5 delicious, healthy snacks for your child

Snacks are food items which everyone loves to eat. They are light appetizers that won’t make you feel full. There are a variety of snacks available if you poke around a food shop. Colorful, delicious and highly decorated ready-made snacks allure children and excessive consumption of them is harmful. But if you can spend a little time for preparing these home-made healthy snacks, you can at least save your child from eating those junk foods. Try these and share your experience with me. I personally make these in the evenings when my son comes back after school.

Bread……4

Onion……1

Tomato......1

Green chilly……2

Curry leaves……a bunch

Turmeric powder………1/4 tsp

Salt.......to taste

Sesame oil…..1 to 2 tsp

For tempering

Mustard seeds……..1/2 tsp

For garnishing

Coriander leaves

Preparation

Cut the bread into smaller pieces. Chop the onion into slices. Cut tomato into small pieces.

Take a ‘kadai’ or a deep thick bottomed wok and heat gently. Pour sesame oil and mustard seeds into it. When they crackle, add chopped onions and tomatoes into it and fry. Pour turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves and stir well. Finally mix the bread pieces with these contents, stir well and garnish with coriander leaves. Bread Upma is delicious and children love to eat it.

Ingredients

Corn maize…………1

Chat Masala……….to taste

Pepper……..1 tsp

Lime juice……….1 tsp

Preparation

Cook the corn maize with salt in a pressure cooker. Put them into a bowl, mix well with Chat masala, pepper and lime juice. This is an easy and tasty dish rich in vitamins.

Ingredients

Vermicelli.....2 cups

Water..........4 to 5 cups
Onion ....1

Carrot…..1

Beans......1

Green peas.....20 pods

Green chilies ...2
Curry leaves ... a small bunch
Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp
Salt ....to taste
Sesame oil…….1 tsp

Clarified butter.....1tsp

For tempering:
mustard seeds .........1 tsp.

Black gram Sabut…..1tsp
Asafoetida ................a pinch

Dry red chilies .......... 2

Preparation

Break the vermicelli into small pieces in a sieve. Chop the onion into small slices. Cut carrot and beans into small pieces. Boil green peas and keep aside.

Take a kadai or a deep bottomed wok, pour 1tsp of sesame oil and heat gently. Add the tempering ingredients to it. When they crackle, add slices of onion, turmeric powder, green chilies and sauté them. Pour water along-with carrots and beans. Cook them fine. Finally pour the vermicelli into the pan, add green peas, salt and 1 tsp clarified butter and stir it well with the ingredients in it. Vermicelli upma is ready to serve.

Note: Amount of water may vary depending upon the time taken for the vegetables to cook. In such cases, add more or less water.

Poha (rice flakes)..... 1 cup
Potato... 1
Onion ....1
Green chilies ...2
Curry leaves ... a small bunch
Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp
Salt ....to taste
Sesame oil…….1 tsp

For tempering:
Cumin seeds ... 1 tsp.
Asafoetida ......a pinch
Dry red chilies ... 2

For garnishing:
Coriander leaves ....handful
Lemon juice.

Preparation

Put the Poha in a dish, wash with water and drain. Set them aside for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile boil the potato and cut it into small cubes. Chop the onion into small slices.

Take a ‘kadai’ or deep bottomed wok, pour 1tsp of sesame oil and heat gently. Add the tempering ingredients to it. When they turn brown, add slices of onion, turmeric powder, green chilies and sauté them. Mix with boiled potato pieces and salt.

Finally pour the Poha into the pan and stir it well with the ingredients in it. Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice on the top and serve.

Bread………….4 pieces

Semolina (suji rawa)…….1/2 cup

Yoghurt…….1/2 cup

Onion (sliced)……..1/4 cup

Capsicum (chopped)……..1/4 cup

Carrot (chopped)………1/4 cup

Green chilly………2

Clarified butter……1 to 2 tsp

Salt……..to taste

Preparation

Roast the semolina in a pan. Mix it with yoghurt in a bowl. When a fine paste is formed, add onion, capsicum, carrot, green chilly pieces and salt to it. Mix them well and set aside. You can add a little water to it if the paste is very thick and solid.

Take a frying pan and heat it in medium flame. When the pan becomes hot, spread the paste on one side of the bread and place it on the pan with the pasted side pointing to the bottom. Rub with a little clarified butter on the top of it and roast. Let it roast good for 2-3 minutes and then reverse for roasting both the sides. Rub with clarified butter both times. Bread Uthappam is ready for your children to eat.