Category: Food

Snack and Meal Ideas for Kids – 15 to 18 Months

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I don’t remember a time when I did not have snacks in my bag, or in a bowl next to me while I’d doing anything. I always need a snack! You know what I mean? I grew up in a snack loving family and having nuts in my pocket or a bunch of grapes in a box in my bag was too normal growing up! I remember having raw mango cut into long pieces and sprinkled generously with spicy paprika and salt , on the street just outside my school. Ok! probably doesn’t look like a hygienic scene to the ones reading it now, but we as kids, used to love it! For every season, there was a specialty snack sold in the street markets. Guavas, Cucumbers, Watermelon and others of the sort are sold in the same fashion as the mangoes in their respective seasons.

Well, If your mouth isn’t watering yet, Lets get on to what I actually want to talk about today. I know there’s some of you out there who have no idea why I started out today’s post the way I did. The reason is simple. To me, a snack is even better than a meal. It adds flavor but is eaten in limitation and if chosen properly can be really beneficial to us. Our kids too love snacks for the same reason. I do give Raaga gold fish and crunchies as much for a snack too but her food chart keeps growing and I get to experiment with her growing tastebuds! She is 17 months old now. She’s at a phase where she loves to snack on fruits more than anything. And I’m introducing a lot of healthy options at this stage. other than that, I have tried a few recipes for lunch and dinner too. But, My main objective here is to encourage her to eat in the same fashion as we do. And I certainly don’t believe in either forcing her to eat and finish up everything I offer her or even going behind her, running to every corner of the house feeding her except if we are travelling and its a new environment for her (in which case she might be too curious to sit down for a meal). I just make sure she is fed and likes what she is having. Every family is different and their eating habits are different. I always believed that there’s not one specific way! Nothing bad or good, nothing wrong or right.

A few months back, we made some changes to Raaga’s food and eating habits. We did not diligently use a high chair until a few weeks back. but slowly she got used to it and now she knows that she has to sit on the high chair to eat lunch/dinner. I am going to proudly say, she eats what we eat, (thanks to her teeth now finally coming out fast) with a few exceptions but its pretty much what we do at this house.

We also increased our intake of fresh fruit as a result of this change. Her lunch and dinner menu is the same as ours. So, to add more vitamins and minerals and fat to her daily diet, we buy more fruit and slowly are getting used to consuming some amount of fruit daily along with her.

Like I said, and as you know, every family is different and I’m not an expert but I do want to share some snack and meal Ideas with you all. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, Please comment below. I’d love to introduce new foods to Raaga slowly.

MEAL IDEAS

  • Vegetable Khichdi – sweet potato, corn, carrot, peas, tomato and beans (you can add some or all of these veggies and more for a whole some lunch or dinner)
  • Spinach rice – I tried spinach rice in many ways for Raaga and she seems to enjoy the garlicky flavor in it. Recipe : Chop spinach finely. Add oil in a pan. once the oil heats up, add few chopped garlic pieces and some jeera/cumin. Let them fry until garlic turns golden brown. Add a pinch of turmeric and some corriander powder/ dhaniya powder . Now add the chopped spinach and fry on low heat for a few minutes until spinach changes color and reduces . Then add salt and stir. Add cooked rice to this and mix well. This tastes very good and goes great with a few heaping spoons of plain yogurt.
  • Paneer Parantha (with extra asafetida and lots of chopped cilantro)
  • Alu parantha – goes without saying that we are fans of Alu parantha in this house and love to eat it any day of the week! A dash of ketchup and some jam to go with it , That’s Raaga style.
  • Vegetable rasam and rice
  • Tomato/ Mango dal and Rice : A staple in our house.
  • Vegetable upma with cauliflower, peas, carrot and tomato. Its the best way to blend health and taste in a meal ! I’ve always been a fan of Upma and truth be told, Its easy to make too!! haha
  • lemon Rice – We are still slowly getting used to this. Raaga loves it but doesn’t have too much at once so it can’t be considered a meal yet but we’re coming along slowly.

SNACK IDEAS

  • Avocado toast ( dash of lemon , pinch of salt and we’re done!)
  • 3 large strawberries and a few blueberries
  • Half an omelette or half of a hard boiled egg.
  • Some gold fish and a cheese toast
  • Half of a large orange and some milk biscuits
  • Milk and cereal ( she loves chocolate milk!)
  • 1 dosa or 1/2 Besan cheela
  • homemade banana bread : Raaga loved it and kept asking for it all the time 🙂

So these are some of the foods that i try to offer and reoffer to Raaga on a daily basis. Slowly but surely we’ve been making way for some healthy yet yummy eating. If you have tips or recipes that work for you and what I can offer Raaga going forward , please do let me know in the comments below. If you like this post, Please click the star below . That motivates me to write more. I’d love for you to check out my instagram handle @ramyakirtana

Thank you for reading. Will be back with another post soon.

Two Easy And Simple Lunch Favorites

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Who does not like a hot home cooked meal ?

