Monday 27 June 2011

Finger Foods for Toddlers


I am not sure if its a blessing or a disaster, once your toddlers can use their own little fingers to eat. On one hand, you can keep them busy with food while you are busy. On the other hand, they create a great mess with the food, thereby adding to your chores of work. There was a phase when Anushka refused to be spoon fed and just wanted to experiment everything with her fingers. The moment I brought the spoon near to her mouth, she would turn her face in the opposite direction, as far as away from the spoon. Either she wanted to have her own way or it was hunger strike. It was a terrible phase, but passed away like other phases did.

I felt its good to let Anushka eat on her own but only those foods which I thought she could manage. So I would make her sit on her high chair, spread a big plastic mat under the chair and give her food to eat. This way even if she made a mess, I would only need to clean the mat. So here are a few ideas for Finger Foods as well:

  1. Any soft fruit cut into slices or bite sized pieces
  2. Cheerios
  3. Biscuits
  4. Cucumber slices
  5. Cheese cubes
  6. Boiled pasta shapes
  7. Hard boiled eggs cut into bite sized pieces
  8. Boiled Chanas (soft and mashed)
  9. Boiled carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes (tenderly cooked)
  10. Bread butter mini sandwich
  11. Dhoklas/Idlis
  12. Parantha/Roti/Uthapam cut into bite sized pieces

Thursday 16 June 2011

Recipes for Toddlers


Surprised by the title of my blog? Well, atleast I am!!!!

Never ever thought that I would be writing such a thing. But many things changed after my daughter Anushka`s birth and this is one of them.When she was only breastfeeding, I was eagerly waiting for her to start on solids. When she did, I was bored of giving her mashed stuff with limited choices. And the day she turned one year old, she was ready to explore the culinary world. But little did I know that my culinary skills were going to put to a test as well....Since then, I have been constantly on toes to make baby food with different varieties, textures, tastes, colours etc etc... My google search is more or less now limited to ``Recipes for Baby/Toddlers``. The reason? Its quite simple, you see. Like all other toddlers, Anushka too likes to give her mummy a hard time with food. One day she would like something and other day she would not even look at it. Just when I think I have discovered her favourite food, she would start throwing it around, not wanting to eat it anymore. She is a growing baby and as a mother, I have a tough task at hand to make sure she gets adequate nutrition but at the same time, she loves her food. Though I have been mostly giving her food off our plates now, I still need to prepare special food to ensure nutritious diet for her. So I have been spending lots of my time in kitchen these days and realised that I may be able to offer a little help to other mothers like me out there.

So here are a few ideas and their recipes which have worked for my daughter and may be you could try for your toddler as well....

  1. Vegetable Daliya
  2. Vegetable Khichdi
  3. Dal Chawal
  4. Vegetable Pulao
  5. Mixed Flour Roti
  6. Ragi (Nachini) Porridge
  7. Fruity Oats Porridge
  8. Vegetable Upma
  9. Vegetable Poha
  10. Bread Poha
  11. Sabudana Khichdi
  12. Fruity Yoghurt
  13. Banana Avocado Milkshake
  14. Corn Daliya
  15. Vegetable Pasta
  16. Suji n Ragi Mix Dhokla
  17. Vegetable Uthapam
  18. Vegetable Parantha
  19. Chana Chat
  20. Aloo Baingan ki Sabji
  21. Aloo Palak ki Sabji


Vegetable Daliya

2-3 spoons daliya
1 spoon each of finely chopped carrots, potatoes and onion
1 spoon green peas (frozen or fresh)
salt to taste
1/4 spoon cumin seeds
1/2 spoon oil
1 cup water
1/2 spoon grated or powdered almonds/walnuts or both (optional)
1/4 spoon ghee or butter


Heat the oil in cooker.
Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add all the vegetables and saute for few minutes.
Add daliya and salt and mix well.
Add water and cover the lid.
Allow 2-3 whistles or cook till you get the required conistency of daliya that suits your toddler.
Serve it in a bowl and add the butter/ghee.
Garnish it with the nuts.
You could add a little bit of sugar if you wish.

Tips:
You can make plain daliya (just daliya and water) in a cooker and then follow the method as mentioned above (except step 5 and 6), using a pan.
You can add lauki or torai in daliya.




