Baby foods.

[R]

Disclaimer: The recipies are being posted only to share it with people who have no access to it. There's no commercial interests. Should this be deemed infringement of copyrights, pls let us know. We'll remove them.

Index:

Introduction & Ideas to baby foods and new mothers
Sathu maavu first version
sathu maavu second version
sathu maavu third version
Mixed veggie jam
Simple fruit & veggie milk shake (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&start=0)
Vegetable chappathi by lavsensuba
colorful parata
Badham milk
Apple milk shake or kheer and its variations
yummy sweety & nutty bread by lavsensuba
Quick & easy egg chappathi by lavsensuba
Paneer parata
Cheese chappathi
Dal parata (tarla dalal)
Different methods of idlies (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15)
Beetroot kheer (Mrs.Revathy's collection posted by sujathakannan)
sprouted moong parata (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45)
floating balls(Mrs.Revathy's collection by sujathakannan)
Green chappathi (ditto)
Nutritious adai/dosa
Simple sweet/snack
Banana dosa with variations
Corn flakes Milkshake(Mrs.Revathy's collection by sujathakannan)
Sooji pongal
Greens cutlet(Mrs.Revathy's collection by sujathakannan)
Cheese sticks(ditto)
Royal idly
Dry fruit balls(Mrs.Revathy's collection.......)
Dates curd raita(ditto) (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60)
Combination of fruits (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=118227#118227)
radish parata (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=123492#123492)
simple parata
navadhaniya sundal
mullangi sambar
piece of tip reg., the sambar (by indu)
corn parata (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=125704#125704)
kesar syrup
kesar almond syrup(Mrs.Mallika's version) (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150)
some useful tips(by dsankaran)
orange squash
lemon crush(Mrs.Mallika's version-both) (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=165)
suggestion on fruits & veggies (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=180)
Including peanuts in our baby/kid's foods. (http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=195)
nutritious urundai
snack with sweet potato
(http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1369&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=210)

Hi foodlover, Shanta and kals,

First of all, I am not very experienced mother, ok. My daughter is 23 months now, and have one elder son too. From both of them, I am sharing my views.

Till 1 yr. I was told by my doc that the babies shd take 30 oz of formula, so shd concentrate more on liquid than the solid. And, I saw my friends giving rice or spicy food. At one stage, they will start hating the baby food. So, until 1 year, I did not show rice at all.

For the first 4 to 5 months:

Would start with formula, then, gerber cereals like oatmeal and rice cereal with flavors since fed her sathu maavu, there was no need to give the mixed cereal. Other than the usual fruits like banana, apple, used to buy unusual fruits from the shop which is pears,peach, apricots. They have extra c vitamin and will get to know the taste. You cant prepare them at home. Similarly, with veg., sweet potato, green peas are unusual veg., Can even try mixed fruits and gerber juice which comes in a smaller bottle(4 oz.).

From 6th month upto 1 year:

Other than the above, the standard veg., used to make in the morning was carrot, beans, potato, onion, tomato-all small pieces) with little moong dal. Mash them nicely and feed them as their brunch. Since both dal and veg., are there, it is a filling food for them and for lunch, can go with cereal and formula. In the evening time, can give fruits like mashed banana or apple. While mashing, can even add raisins which is rich in vit. and minerals and no constipation will be there. In between, if they are hungry, can give our regular curd. Or, can feed toasted bread or any snack.

Only some kids will take both veg., and fruits in a day. In my daughter's case, she takes either of them in a day. That does not matter anyway.

For dinner, can give tiffins like idly or chappathi with milk. Chappathi shd be soaked in milk and to be cooked for a mt or so, so that it is very easy for them to chew or swallow. For idly, take some water in a cup, soak the pieces one by one before they eat and dip in sugar or some pottukadalai podi, then feed so that it is very easy for them to take. Until one year, can feed 2 to 3 idlis very well. For one or two idlis, try with sugar or podi then for the last idly, try with curd.

.................................

1 yr and above:

After 1 yr., can give our regular milk with cheerios cereal. If they dont like it, can stick with the baby cereal. Also, continued with some bottled fruits(no bottle veg., from there onwards).

