Working Mums: Planning your toddler's meals

Working moms don't always have it easy when it comes to planning for their toddler's meals. Trust me ,as a working mother myself , i know due to time constraints, we always end up preparing something in a jiffy which might not really be the healthy and nutritious meals we want our kids to have. To make things worse, if your toddler is a fussy eater, you would really want him to have a proper meal however little his intake. My own experience has led me to dish out these quick ,tasty and healthy recipes that will appeal to your toddler's tastebuds!

Dried fruits Oatmeal for breakfast

This is my son's favourite breakfast cereal. Rich in fibre and iron, which are very important for their growth.

You will need:

Quaker's Oats ( Not the instant ones)

One handful of Dried almonds, Cashews, and dates

Sugar or powdered jaggery

Milk

Honey(optional)

Grind the above in your mixer till its blended properly and slightly granular. In a bowl, add a little water to the powdered mixture and mix till smooth. Cook in milk while stirring continuously till a smooth and medium thick consistency is achieved. Just before serving , add sugar to taste or powdered jaggery if available. Top it with a spoon of honey and it's ready.

Mixed vegetable fried rice

This is another favourite. I got a small pressure cooker especially for his meals. A good investment as it takes less time for cooking small quantities and it's power-saving too!

You will need:

Diced Veggies - carrots, beans, potatoes,tomatoes (optional: beetroot,capsicum) to make 1 bowl

(You can always chop the vegetables the night before and store in the fridge)

3 garlic cloves

1 small onion chopped finely

2 tbsp Cooking Butter/Margarine

Rice

Add the butter in the pressure cooker. Once melted, add in the onions. Fry slightly till pink and then add the garlic cloves followed by chopped tomatoes. Let it fry for couple of minuted and then add in the veggies. Fry for couple more minutes. Wash the rice and add to the rest.Add salt as required. Mix thoroughly. Let it fry for a minute before adding enough water for the rice and veggies to fully cook. Cover and allow for 2-3 whistles before taking off the stove and your mixed veg fried rice is ready.

Egg Custard

Here is another quick recipe. Good for kids who don't like eating eggs as a whole.

Milk - 1.5 medium glasses

1 egg

1 tbsp custard powder(optional)

Sugar

Beat the egg thoroughly in a bowl. Pour in the milk and the custard powder and sugar. Mix well. Place the bowl in your pressure cooker (filled with 5 glasses of water). Cover bowl with a lid and place a heavy weight object on top of the lid. Close the cooker and DO NOT put the whistle. Cooking time is 20-25 minutes. Let it cool before serving.

More recipes to follow ...