Vegetable Khichdi

2 spoons rice
1 spoon yellow moong dal or green moong dal
1 spoon finely chopped carrots/potatoes/lauki/torai or any other vegetable
1 spoon green peas (frozen or fresh)
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 spoon oil
1/4 spoon cumin seeds
1 cup water
1/2 spoon grated or powdered almonds/walnuts or both (optional)
1/4 spoon ghee or butter


Wash rice and dal with water.
Heat the oil in cooker.
Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add all the vegetables and saute for few minutes.
Add rice and dal along with salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
Add water and cover the lid.
Allow 2-3 whistles or cook till you get the required conistency of daliya that suits your toddler.
Serve it in a bowl and add the butter/ghee.
Garnish it with the nuts.
You could add a little bit of sugar if you wish.

Tips:
You can make plain khichdi in a cooker and then follow the method as mentioned in Vegetable Daliya (except step 5 and 6), using a pan.




Dal Chawal

You can give your toddler the regular Dal Chawal that you make at home. However, you can add few vegetables like spinach, lauki or torai while cooking dal in the cooker. After tadka, you can add finely chopped coriander leaves as well.




Vegetable Pulao

1 bowl of cooked rice
1 spoon each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes.
1 spoon boiled green peas (fresh or frozen)
1/2 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 spoon cumin seeds
1/4 spoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of red chilli powder (optional)
1/2 spoon oil


Heat the oil in a pan.
Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
Add onions and saute till they turn light brown.
Add peas and saute till they are soft.
Add tomatoes and saute for few minutes.
Add turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Add rice, salt and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Serve as it is or with yoghurt.

Tips:
If you are in hurry, you can skip all the vegetables.
If cooked rice is not available, you can make pulao using raw rice and follow the same method, using a cooker.




Mixed Flour Roti

2 spoons wheat flour
1 spoon bajra flour
1 spoon ragi flour
1/2 spoon oil for dough
1/2 spoon oil for roti
Few sesame seeds (optional)
Warm water


Mix all the three flours ( you can also opt to use bajra flour one day and ragi flour the next day).
Add 1/2 spoon oil and sesame seeds to the mixed flour.
Now knead the dough slowly by adding warm water little at a time.
Once the dough is ready, roll it as we usually do with normal wheat flour roti but do it slowly so that the roti does not break into pieces. You can apply dry wheat flour on both sides while rolling it.
Now put the roti on tava and apply oil on both sides.
Let it cook for a minute.
Serve with dal or sabji.

Tips:
Its better to make this roti as soon as the dough is ready and just before you want to serve it. At the most, you can make it 1-2 hours before its to be eaten since it becomes hard and dry very soon.




Ragi (Nachini) Porridge

1 spoon ragi flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
1 spoon jaggery or sugar
1/2 spoon grated or powdered almonds/walnuts or both


Mix ragi flour, water,milk and jaggery/sugar in a bowl. Stir it with spoon so that all ingredients get mixed well.
Take a pan and add this mixture.
Continue stirring the mixture to avoid lumps. You can add more milk or water if the mixture is turning dry.
The mixture will turn to a thicker or semi solid consistency. Or you may decide the consistency that suits your toddler.
Serve it in a bowl and garnish with nuts.

Tips:
You can either use only milk or only water or both in the proportions as you wish.
You can add mashed banana instead of sugar/jaggery after the porridge is ready.
You can add more jaggery or sugar as per the taste required.




Fruity Oats Porridge

2 spoons oats
50 ml Whole milk
Half banana


Mix oats and banana in milk.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
You can either use warm or cold milk as your toddler likes.
You can use other fruits like pear or apple or combination of either.
You can add powdered nuts and chopped raisins as well.
You can use corn flakes or cheerios instead of oats.




Vegetable Upma

2 spoons roasted rava/suji
1 spoon each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes
1 spoon grated carrot
1/4 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1/4 spoon mustard seeds
1 spoon oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 spoon grated or powdered almonds/walnuts or both (optional)


Heat the oil in pan.
Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
Add onions and saute till they turn light brown.
Add water, tomatoes, carrots, coriander leaves and salt.
Let it boil for few minutes.
Now minimize the heat/flame of gas.
Add upma and continue stirring to avoid any lumps. Cook for few minutes.
Serve it in a bowl and garnish with nuts.