For a change, in the evening time, can give bread with millk or parle g or marie bisucits mixed in milk, then can feed them.

Slowly, introduce all common fruits like apple, banana, dates, raisins. Take two or three nuts from cashew, pista and badham each. Boil and peel the skin out. With the above fruits, mix the nuts and grind them nicely. that is a wonderful pudding or brunch for them.

Once they have got a few teeth that is if they are ready to eat, can try veg., chunks. Since my daughter is little elder than yrs' she is taking apple now applied with creamy peanut butter which is tastier and filling one.

You can try mixed veg., like grated beet with shallot, tomato. Like this, choose different combinations which will give more taste-potato or okra with onion, tomato or carrot(baby carrot will be preferable since vit. is more than our regular carrot) or keerai with onion and tomato. Alternative days, add garlic. If you want to add ginger, can add a tiny piece, after cooking, throw the ginger away since it is very hot for the babies. And with veg., you have to give dals like moong or thoor. Moong dal is preferable since thoor dal has more gas. Even with moong dal, you can dry fry and cook so that the gas will not form.

You can prepare simple rasam which has boiled or raw tomato with water, haldi, salt and for kaaram, add jeera and pepper podi until they are little older. Slowly, introduce other grains like payar, channa(black channa is little difficult and blunt taste, so kids dont like it). Once in a while, I used to give hummus which is a boiled and groundwhite channa paste with salt. Make sure that their stomach is ot getting upset.

Can even sprout the grains and add 1 tbsp of the same with the veg., Once in a week, can add only veg., without dal so that the stomach will get some rest. Once they have started liking it, can give curd rice too with 30 mts gap or so. Becoz, after 1 yr, we have to follow the food pattern more or less like us.

Also, if you prepare plain veg., with little qty of dal like cabbage with dal, make one more extra veg., like radish. It is just like how we are eating. Radish is a side dish and the main food is cabbage rice.

Try kitchidis (not the adults' one) by soaking rice and dal together and cook veg., like carrot, potato, onion, tomato and spices like haldi, podis. It is always better to add dal more and rice in a lesser qty.

Even with butternut and pumpkin, can cook them with channa dal and feed them with the std., basic spices like pepper, jeera, poondu, can feed the kid. This was told by a punjabi friend of mine. Some people also add little amt of masoor dal. That is only if the kids dont like our moong or thoor dal.

Dinner is really boring for them since there is not much of variety. Anyways, for dinner, used to give kootu sadham . You can prepare this kootu with veg., like cabbage, chow chow, zuchhini, cucumber(tender veg.,) with 1/2 tbsp of moong dal. Veg., shd be in the higher qty since it is night time. Cook veg., dal alongwith salt, pepper jeera podi. Drain water and mash veg., nicely, mix them with rice. My daughter loved it very much.

I also heard that dhalia is also very good for the kids. So, can make dhalia upma(godhumai rava). But, my daughter is an expert in testing the food. If you take a spoon of some food, she would smell, taste with the tongue tip, then only, she would take rest of the food. Depending on yr kids' taste, can feed her.

My mother always says that though they are kids, they too have the taste bud in their tongues; so, pls feed the food with tasty and addtl. variety.

I have angaya podi with me which has all kinds of medicinal ingredients like sundaikkai, manathakkali etc. So, it is very good for digestion and other minor stomach problems. While cooking the veg., I always add a bit.

I have told you all whatever I remember. If there is more, will definitely let you know.

And, foodlover, since you have visited the "sathu maavu" thread already, a tip for you. For the payar, badham etc. kanji, instead of frying and grinding the payaru, can sprout and grind with the other ingredients. That was how, my mother made in India and brought a few packets with me from each variety for my kids.

Good luck!!

[foodlover]

Hello R !
Thank u very much for sharing valuable information with us.Now i have an idea abt what to feed my infant.can i introduce whole cow's milk to my son?since we r going for a long trip (6 months )to India i cannot carry formula from here.How to introduce milk ?Thanks in advance.

