Quick and healthy recipes for kids

Given the high-paced lives we lead, serving a balanced diet for kids can be very challenging. A lot of thought and preparation may go in ensuring that your kid gets all of his/her essential nutrients. Allow us to make this process easier for you with a few dishes that are not only quick to make but also healthy.

In this article, we list down some of those healthy dishes and their recipes.

Open roti sandwich:

One of the healthiest recipes for kids, the open roti sandwich is loaded with essential nutrients. You can include a small portion of all of the five food groups (i.e. vegetables and legumes/beans, fruits, grains, meat and poultry, and dairy products) in this recipe. Here’s the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 roti
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree 
• ½ sprouts of your choice
• ½ grated carrot, beetroot, lettuce, and sliced onions
• Grated cheese to garnish (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the roti in a pan and keep it aside. In a mixing bowl, add the sprouts and ½ a cup of grated veggies. Add salt to taste and mix them well. Now, apply tomato ketchup on the roti and spread the sprouts mix evenly on it. Garnish it with a cheese of your child’s choice.

Cut the sandwich into bite-size pieces for your toddler’s convenience.

Health quotient: This recipe is a rich source of fibre, vitamin B9, iron, and vitamin A.

Chicken and mushroom stir-fry:

Rich in protein, this dish is easy to make and will hardly take you any time to stir up. This simple, yet hearty dish is certainly a healthy meal recipe for kids. It is both – nutritious and delicious. All you need is:

Ingredients:

• 1 bowl of chicken cut into bite-size pieces
• ½ bowl of mushrooms
• ½ bowl of broccoli
• ½ bowl of red and yellow bell peppers
• ¼ bowl of corn
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of black pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup of water

Method:

Rinse the chicken pieces and keep them aside. In a wok or a big skillet add one tablespoon of oil. Once the oil heats up, add the chicken pieces to it and sauté them for a minute or two. Then add the mushrooms and continue to sauté them for half a minute.

Add broccoli to it and let it cook. In between, once the broccoli is semi-cooked, add the bell peppers, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Add water and cook the chicken and vegetables through. Lastly, add the corn and cook it on a low flame for about three minutes. Viola, a healthy meal for kids, is ready to be served.

Health quotient: This recipe is filled with vitamin B and vitamin C. The bell peppers provide a lot of antioxidants, and the chicken provides the required amount of protein in your child’s diet. 

Oats dosa:

This simple Indian pancake is packed with tons of nutritional value. Apart from being a healthy recipe for kids, oats dosa is quick to make and delicious. All you need is:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• ½ brown rice flour
• ½ ragi flour
• ½ cup curd
• ¼ cup coriander
• Thumb-sized ginger finely chopped (add this herb only if your child eats it)
• Salt to taste
• Water as required

Method:

Finely grind the oats in a mixer grinder and place the ground oats in a large mixing bowl. Add the rice and ragi flour to it. Then, mix the curd, coriander, and add salt to taste. Now pour half a cup of water, mix it well and check the consistency. This dosa batter’s consistency should be a tad bit thinner than a pancake batter. Make the dosa in a dosa pan and serve it warm with coconut chutney.

Health quotient: Ragi is an excellent source of iron and fibre; it also helps to increases bone density. Overall, this recipe is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin B.  

So, the next time you want to cook a healthy meal for your child and are short on time, do give these recipes a try.