Tips:
If you are in hurry, you can skip all the vegetables and just use coriander leaves.




Vegetable Poha

1/2 cup poha
1 spoon each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes
1 spoon boiled green peas (fresh or frozen)
1 spoon finely chopped potatoes
1/2 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 spoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1/4 spoon sugar
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 spoon oil
1/4 spoon lemon juice


Heat the oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
Add potatoes and suate till golden brown.
Add onions and saute till light brown.
Add peas and saute till they are soft.
Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add poha, salt, sugar and lemon juice.
Mix all the ingredients well.
Add tomatoes and coriander leaves.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
If you are in hurry, you can skip all the vegetables and just use coriander leaves.
If you are travelling, vegetable poha is one of the best recipes to carry for your toddler.




Bread Poha

2 slices of bread
1 spoon each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes
1/2 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 spoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1/4 spoon sugar
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 spoon oil
1/4 spoon lemon juice


Cut the bread into small pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
Add onions and saute till light brown.
Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add bread pieces, salt, sugar and lemon juice.
Mix all the ingredients well.
Add tomatoes and coriander leaves.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
You can also soak bread slices in water for few seconds, mash it and then use the same.
If you are travelling, bread poha is one of the best recipes to carry for your toddler.




Sabudana Khichdi

1/2 cup sabudana
2 spoons finely chopped potatoes
1 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
3 spoons crushed peanuts
Salt to taste
1/2 spoon sugar
1/4 spoon lemon juice
1/4 spoon cumin seeds


Soak sabudana in water for 2-3 hours or till they are soft enough to be cooked.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add jeera and allow to splutter.
Add potatoes and saute till golden brown.
Add sabudana, peanuts, salt, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
If you are travelling, sabudana khichdi is one of the best recipes to carry for your toddler.



Fruity Yoghurt

2 spoons thick or full fat yoghurt
Half banana
1 chopped apricot (optional)

Mix yoghurt, apricot and mashed banana.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
You can add powdered nuts and chopped raisins as well.
You can also add other fruits like avocado and strawberry.




Banana Avocado Milkshake

100 ml Whole milk
Half banana
Few pieces of avocado


Mix all the ingredients in a blender.
Serve it in a glass.

Tips:
You can make milkshake using different fruits like apple, cheeko, mangoes, strawberry or any other combination.
You can use the quantity of milk and fruits as per your taste and requirement.




Corn Daliya

2 spoon corn meal (its actually kind of ``makkai ka atta`` but its texture is coarser and rougher than the atta. It would feel like sand in touch)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
1 spoon finely chopped carrots
1/4 spoon cumin seeds
1/4 spoon oil
1/2 spoon sugar (optional)
1/2 spoon butter or ghee
1/4 spoon grated or powdered almonds/walnuts or both (optional)


Heat the oil in a cooker.
Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Add corn meal, water, salt and carrots.
Allow 3-4 whistles.
Add sugar and butter/ghee.
Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with nuts.

Tips:
Its better to prepare corn daliya just before it is to be served.
You may use other vegetables like lauki or torai also.
It can be served with yoghurt.




Vegetable Pasta

1/2 cup pasta (any shape)
2 spoons each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes
1 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 spoon lemon juice
1/4 spoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 spoon tomato ketchup
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of red chilly powder (optional)
1/4 spoon dry pudina powder (optional but it enhances the taste if used)
1/2 spoon oil


Boil the pasta in water till they are soft.
Drain the pasta in a drainer and pour some cold water on same.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add onions and saute till they turn light brown.
Add tomatoes and saute for few minutes.
Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add all the remaining ingredients and stir till they all mix properly.
Serve hot in a bowl.

Tips:
You can also add carrot and peas to pasta.