[R]

Hello foodlover,

My paed., suggested to introduce cow's milk only after completion of 1 yr. for both of my kids strictly. So, cant suggest you to give milk to yr son though heard from my friend that her doc., asked her to give milk at the 10th month itself!!

So, consult with yr doctor abt this. My doc., was telling that introducing cow's milk is not very easy. Becoz, in the first week after 1 yr., have to give cow's milk once in a day around 6 oz, guess; then, after a week, can introduce two times(morning and evening) in a day. In this way, they may not face allergy problems.

My sincere suggestion is why dont u carry formula powder for another couple of months. Since yr son is 10 months old, you can introduce the whole milk after you go to India(after 2 months) based on yr Indian doctor advise, right? I am not sure whether you are nursing or not. If so, then it is not a problem for another 2 months.

Good luck with yr journey!!

[foodlover]

Hello R !
Thanks for the prompt reply.ur information helps me a lot.regards foodlover.

[shanta]

Thanks R, for sharing this info in detail! I will definitely try all this.

How do you make dhalia upma, i.e., what is the proportion/ratio of dhalia to water? And what is "sathu maavu"?

[R]

Hello Shanta,

Have not tried dhalia upma, yet, can try with dhalia:water=1:2, just like our sooji upma w/w.o veg.,

Sathu maavu is a porridge made predominantly with ragi and other grains in lesser qty.

first type:

Ragi Sprouts Porridge

Ragi
Wheat grains
Green Moong Dal
2-3 Almonds
Pinch of green cardamom powder

1. Soak ragi. Leave till sprouts come out.
2. Dry roast the sprouted ragi on a girdle (tawa).
3. Also roast wheat, green moong dal, almonds.
4. Mix all the roasted items.
5. Grind these to a fine powder Add green cardamom powder for flavour. Store in an airtight container.

p.s.: Got it from a site and what I did was sprouted the green gram too and rest of the procedures are same.
.................
II type sathu maavu

All the grains are in the same measurements-100 g

kambu, ragi, kaaramani, p.payaru, wheat whole, black chick peas, white maize(corn), urad dal with skin, horse gram, field beans, maize(makka cholam).

Procedure:

Dry fry each ingredients separately and grind nicely just like the other sathu maavu.

If adults or grown up kids wants to eat, can make like nombu adai by mixing with jaggery syrup, dates, raisins, cashew and it is really tasty.
......................

III type sathu maavu

Ragi 1 cup, rest of the grains are as follows (1/4 cups each).

cashew nut, badham, peanut, roasted gram, cardamom, sago, par boiled rice, kambu, wheat, barley, corn and soya(optl.).

Dry fry each ingredient separately till it is hot. Remove and grind together.
..................

Normally, people from South use to bring them from India since it is difficult to find and grind everything here. At the worst case, buy as flour, sieve carefully, dry fry and mix. Easy ingredients like roasted gram, p.nut etc. can fry and grind.

Hope this is enough.

Bye.

[shanta]

Thanks, R. I will try these recipes too.

[R]

My mother always makes this jam recipe which we can take with bread or chappathi. Though the taste will definitely differ from what we buy from the shop with preservatives, can try at home atleast for the kids.

Mixed veggie jam:

All the qty are in app., The veg., are tomato, beet and carrot. Take tomato in a higher qty and the other two veg., will be in equal ratio.

Grate carrot and beet, cook together. Mash or grind them nicely. Similarly cook tomato and peel the skin out and mash them nicely(not the nattu thakkali since it has lots of seeds).

Mix sugar with water(limited qty) according to the taste becoz all the veg., are sweeter ones, cook on the stove till dissolves well. Add the veg., mixture. Boil well till it is thick. Finally add cardamom powder for flavor.

Very nutritious jam and dont know the lifetime. But, it is always better to prepare dish fresh for the kids. So, once in 15 days will do, guess.

......................

[foodlover]

Hello R !
Thanks for the jam recipe.can u explain how to sprout the grains ?How it can be given to babies ?Thanks in advance.

[R]

Hello foodlover,

Just like how we make sprouts for us-Take a handful of grain and soak it overnight in water and the next day, drain the water completely. Tie them in a cloth or put them in a siever and close it with another lid, the sprout will form in 24 hrs.

