10 Amazing Healthy Snacks for kids

SWEET SPINACH PANCAKES

Ingredients:

baby spinach- 1 cup

whole wheat flour- 1 cup

egg- 1

whole milk- 1 cup

apple cider vinegar- 1 tablespoon

sugar- 1 tablespoon

melted butter- 1 tablespoon

baking powder- 1 teaspoon

baking soda- 1/2 teaspoon

salt- 1/4 teaspoon

Instructions

1. Add the spinach and all liquid ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly, until it become smooth.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients, and stir to combine.
3. Pour the blended ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir until the batter is combined properly. A lump or two is ok but don’t overmix it.
4. Heat a pan over medium to low heat and melt a bit of butter in the bottom. Add small scoops of batter to the pan as per the size you want and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Flip the pancakes and cook a minute or two longer until the pancakes are cooked thoroughly.

METHI PARANTHA 

Ingredients

Wheat flour – 2 cups and a little more for dusting

Fenugreek leaves – 1 cup – cleaned and washed thoroughly under running water

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp (optional )

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Curd – 2 tbsp

Salt- as per taste

Oil -1 tbsp

Water- to knead the dough

Oil- for making parathas

Instructions

1. Chop fenugreek leaves roughly.
2. Mix flour, fenugreek leaves, turmeric powder, cumin powder, curd, 1tbsp oil and salt in a large bowl. Add chilli powder if you would like.
3. Mix a soft dough by adding water little at a time. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.
4. Divide the dough into small size balls.
5. Roll parantha using a rolling pin using dry flour for dusting. Don’t make parantha too thick or too thin.
6. Heat a tawa. Put the rolled parantha onto griddle.
7. Flip the parantha and apply oil using a spoon.
8. Let cook for a few seconds and turn again. Apply oil on the other side too and cook while pressing with a spatula.
9. Serve hot with curd or raita.

MASALA OATS

Ingredients

Oats- 1 cup

Mixed vegetables chopped fine (peas, carrots, beans, capsicum, corn, etc)- 1 cup

Onion chopped fine- 1 small

Tomato chopped fine- 1 small

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp

Salt and pepper- As per taste

Water

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add cumin seeds.
3. Once they start crackling, add onions and sauté for some time till soft.
4. Add turmeric and tomato and sauté till they get cooked.
5. Now add chopped veggies, sauté and cook for some time.
6. Add salt and a little water and cook covered till all veggies are cooked.
7. Now add oats and mix well with everything.
8. Add 1-2 cups of water to get the consistency you want.
9. Cook oats for 2-3 minutes and turn off the gas.
10. At last, sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves.
11. Serve immediately as oats tend to become lumpy as they get colder.

MULTIGRAIN DOSA

Ingredients

Red rice/brown rice/ or regular boiled white rice- 1 cup

Raw rice- 1 tbsp

Tur dal- 1 cup

Black urad daal- 1 cup

Green moong dal- 1 cup

Methi seeds- 1 teaspoon

Ginger- ½ inch piece

Asafoetida/hing- 1 pinch

Salt- As per taste

Oil- to fry

Water- as needed

Instructions

1. Soak rice and dal together overnight.
2. Wash these well the next day and then grind them with little water, ginger, asafoetida and salt.
3. Leave the mixture to ferment for about 3-4 hours to ferment.
4. Heat a non-stick griddle or tawa.  Grease with a little oil.
5. Take a ladle of the mixture and spread to make a small dosa. Cover to cook.
6. Once cooked on one side, turn it over and cook the other side as well adding oil when needed.
7. To make this more nutritious, over you can add some vegetables like grated carrots, beets, spinach, fenugreek leaves etc. before turning over.
8. Let it cook for about 2 minutes on each side on a medium flame.
9. Serve this with curd or groundnut chutney to the baby.

VEGETABLE TEHARI

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 1 cup

Chopped mixed vegetables (peas, beans, carrots, cauliflower florets, peppers)- 1 cup

Potatoes quartered- 2 medium size

Onion sliced- 1 medium

Ginger paste- 1 tsp

Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Cardamom- 1

Bay leaf- 1

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp

Water- as required

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and soak it for 30-60 minutes.
2. Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan.
3. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cumin seeds.
4. Add onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for a 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add turmeric and sprinkle a little and cook for 5 minutes till onions are soft golden in colour.
6. Add potatoes and other vegetables and mix well.
7. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil and let it cook for 10-15 minutes covered on low flame.
8. Add soaked rice and coat well with spices and vegetables, taking care that rice do not break.
9. Add enough water to cook the rice and cook covered on low heat till rice is cooked.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with curd or raita.

