Healthy and nutritious recipes for your child’s tiffin-box
In continuation with the previous blog post, in which I talked about reasons and things to keep in mind when cooking tiffin box food for your child, here are few easy-to-do and healthy food recipes along with their nutritional importance which can be quite handy food-ideas while cooking food for your child’s tiffin box:
Soya Vegetable Cutlets
Method of Preparation:
- Pressure cook soya chunks, peas and carrot for 1 whistle. Put only enough water required for cooking.
- Drain any extra water and squeeze the contents to remove remaining water and mash it well.
- Add mashed potatoes, boiled soya chunks, carrot, peas and onion in a wide bowl. Add breadcrumbs, salt, garam masala and fresh coriander.
- Make small round shape cutlets.
- Take a non- stick pan and toast the cutlet on both sides applying little oil until it is light golden in colour.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes and then pack it in the tiffin box of your little one with two whole wheat bread slices and ketchup.
Nutritional importance:
- Soyabean being a rich source of protein helps in supplying the body building material and make good the loss that occur due to wear and tear.
- It is also rich in Vitamin A which is necessary for clear vision in dim light.
Cheese Palak Parantha
Method of Preparation:
- Take whole wheat flour and add pureed spinach, garam masala, coriander, ginger, green chilli, roasted cumin powder, ½ teaspoon vegetable oil and salt. Knead it into dough. Let the dough stand for 10- 15 min.
- Make a round boll and flatten it with the help of a rolling pin.
- Place 1 tsp grated cheese in the centre and seal it from all sides. Roll it into a parantha and bake it from both sides on a griddle applying little oil.
- Let the paranthas cool for 10 min and then pack it into your child’s tiffin box.
- It can be made into circular, triangular or rectangular shape.
Nutritional Importance:
- It provides adequate energy to help perform all bodily functions.
- Spinach is a rich source of Vitamin A which is essential for clear vision.
- Cheese is a good source of protein and calcium required for the formation and maintenance of skeleton and teeth.
Grilled Vegetable Mushroom Sandwich
Method of Preparation:
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and add chopped onions and sauté till they are golden brown in colour. Add chopped mushrooms and sauté until water has evaporated (mushrooms give out water while being cooked).
- Add capsicum and tomatoes and sauté on medium flame.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Turn off heat; add cheese and coriander leaves, mix and set aside.
- Two slices of bread are needed to make 1 sandwich. Cut the edges of the bread. Alternatively, bread can be cut in different shapes of circle, square or triangle.
- Spread the butter on the slices of bread. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the mixture on one slice and cover with the other slice and grill using a sandwich maker or any other grilling method of your choice.
Nutritional Importance:
- Mushrooms are good source of B- Vitamin which helps to provide energy by breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates. B- Vitamins also play an important role in the nervous system.
- It is also rich source of selenium which is an antioxidant and helps to prevent damage related to heart diseases, cancer and other metabolic conditions.
- It is also a rich source of copper and potassium. Potassium helps to maintain electrolyte balance in the body and copper plays an important role in iron absorption.
Sprouts Tikki
Method of Preparation:
- Blend the sprouted moong dal in a smooth paste by adding little water.
- Add besan, asafoetida, coriander leaves, mint leaves, salt and garam masala and roll it into small tikkis.
- Heat a non- stick tava and cook each tikki using little oil until they are golden brown in colour.
- Let it cool for a while before packing it in your child’s tiffin box.
- Change in taste can be incorporated by adding two varieties of sprouts- green gram whole and Bengal gram whole in equal proportion.
Nutritional Importance:
- There is a considerable increase in the weight of the pulse after germination.
- Content of B- Vitamins such as Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin and Vitamin C increases upon germination.
- Vitamin C is required for healthy and strong gums, bone and teeth calcification and increases absorption of iron.
Do include these recipes in your child’s tiffin box to provide him/her with a nutritionally adequate, interesting and mouth- watering tiffin box.
Note: Some recipes as well as their images may be partially inspired by various sources on the Internet. However, they have been modified to make them more nutritious along with a self-written nutritional importance section.