Add one or two tsbp of the same with the regular veg., and cook. For us, taking raw sprouts is good.

Whole green gram, black channa and kaaramani are all the grains which produce sprouts quickly. So, I make sprouts with any of these grains only.

Bye.

[foodlover]

Hello R !
Thanks for the prompt reply.can u post how to make carrot juice for infants? sorry for pestering u.regards foodlover

[R]

Sorry foodlover, personally, did not make carrot juice at home. I always preferred to give gerber juices since it has 100 % of vit. C , A and of course, because of the wide varieties.

Bye.

[R]

Hello foodlover,

As I mentioned earlier, dont know about carrot juice. Meanwhile, my cousin just now talked to me and she said that she tried making juice with carrot, apple and banana. If you are interested, try this, ok.

Simple fruit & veggie milk shake:

Take baby carrot 7 or 8, skinless apple 1/2, banana 1/2. Cook the carrot and grind with the two fruits. If you want, can add milk and sugar for taste. Anyways, depending on yr kids' age, can modify the qty of the fruits/veg.,

---------------------------

[Seethab]

Hi R:

Hats off to you for your patience!! Would love to be in touch with you!! I have a 22 months old daughter. My id is seetha_kris@yahoo.com.

Thanks
Seetha

[R]

Hello Seetha,

Sent a mail, have u recd. it??

Bye.

[lavsensuba]

Hi Everyone,
I am a newbie here. I have a 13 month daughter. I usually give her, boiled vegetables, fruits (all types), french toast, pancakes, idly, dosa,vegetable chapathi, egg, chicken, mutton, fish etc. If anyone wants any recipe feel free to ask.

Thanks

[Querida]

try stew as well just broth some mashed rice, whatever veggies or even a litte meat if you're not veggie...helps especially on the days of upset tummys...well that's what my amma did for me anyways :D

[gkals]

Hi Everyone,
I am a newbie here. I have a 13 month daughter. I usually give her, boiled vegetables, fruits (all types), french toast, pancakes, idly, dosa,vegetable chapathi, egg, chicken, mutton, fish etc. If anyone wants any recipe feel free to ask.

Thanks




Hi suba's mom,
I have a 15 month old daughter.Can u tell me how to prepare and give her egg,chicken,mutton and fish.Also how do u prepare veg chapathi?.She is very weak.Her weight is only 25 percentile.So iam worried about it.Can u please give some tasty recipes for my daughter as she only eats food which is very tasty.thanks in advance

from
kals

[lavsensuba]

Hi Kals,
I usually give my daughter what I cook for myself and hubby. I make chicken or mutton kurma, fry, curry etc and take well cooked soft pieces and mash it with fork and mix it with either rasam rice or parup sadam (dal rice) and give it to her. I don't make the dish very hot and also add some ghee to her food.

As far fish, I give her small pieces of fried fish nicely mashed (my daughter only has 1 teeth) and she eats it. I usually use Talipia to make fried fish.

Eggs she loves omlette or fried egg. She is ok with boiled egg. You can also add cheese to her omlette they usually love it. I also make french toasts using rasin bread (you get a great brand of raisin bread at sam's club, I don't remember the name) and she loves to eat it by her self.

You can also add egg to dosa dough and make small dosa's for her. My daughter eats dosa or idly with chicken or mutton curry or regular chutney's like onion and tomato or cocunut (again not very spicy).

I also give her store brought Organic chicken broth (I think shari';s brand found in shaw's) in her sippy cup and she loves it.

Other than this she eats sambar rice, puloa etc. I also give her Yo baby's yogurt (stony field brand)and she likes it.

[lavsensuba]

Vegetable chapathi

Boiled mixed vegetable slightly mashed - 2 tbsp

WHeat flour - couple of tbsp (just enough for 1 or 2 chapathi)
salt - 1/4 tsp
corriander leaves - 1/2 tsp finely chopped
Turmeric powder, garam masala - a pinch optionally
water as per need

Mix salt wheat flour, vegetable and corriander leaves (also spices if any) nicely. Add water slowly to thios mixture and stir it with spoon. The mixture should not be of chapathi dough consistency but more of idly dough consistency. Heat pan and add some ghee. Usibng a spoon or laddle spread the dough on the pan. Allow to cook well on both side and serve warm. The difference between this and regular chapathi is that it is more softer. And the differnce between this and wheat dosa is that this is little more thick and more chewey.