Suji n Ragi Mix Dhokla

1/2 cup suji/rava
1 spoon ragi/nachini
1/4 spoon baking soda
1 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 spoon garlic ginger paste
1/4 cup yoghurt
Water if required for the batter


Mix all the ingredients.
Add more yoghurt or water till you get a smooth batter. It should neither be too thin nor too thick.
Grease the dhokla plate and pour the batter in it.
Let it steam in the dhokla stand for few minutes.
A simple test to know if dhokla is ready is by putting a knife in cooked dhokla. If the dhokla batter does not stick to knife, then dhokla is ready.
Cut the dhoklas in square or diamond shape.
Serve hot in a bowl.

Tips:
You can make suji dhokla without adding ragi to it.
You can make idlis out of same batter instead of dhoklas.
There is another variation you can try: Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, a pinch of turmeric powder and red chilly powder and add cooked dhoklas to it. Mix well and serve.




Vegetable Uthapam

1/2 cup suji/rava
1/4 cup yoghurt
Water if required for the batter
1 spoon each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes
Salt to taste
A pinch of black pepper powder
1/4 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 spoon oil


Mix all the ingredients together.
Let the batter stand for about minimum 15 minutes.
Spread oil on the tava. Reduce the flame/heat of the gas.
Add batter on tava and spread it slowly making a round shape uthapam.
Let it cook for few minutes and try turning the side slowly.
Apply oil on the other side and cook again for few minutes.
Once both sides are cooked in such a way that batter does not stick to tava, you can increase the flame/heat of the gas.
When its ready, serve hot with ketchup.

Tips:
If you have left over idli/dosa batter, you can make uthapam out of it in the same way.
You can add carrots to the batter.




Vegetable Parantha

1 spoon each of boiled potato, carrots and peas.
1 spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1 spoon finely chopped spinach
Salt to taste
1/4 spoon dhaniya powder
A pinch of garam masala (optional)
1 ball of roti dough
1/2 spoon butter/oil


Mix all the vegetables, salt, dhaniya powder and garam masala to make the stuffing.
Roll the dough ball to a puri size.
Place the stuffing in the middle and close all the sides.
Now roll the stuffed ball to the size of roti.
Cook the parantha on tava by applying oil/butter on both the sides.
Serve hot with ketchup or yoghurt.

Tips:
You can make paranthas with any one vegetable or using different combinations.
Cut paranthas into square or small pieces. It will make an excellent finger food.




Chana Chat

2 spoons white chole (boiled)
2 spoons black chana (boiled)
1 spoon each of finely chopped spring onions, tomatoes and potatoes
1/4 spoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
A pinch of black pepper
1 spoon crushed boondi


Mix all the ingredients well.
Serve it in a bowl.

Tips:
Make sure that both type of chanas are boiled to the extent that they become very soft so that its easy for the toddler to chew.
You can make sprouted moong chat instead of chana chat.
You can add different chutneys to increase the taste.
This chat can work as finger foods also.




Aloo Baingan ki Sabji

1 medium sized potato
1 small baingan
Half tomato
1/4 spoon fenugreek seeds or cumin seeds
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 spoon oil
A pinch of red chilli powder (optional)
1/4 spoon dhaniya powder


Cut potato, baingan and tomato in small cube size pieces.
Heat oil in a cooker.
Add fenugreek seeds/cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Add turmeric powder.
Add all the vegetables, salt, red chilli powder and dhaniya powder.
You may add about 1 spoon water if required, thought adding tomato is enough to replace water.
Allow 2-3 whistles.
Serve with mixed flour roti.

Tips:
You can cut potato in a larger size cubes, so that you can separate these cubes from rest of the sabji and serve to your toddler in case s/he does not like the taste of baingan.




Aloo Paalak ki Sabji

1/2 cup potato cubes
1/2 cup chopped spinach (paalak)
1/4 spoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 spoon oil
A pinch of red chilli powder (optional)
1/4 spoon dhaniya powder


Heat oil in a pan.
Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Add all the other ingredients.
Cover the pan with a lid.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve with mixed flour roti.

Tips:
You can cut potato in a larger size cubes, so that you can separate these cubes from rest of the sabji and serve to your toddler in case s/he does not like the taste of spinach.
You can follow same method for other sabjis like alu gobhi, aloo pyaz etc.




Please note that the above recipes are the ones that I think suit the requirements of my daughter. You can opt to use, ignore or modify these recipes to suit the requirements of your toddler.