BROCCOLI WITH VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE

Ingredients

Fresh broccoli florets- 1 cup

   Water- 4 cups

Unsalted, raw cashews- ½ cup

Vegan butter- 2tbsp

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Nutritional yeast- 1tbsp

Tomato paste- 1tbsp

Garlic powder- 1tbsp

Lemon juice- 1tbsp

Smoked paprika- 1tsp

Salt and black pepper- as per taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix broccoli florets with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss gently once or twice, ensuring broccoli is well coated.
3. Spread the florets onto the baking tray leaving about a centimetre of space between florets.
4. Roast for 16 to 20 minutes until the broccoli turns tender. Flip halfway through.
5. Transfer the broccoli onto a serving plate and set aside.
6. Boil water in a saucepan over high flame. As the water comes to boil, add cashews, cover the saucepan with a lid, and cook. Boil on low flame for at least ten minutes until the cashews soften.
7. After ten minutes, remove cashews from the water and keep the cashew water aside for later use.
8. Blend boiled cashews, nutritional yeast, paprika, tomato paste, garlic powder, lemon juice, vegan butter, and two cups of the leftover cashew water into a smooth-flowing fluid. Ensure no lumps are present.
9. Pour the cheesy cashew mix over roasted broccoli and serve immediately.
10. You can add roasted sesame seeds and chopped dates to this recipe to rise the recipe’s taste and nutrient composition.

PAV BHAJI

Ingredients

Mixed vegetables (potato, cauliflower, pumpkin, beans, beetroot, peas capsicum, and any other vegetable that you want to add for your child)- 4 cups

Homemade bhaji masala- 1 tbsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds- ½ teaspoon

Chopped onions- 2

Chopped tomatoes- 2

Butter- 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves- chopped

Lemon juice- as per taste

Salt- as per taste

Instructions

1. Cook all vegetables in Pressure cooker except capsicum and peas with a little salt till well-cooked.
2. Mash using potato masher and keep aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai, heat oil.
4. Add cumin seeds till they crackle.
5. Add chopped onion till translucent.
6. Add capsicum and fry for 2 minutes.
7. Now add chopped tomatoes and peas fry till soft.
8. Now add salt and pav bhaji masala and fry well, till oil separates.
9. Now add cooked and mashed vegetables and mix well.
10. Cook till moisture evaporates.
11. Lastly add butter and mix well.
12. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and squeeze a lemon.
13. Serve the bhaji with buttered pav.

RAAGI DOSA

Ingredients

Basic dosa batter made using rice and urad dal- 1 cup

Raagi flour- 4 tbsp

Salt- as per taste

Water- required as per the consistency of the batter

Instructions

1. Make the basic dosa fermented batter in the ratio of 1:3 (dal:rice).
2. Add 4 tbsp of raagi flour and salt, mix them up together.
3. Pour water to bring to the consistency.
4. Grease a tawa or pan using oil.
5. Put a ladleful of batter on a hot tawa or non-stick pan.
6. When slightly cooked, put some oil/ghee on side.
7. Flip the dosa and cook on the other side too.
8. Serve with sambhar and chutney.

VEGGIE STICKS

Ingredients

Carrots, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower, Broccoli- cut into long strips
Salt and Pepper- as per taste

Instructions

1. Wash, clean and peel all vegetables.
2. Cut all veggies into long strips, neither too thick and nor too thin. It should be easily picked and held by your toddler.
3. Bring some water to boil.
4. Add salt and pepper to water.
5. Add veggies, blanch them for few minutes.
6. Take them out and cool immediately in cold water.
7. You can also steam veggies.
8. Let your toddler feed themselves.

BEETROOT PARANTHA

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour (atta)- 2 cups

Beetroot- 1

Potato- 1

Salt- as per taste

Oil/ Ghee

Instructions

1. Clean, peel and cut beetroot to big chunks.
2. Boil it with potato in just enough water in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.
3. Let the beetroot cool down. Filter the beetroot to separate water and veggie.
4. Grate some beetroot and potato and mash them well together with a little salt and seasoning of your choice. This forms the filling of parantha.
5. Now knead the flour by adding the beetroot water.
6. Let it rest for 10 minutes covered.
7. Take a small piece of dough and roll it to a small puri.
8. Stuff it with a small amount of filling.
9. Seal and roll again to a small paratha size.
10. Once rolled, fry on a tawa or frying pan with a little oil.
11. Serve after cutting in quarters with curd or yogurt dip.