FOr more healthy variation add badam paste to this mixture before making chapathi, or you can add flax seed flour (very healthy) to this.

You can subsitute fruits for vegetbles and make sweet chapathi.

ALso you can try giving your daughter badam milk instead of regular milk for one serving.

Hope this helps. If you need any other recipe please let me know.
:D

[R]

Hi,

Saw this recipe in a magazine and also tried which is tasty and nutritious too.

Colorful parata

Wheat flour to make chappathi dough.

Carrot grated 1/2 cup, beet grated 1/2 cup, pumpkin grated 1/4 cup, cardamom powder, coconut grated 4 tbsp, pottukadalai powder 1/4 cup, ghee 3 sp, sugar 3/4 cup or lesser than that(depends on yr taste).

Knead wheat flour with water and 1 sp. oil.

Put ghee in a pan, add all vegetables and other ingredients. Saute well till it is thick and soft. Make balls.

Take balls from the dough, and stuff the veg., pooranam inside the chappathi and make as usual.

Both of my kids loved this; hope yr kids will also be enjoying with this dish!!

Bye.

[lavsensuba]

Thanks R. That sound very tasty and healthy. Will try once my daughter gets more teeths. I will save this recipe.

Thanks

[Seethab]

Thanks R. I repied to your mail.

[RK]

Hi R... I am a first time mother. My son is 3 months old and he is on formula. I find that his bowel movement is irregular. First it was everyday, then it became 2 days once..now 3 days once..but sometimes twice..
Apart from formula, what other food can I give him. I'm not nursing him.. Can I give him glucose?

[R]

You are most welcome, suba's mommy.

I also went thro' yours' food pattern, and badham milk sounds nice. That idea-did not come to my mind. It is one of the best choice for kids as well as adults!!

Thanks for the suggestions.

[R]

Hello RK,

That is too bad to note, but am so sorry that I could not help you properly. Your baby is too young to do any homemade medications, no. Abt glucose, have not heard abt it at all. Can u tell me how glucose will help out with constipation problem?

My BIL's daughter had this problem. She would go for once in a week, but the dr. said that it was not a constipation problem. some kids are like that; as they grow up, and they take all foods like juices and other things, they will be fine with the bowel movement. She would not even cry. As the dr. said, she was fine when she has started taking the other foods. Inspite of taking mother's milk, she faced this problem.

It is too early to introduce solid food like cereal or juice, guess. Introducing solid foods or juice-it all depends on their birth weight and the present weight of the baby. My daughter was 7 pounds and plus, so I was told by the dr. to wait until she is 5 to 6 months old. My friend's baby was a bigger one, so she introduced cereal when he was 4 months or so. It will definitely differ from baby to baby.

For my kids, I followed the below said way though they did not have regular constipation.

The only harmless way as far as I know is take 3 or 4 raisins(black preferable, seedless) and soak in hot water overnight; The next day morning, squeeze well the raisins and filter. Reheat the filtered water till it is warm. Feed them to yr baby(make sure it is not hot). If it is minor constipation, it will work out. If you give in the morning before she/he takes formula, she might be passing stools that evening or night.

If you want, can try for a day. Still, if it does not work, better consult with yr doc.

Best of luck!!

[R]

2 to 3 spoons of water will do.

[lavsensuba]

Thanks R.
Myself and hubby have 5 peeled badam every morning(when I can remember to soak the badam). My parents and in- law find that it helps them with their joint pains taht too in winter. For my daughter I plan to start her on badam milk.

RK,
If you are in US, you can find Karo (sp??) syrup in the baking section and mix a 1 tbsp with the formula and give the baby (but as always ask your doc). I have always given my daughter what R suggested, raisin water couple of tsps and it worked fine. Again, my daughter was both on formula and breast and never had constipation. As R said confirm with your doc any method you chose.

