oil on a nonstick tava and spread the mixture as a dosa.
Sprinkle fine chopped onion.
Roast on both sides.

Serve with Sauce /Green Coriander chutney. Some even like this with raita.

Quick Thalipeth

2008-05-02T09:38:00.000+05:30

Inspired by one of the food blog , I tried a variation for Aryan. I love this one , for its super quick , needs nothing thats not at home all the time, completely healthy and even I love the taste. I can serve it for breakfast or pack it for snacks , its an all time favourite.

Here we go !

Wheat Flour - 1 tbsp
Gram Flour(Besan) - 1 tbsp
Finely Chopped Onion - 1tsp
Finely Chopped Tomato - 1/2 small size
Finely grated Carrot - 1 tbsp
A Pinch of salt
Chilli power - If the kid likes
Chopped Coriander leaves (Subject to availability)
Oil - 1 tsp

Mix wheat and gram flour in water to make a smooth paste.
Add salt ,coriander leaves and carrots.
Heat little oil on a non-stick tava and spread the paste like a dosa.
Sprinkle onion and tomato and roast on both sides.

An instant healthy breakfast is ready!

Broccoli Parantha with Raita

2008-05-01T19:21:00.000+05:30

This is a healthy recipe for children and adults alike. It demands a bit of preparation in advance, otherwise it is easy.

Raita shown in the picture here is nothing but stirred yoghurt with some salt (kala namak) and roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera). You can add chopped coriander leaves and fresh or dried mint leaves to it. Or make any of the endless variants you like.

Broccoli Parantha:
Dough:
Atta (chapati flour),
1/2 Broccoli cut into small pieces, or left over brokkoli sabzi (vegetable) from the day before(or even better brokkoli soup),
salt and Spices for the dough (e.g. ajwain, salt, chilli, dhania powder, fennel seed powder, etc.),
1 tsp. lemon/lime juice.

Filling:
2-3 large Boiled potatoes (boiled with skin and peeled-can be done a day before and kept in the fridge),
Spices for the filling (e.g., chilli, 1/2" ginger-grated, dhania powder, fennel seed powder, kala namak /black salt),
Coriander leaves (cilantro),
Mustard oil for frying/baking (very healthy - rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially omega 3 fatty acids).

Steps:
1. Either use the leftover broccoli sabzi from the day before, or steam half a broccoli in half a cup of water till tender but still fresh green. Add lemon juice and puree it with a (hand-) mixer.
2. Knead a soft dough with the broccoli, salt and spices as per desire.
3. Mash potatoes with salt and spices. Add coriander leaves.
4. Roll out paranthas with the potato filling. Here is one link if you want to know how.
5. Fry them in mustard oil on a cast iron tawa (griddle).
6. Serve with Raita.

Tips:
1. Wash the cooked Broccoli with cold water to prevent it from cooking further and loosing its fresh green colour.
2. Cook potatoes in the skin (healthier) a day before. Can be done for the broccoli as well, just add some fresh lime/lemon juice to it. Store in the fridge.

Egg parantha

2008-05-01T11:34:00.000+05:30

Whoever likes egg, it can be one yummy and easy to make dish. Its a favorite with all of us i.e me, hubby and Betu. Wile I was making it yesterday night, I thought I can post it here. So I quickly grabbed my phone and clicked pictures of it while I was at it. So here are the steps.

You need:

1 Egg
Dough/Atta for one parantha
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Red Chilli powder (optional)
Coriander leaves (optional)

1. Roll out a parantha and put little bit of oil/ghee between layers. I somehow always make the triangular shaped ones as it gives me good layers.

2. Put it on the tawa/girdle and let if cook on medium flame.

3. In a small bowl, break the egg, add salt to taste, red chilli powder if you like it and whip it for 10 seconds.

4. When one side is done, flip it and apply bit of oil/ghee to the side which is partially done.

5. Tenderly open the layer using the chimta/tongs till the end. But be careful that it should not tear the layer away completely from the base.

6. Pour the egg mixture in this open layer as shown in the pic.

7. Close the opened layer back over the egg mixture.
8. Slowly flip the parantha by holding it from the end you had opened the layer. If the egg mixture spills slightly don't worry. It will in fact taste better.
9. Pat it lightly with a ladle .
10. Flip it back once you feel it has cooked well from that side and let it cook little more from the other side.

Your yummy egg parantha is ready to be eaten. Enjoy it with cheese or tomato ketchup or pickle as per your liking.

Oat Meal

2008-04-29T15:06:00.000+05:30

This was suggested to me by a friend and I cannot thank her much since this is Aryan's FAVOURITE (anti-jinx)!!
Easy to cook & all time favourite ...what more to ask for!

White Oats - 1 Tbsp
Milk - 1 Glass
Sugar - 1 tsp

Mix everything in a pan and bring it to boil. Sim and cook for 3-4 minutes.

A very healthy , yummy breakfast is ready!! Even we have this breakfast once a week.

Variations :
1. You can add dates while cooking. My friend used to do that but I never tried.
2. You can add banana and/or apples after its ready.

Note : Picture source is here

Sooji Kheer

2008-04-29T14:47:00.000+05:30

This was one of the first solids for Aryan and I still give it to him for breakfast. As per my mom it was my favourite too !

Semolina(Sooji/Rava) - 1 Tbsp
Milk - 1 Glass
Sugar - 1 tsp

1. Roast semolina in a pan to light brown.
2. Sim the flame and add Milk slowly and stir continously to avoid lumps
3. Add sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes

Sooji Kheer is ready!!

Mashed and Roasted Potatoes

2008-04-29T13:21:00.000+05:30

It was of the first few semi-solids that I started with Anirudh. And he simply loved it and still does. Its a nice filling snack which his Dad also loves.

1. Boil potatoes
2. Mash them.
3. Add salt to taste
4. Add grated cheese if you want.
5. Spread it on nonstick tawa and pat it flat. Keep the fire to low.
6. Use little butter for a good taste.
7. When slightly brown, flip it and roast on the other side.

Ta-da! Its ready! You can roast it as per liking. Those who prefer it slightly more browner/crisper, roast it longer.

Food, food , food..wonderful food!

2008-04-28T17:56:00.000+05:30

I've always been a foodie as long as I can remember it. Lets ignore the times when I would trouble my mom by fussing over the things on my plate during dinner times..shall we? :D

I just LOVE to eat! Be it any cuisine. Be it veg or non-veg. Although I rarely eat non-veg(once in 2-3 months) since hubby is a vegetarian. I've been known for my love for food not only at home but also at work place. And I was so famous for it that my colleagues would say if you can't find her, find food. She will be right there! :P In fact I did a post on my blog talking about this strong bonding with food that I have!

I like to cook as well as eat. Although the latter would take more priority any given day! But whatever little bit of cooking I do, I will try and put some of those ready-in-a-jiffy recipes that I know or try which have turned out yummy. My recipes will purely be vegetarian since I have never cooked non-veg.

On second thoughts writing these recipes for me would be really tough since I've been a person who never measures ingredients. I always use my gut feel about proportions and cook unless I'm myself following a recipe. Still I will try my best but you have to promise not to blame me for any fiascoes :P

So what are we waiting for? Bring out those aprons, those ingredients, those ladles and spoons and lets start cooking!!

Welcome!

2008-04-28T16:58:00.001+05:30

Welcome to this space. A space for the Mum's who have been struggling to provide taste and health AND VARIETY to their kids. Please please contribute to the initiative and write your recipes.

P.S : Blog Design by ~nm.