Healthy food it has replaced comfort food in these pandemic times, even for children. Parents are increasingly looking for healthy alternatives for their little ones when preparing their meals, desserts and snacks Eating healthy is one of the ways to build immunity against highly virulent and contagious Covid strains, the latter being omicron.
Especially in the winters, when children have more appetites, they need something to keep them full and help them stay energetic. Considering that kids can be a bit picky about the foods they eat, it’s important to make your healthy stuff a little interesting.
Shivani Bavalekar, Senior Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Navi Mumbai (Vashi) suggests 5 healthy recipes you can make for your child.
1. Date and sesame seed laddoo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
* Dates without seeds: 100gm
* Sesame seeds: 3 tablespoons
* Roasted Khuskhus: 1-2 tablespoons
* cardamom: 4 green
Method
* Dry the roasted sesame seeds over low heat until they become aromatic.
* Cool them down; add the cardamoms and blend them.
* Crush the dates.
*Then add sesame seeds and cardamom powder and knead to make a smooth mixture.
*Roll this mixture into bite-sized balls.
* Roll them into khus-khus
*Serve this healthy recipe as a mid-meal snack for your little one.
health benefits
The above recipe is rich in energy and nutrients. It has a good amount of zinc, selenium and calories. This sweet helps to increase immunity and hemoglobin in the blood.
2. Golden Milk
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Time to cook: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Milk: 200ml
Almond powder: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Cardamom powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Powdered pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
Jaggery powder: 1 tablespoon
Method
* Keep all ingredients ready. Take the milk in a saucepan and add all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
* Heat the milk over low heat until foamy, transfer to a glass.
* Serve your child this healthy milk every night for a good night’s sleep.
health benefits
Turmeric and cinnamon have antibacterial properties that will help your child fight cold and flu. Milk will help improve bone strength due to its calcium content. Jaggery helps lung health and also has small traces of iron.
3. Bajra Soup
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the curd mix
* 1 cup of water
* ½ cup curd
* Salt to taste
* ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
* ½ cup of bajra flour
for soup
* 2 teaspoons of oil
* ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* ¼ cup carrot, diced
* ¼ cup green peas
Method
*For the curd mix, combine water, curd, salt, turmeric and mix well.
* Dry roast the bajra flour over low heat for 5 minutes. Mix the toasted flour into the curd mixture and set aside.
* Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle.
* Sauté the sliced onion for a few seconds. Add the vegetables and sauté well for a few minutes.
* Add the curd mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.
* Serve the soup in the bowl to your little one.
4. Fried Carrots with Hummus
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Time to cook: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
* 10 carrots
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 1 pinch of black pepper
* 2 teaspoon of honey
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Method
* Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut them into thin strips.
*Keep the carrot strips in a bowl, then add curry powder, extra olive oil and salt pepper to taste. Make sure carrots are well coated.
*Then transfer the coated carrots onto a baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with a little honey. Once well cooked, remove them, put them in a bowl and serve along with the hummus.
Profits
Carrot is a good source of vitamin A and good soluble fiber. Hummus dip is a good source of protein. Curry leaves help fight bacteria.
5. Pumpkin Talipeth
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
* 1.5 cups pumpkin cooked and mashed
* 1 tablespoon of oil
* 1.5 cup of mixed flour (bajara, ragi, jowar)
* Salt to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon powdered clove just for taste
Prescription
* Cut the pumpkin and cook it in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes until soft and tender.
* Prepare and arrange the rest of the ingredients, mix the flour and add the clove powder.
* Add the cooked pumpkin puree to the above mixture and knead thoroughly, if necessary. Add about 2 teaspoons of water.
* With a wet finger, tap the dough onto the plastic or damp cloth, then poke a small hole through the dough. Put a few drops of oil in each of these holes.
* Cover and start cooking the thalipeeth over medium heat.
* Serve the thalipeeth with tomato chutney or raitha of your child’s choice.
health benefits
A good source of vitamin A, thiamin, zinc, and carbohydrates, it boosts immunity and helps meet fiber needs.
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