Thanks

[R]

The same one my paed., suggested for my daughter to keep in hand always. For some reason, did not buy at all. It is a pancake syrup, she said. The name is not coming fully. If I remember, will let you know.

[R]

Hi friends,

Tried this nutritious drink from a tamil magazine and of course, my kids enjoyed very well.

Badham milk

Milk 1 litre, sugar ½ cup, badam 20, cashew 10, saffron 1pinch, cardamom.

Soak 15 badam in hot water, and peel the skin, grind with cashew and little milk. With the rem., badam, slice into thinly. Boil milk, after 15 mts, add the paste, sugar, allow to boil for 10 mts. Keep aside. Add cardamom, saffron with milk sliced almond, cool and serve.

Bye.

[R]

Hi,

I am posting here a couple of dishes based on apples. It is really boring to take apple all the time by grinding or as a raw fruit for the kids. So, once in a while, you can give them like apple milk shake or kheer. This is for the kids 1yr . and above.

Apple milk shake or kheer:

All the qty. are approximately. Take one or two apples. Peel the skin out, grind nicely with 1 tbsp of cashew and badham each.

Boil the milk well or minimum boiling is also fine like we do for coffee or tea. Add sugar, wait till dissolves completely. Now, put the apple paste, mix well for a couple of mts. Add a few strands of saffron, cardamom powder. Remove and ready to serve.
............................

Second method:

Another method is to peel the skin out, but instead of grinding, can grate the apple. Becoz, once the kids has teeth, shd start learning how to chew.

Variations:

Method is just like the above. Boil the milk separately. One or two variations can do-omit nuts. Can add a handful of cooked moong or channa dal or cooked sago or cooked semia or finely cut banana. Grated apple shd be added or dal shd be added at the final. In this way, they will come to know about more ingredients' taste.

If you prefer watery or thick kheer or milk shake, accordingly change the qty and enjoy!!

[Seethab]

Hi R:

I need some inputs about what to cook for lunch & dinner as my daughter doesnt eat our food yet (like sambar,kootu etc). Shes very fussy about food.

She has a liking for tomatoes and I am not sure if it can be given everyday.

Hope you recd my mail.

Thanks!!

[R]

Hello Seetha,

I also heard that taking tomatoes everyday is not good for adults; am not sure for kids. But, taking tomato in a smaller qty will not do any harm becoz, we were all taking paruppu rasam sadham everyday in our days.

My daughter also does not prefer taking spices or coconut alongwith vegetables. Have u tried combining veggies like carrots, etc. alongwith tomato? .

Does she likes Kitchidis, curd rice or other tiffins like all upmas, idly, dosa, chappathi ? One time in a day, you shd force her to take rice, no option. Maybe, keep changing the veg., and dal.

Thro' my friend, heard that her kid did not like thoor or moong dals. So, she gave masoor dal rice everyday. After a while, she has stopped giving masoor and start giving her our regular dals.

Let me know yr pattern what and how you are feeding so that will try to help you out.

Bye.

[lavsensuba]

Here is a recipe that any kid you love and is very healthy.
Yummy Sweet and nutty bread
Wheat/WHite/Raisin bread - 2- slices cut into cubes
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Almond,cashew,sunflower seeds,walnut etc ground coarsely - 2-3 tbsp
Honey - 2 tbsp
Raisins- 1 tsp
Heat kadai. Add ghee and also add the bread slices. Once the pieces start browning add the honey so as to coat the pieces. Next add the coarsely ground nut mixture and the raisins. Fry for couple mins. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Thanks

[lavsensuba]

Quick and easy egg chapathi

Chapathi Dough enogh for 1 chapathi
Onion - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Corriander- 1 tsp finely chopped
Egg - 1 nicely beaten

Make chapathi and put it on a hot tawa. Cooke nicely till both sides are done by adding little oil. Once the chapathi is well cooked, pour the egg on top of it and sprinkle the onion and corriander on to of the egg. Allow the egg to set. Slowly turn the chapthi over to cook the egg. When the egg is well cooked, nicely fold the chapthi into a triangle and serve hot with tomato sauce.

