Mini meals for litle tots

"Mini meals for your little tots"

Snacks are mini-meals that help keep us going until lunch or dinner. Children seem more inclined to snacking than adults and can often get addicted to a range of tasty but distinctly unhealthy snacking options such as chips, cookies and aerated drinks. Most mothers today find it really difficult to ensure that their kids eat a selection of healthy snacks. However, weaning children off unhealthy snacking is not so difficult – all it requires is a little advance planning, and the time and patience to replace store-bought goodies with homemade nutritious ones.

So what makes a good snack? According to me, a good snack is one that is well balanced and nutrient-dense. This means that each bite contributes to the child's intake of healthy foods. Six nutrients are needed to maintain a growing and healthy body - carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and water. To meets a child’s requirement of these nutrients just ensure a healthy blend of food groups like cereals, pulses, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. This does not mean you have to include all these in the same snack, but try and cover at least two to three food groups at a time, and divide the rest throughout the day.

Remember snacks are an important part of your child’s daily diet, helping not only to bridge the gap between meals and provide necessary nutrients, but also to encourage good eating habits.

So get ready to surprise your little darlings when they get home from school or play by whipping up yummy and healthy snacks!

POTATO POPS
A great hit with kids of all ages, these miniature party pieces will have them rushing back for more

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes Makes 8 pops.

1 cup boiled and grated potatoes

¼ cup grated carrots

1 brown bread slice, soaked and squeezed

½ tsp ginger-green chilli paste

2 tbsp chopped coriander

A pinch sugar

1 cheese cube

2 tsp oil for cooking

Salt to taste

1. Cut the cheese cube into 8 equal pieces and keep aside.

2. Soak the bread slice in a bowl of water. Squeeze out the water and mash the bread.

3. In a bowl place the mashed bread and add potatoes, carrots, green chilli paste, coriander, sugar, salt and mix well.

4. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape each portion into a flat round.

5. Place a cheese cube in the centre of each round and shape into ovals.

6. Pierce a candy stick into each oval and press the potato pops on the stick making an oval shape. Keep aside.

7. Cook both sides on a lightly greased non-stick pan till golden brown.

Serve hot.

Nutritive values per pop

Energy: 44 calories

Protein: 1.3 gm

Carbohydrates: 4.9 gm

Fats: 2.1 gm

Vitamin A: 129.0 mcg

Potassium: 41.9 mg

Zinc: 0.1 mg

FRUIT LOLLIES

Lip-smacking lollies made from protein- and calcium-rich curds and fruits that provide fibre

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: Nil. Makes 8 fruit lollies.

1 cup stewed apples, recipe below

¼ cup chopped bananas

½ cup fresh curds (dahi)

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp lemon juice

For the stewed apples

¼ cup chopped apples

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp lemon juice

For the stewed apples

1. In a vessel, mix all the ingredients with 2 tbsp of water and cook till all the moisture evaporates and apples become soft and light brown in colour.

2. Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool.

How to proceed

1. Combine the stewed apples, bananas, curds and sugar and blend into a smooth mixture in a blender.

2. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

3. Pour into plastic moulds and freeze for 6 to 8 hours till firm.

4. Insert tooth picks into the frozen lollies and unmould.

Serve immediately.

Nutritive values per lolli

Energy: 23 calories

Protein: 0.3 gm

Carbohydrates: 4.1 gm

Fats: 0.4 gm

Calcium: 14.5 mg

Nutrition for growing kids.....

It really matters what your kids eat because it determines not only how healthy they are today but also how they will be in the future. A healthy child is one who is active, alert, energetic and free of diseases. This can be achieved only by knowing about and paying attention to nutrition and by inculcating healthy eating habits in your child.
My forthcoming book (to be released by end of March ’07), on growing kids is an effort to help you to do so. I have tried to provide 5 collections of recipes that contain the necessary nutrients to energise your kid, help boost their immune system, ensure healthy development of bones and teeth and brain power proper functioning of the digestive system—that is, a collection of recipes that ensures the holistic health and growth of your child. All the recipes have been formulated, tried and tested by my qualified team of chefs and nutritionists.
With healthy and visually appealing recipes like Golzeme, Apricot Orange Cookies, Green Peas and Corn Bhel, Oats Pineapple Sheera and Chana Spinach Rice, I’m sure it will be easy to tempt your children to willingly consume nutrient rich ingredients!

Feed them nutritious food garnished with lots of love and watch them grow healthy and strong! Here’s a recipe, indeed a first step towards achieving this goal. Hope your little ones love this one……..do let me know


MUESLI CHOCOLATE ROCKS

Healthful muesli is combined with luscious chocolate to make these crunchy and nutritious rocks! Each rock brims with proteins and calcium making this a healthy alternative to sugar-laden candies that cause dental caries. What more can I say… this recipe rocks!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 15 minutes. Makes 16 rocks.

For the muesli
¼ cup quick rolled cooking oats
¼ cup cornflakes
2 tbsp chopped mixed nuts (cashewnuts, walnuts, almonds)
1 tsp wheat bran (konda)
2 tsp chopped raisins (kismis)
2 tsp castor sugar

For the chocolate sauce¼ cup grated milk chocolate
2 tbsp grated dark chocolate


For the muesli
1.Combine the oats, cornflakes, nuts and wheat bran in a non-stick pan and lightly roast them over a slow flame for 5 to 7 minutes.
2.Cool completely, add the raisins and sugar and mix well. Keep aside.

For the chocolate sauce
1.Combine the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a bowl.
2.Place the bowl on top of a double boiler, taking care to see that the base of the bowl is not in contact with the water in the double boiler.
3.Once the chocolate starts melting, stir continuously till the chocolate melts completely and resembles a smooth sauce.
4.Remove from the double boiler immediately and keep on stirring till it cools but not set. Keep aside.

How to proceed
1.Add the muesli to the melted chocolate and mix gently.
2.Divide it into 16 equal portions and spoon out each into grease-proof paper cups and allow to cool.
Serve immediately.