Growing up , I had a book full of recipes I collected from the net, some I cut out from magazines and newspapers. I’d pin them all in the book. Truth be told, I wanted to grow up and be a mommy. Cook for family, spread tables scapes, bake with my kids and cook some more! Monica much? Well , the dust wears off one day is all I can say about the other things. But cooking always stuck with me. Too close to my heart to not spend a ton of time in the kitchen. I somehow love the idea of meals made from scratch. Although store brought condiment are my second favorite 😉.

And with Raaga , 16 months old now, I kind of want to spend more quality time with her during the day (when she is the most active). So nowadays I cut my cooking time to a minimum. As simple as that. I still am a stay at home mom and as long as I am , I intend on soaking in these moments I have with her.

So I kept my lunches pretty short and simple the past few months. Most of them take less than 15 min to make and the prep is really very easy.

Two of those lunch favorites that I want to share with you can be made for dinner as well. They are warm and satisfying. Most of all, they get me some extra time with my baby Raaga.🤩

Teriyaki Vegetable Friedrice

What you need :

  • Cooked rice (brown/white)
  • Beans
  • Carrots
  • Peas
  • Green onion
  • Ginger garlic paste
  • Asian Teriyaki sauce
  • Sriracha sauce
  • Red chilli flakes
  • Salt to taste

Since my husband doesn’t eat egg, I added hardboiled eggs to the side for me.

How to make :

First, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan or a wok. When it heats up , add the ginger garlic paste and the chilli flakes. As the raw smell begins to go away, add the chopped carrots, beans, peas and green onion. The veggies don’t need to be cooked fully, its better keep them crunchy as in any friedrice.

After 2 minutes of stirring the veggies, pour in the sauces , and add salt

Stir for a a minute on high flame and add in the cooked rice. Mix it all together. Now add some chopped green onion on top for extra flavor. Its that simple! You can make this with leftover rice from the previous nights dinner as well. I love how easy yet flavorful this recipe is. I boiled 2 eggs to have on the side and added some salt and pepper to them. You could even break an egg into the pan before you add the sauces if you’d like.

So this is one of my favorites and makes lunch easy. This way I avoid being tempted to order or pick up!

Next is,

Tomato-Basil Soup And Avocado Toast :

This is by far the most easiest lunches/ dinners I’ve ever made. There are multiple variations I add into this recipe every time I make it. Its filling and light too!

There are so many versions of this dish!

And don’t forget the croutons , they make all the difference. If you like a nice crunchy salad on the side, a crabberry lettuce cucumber salad tastes absolutely delicious.

What you need :

  • 7 to 8 Fresh chopped tomatoes
  • Tomato paste
  • 3 garlic pods finely chopped
  • 1 tablesspoon ghee or butter
  • Whole wheat bread
  • 1 large avocado mashed
  • Dried basil leaves/Italian seasoning
  • Salt
  • Sugar

Hard boiled eggs on the side for me.

How to make :

Add 1 tablespoon butter or ghee. I love ghee in mostly anything. Once the ghee heats up, add in the garlic and fry until its golden brown on medium heat. Then add in the tomatoes and the salt and sugar(1 teaspoon) and let them with the cook until they’re soft and mushy.

After a 3 to 4 minutes close the lid and cook again for 5 more minutes. Once the tomatoes turn soft, add a tablespoon of tomato paste (I use the one by Kirkland from Costco and I’m a fan!)

Stir in with a cup of water and let it simmer for a good 15 minutes. It will reduce to atleast 1cm less in the pan. At this stage you can add more butter if you’d like.

Once the raw smell goes away and the soup reduces a little bit, you can taste and adjust the salt.

Pour into a bowl and add some milk cream if you like.

Now I’l tell you why I said 10 minutes and less about this recipe. I make a huge batch and keep it in the refrigerator. It stays good for 4 days. We love it so much we even have it as a snack on a wintery evening around the chai time.

Toast 2 slices of bread a d spread the mashed avocado, sprinkle some salt, pepper and red chilli flakes if you’d like , squeeze some lemon juice and you’re good to go. If you love egg like I do, you can slice 1 hardboiled egg on the top of the mashed avacado. I added some chopped tomatoes too just for a lovely dash of color. 😍 Now plate this like I did and you’re good to go.

If you’re really, really short of time, then you can use the store brought Ragu or Prego tomato garlic sauce to make this soup too… you’ll find great recipes on pinterest for the same.

Thats all for today folks. I’d love to know what you’re favorite lunches are. Please like if you like my blog posts and I’l be back with another one soon. CIAO! ❤

Sick Day Vitamin C Boosting Soup Recipe

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We are currently going through sick days back to back. During the winters, Its so freezing cold outside that we barely get any direct sunlight except through the windows. Back in India, children are exposed to early morning sun rays everyday to build immunity. Although its possible here in the summers , its not ideal in the winters because of the cool breeze. When the flu hits, its the most uncomfortable and tiring time of the year and for us moms, as you know, there are no sick days!

Continue reading “Sick Day Vitamin C Boosting Soup Recipe” →