Thanks

[R]

Hi Suba's mommy,

Can u tell me where I can find nutty bread? I have not see it in Stop&Shop or any other grocery stores. Also,pls mention the brand name too.

Thanks and Bye.

[R]

Sorry yaar..just now I read yr msg and understood that the item's name is yummy sweet & nutty bread?

[lavsensuba]

Hi R,
The nutty bread in the recipe is I posted is due to adding the coarsely ground nuts. I usually use the regular white bread that we get here to make the recipe. But if you are actually looking for nutty bread, I usually get these in the bakery at Stop and shop or shaws or Big Y. These you won't find in the regular bread asile. I can usually find pecan raisin bread or walnut raisin bread in teh bakery. Ask the bakery people and they be able to help you. I have found that bread I buy from the bakery section is far more tasty compared to the bread from the bread asile.

Also in Sam's atleast in CT they sell a delecious cinimon raisin and apple cinnimon bread (not sure of the brand). My daughter absoluetly loves this. Next time I get I will post teh brand.

[dsankaran]

Hi all,

This thread interests me a lot as I have a toddler daughter (2.5 yrs old) and a 7 month old son. My daughter has always been an extremely fussy eater. I tried starting my son on solids once he turned 6 months. As my in-laws are here with us, they insisted on trying paruppu saadham (mashed in sumeet). He absolutely refused to open his mouth for 3 consecutive days. On the fourth day, when my in-laws tried forcing him to eat it, he coughed up everything (including the formula) he had had earlier. (I am opposed to forcing kids to eat.. however, I don't have a say when my in-laws are around.. let's not talk about that here.. different story!) Soooo.... I tried Gerber baby food (carrots and sweet potatoes and bananas) on him. He seemed to like that better.. but wouldn't eat more than 3-4 baby spoon full and that too not more than twice a day. He does not eat anything in semisolid form (cereal mixed with fruit or veggies mashed). He drinks it through a bottle though (if I mix formula). Honestly, I am not very concerned about him not eating now.. I personally think he is not ready for the solid thingy yet.. but it has become a source of worry.. prying open his mouth during meal-time for my in-laws... So.. anybody seen this? Any advice is appreciated.

Just when you think my post has ended.. I have one more story to share....

My dear daughter is and has been a fussy eater all along..... Oh she does so well at daycare.. she wipes her plate clean and even eats soup all by herself. But at home, she has never once eaten her dinner without creating a scene. The only difference I can think of is that she gets to eat American food (meat and everything) at daycare.. however at home, we being vegetarians don't cook meat and try to give her more rice based dishes. The only food she at leasts tries to eat is curd rice (it has to be white and oh please... no veggies in it) and plain chappathi (a small one). She can survive on air all night, but wouldn't want to eat the food I put on the table. I've tried dosas, idlis, kichdis etc. PLUS.. she plays with her food ALL the time.. throwing it all over the place.. wails when I run behind her to eat her dinner. (Lately, I have put my foot down (despite protests from my in-laws) and stopped trying to feed her.. it's ok if she eats only two spoonfuls, she needs to learn to eat by herself).

Wondering if any of you share the same experience and have any words of encouragement/suggestions?

Thanks for lending your ear.

- Deepa

[pr]

Dear friends
I have been a silent reader of this thread . I have a 10 months old son and i had already got some tips from R some time ago .
To all of ur attention , this weeks avalvikatan , recipe section has focussed on kids food . First in that is sathu maavu kanji as R suggested .. Moms can go thru that article . It will be useful too

[R]

Thanks pr. Just now, saw the article and all of them are useful and a healthy one.

And, Deepa, in my house, I saw my SIL suffered like anything with her daughter. Her daughter was fine with fruits; but when it comes to rice, whatever you put in her mouth, it would stay. Surprising thing was that she would make as a nice paste, but it would not go inside!!

Even, she consulted with all doctors and they were all suggesting that if the kids are hungry, they will take by themselves and there is no need to force them. This is the standard advises from all the doctors.

Surprisingly, when she was 3 or 4 yrs old, she was taking all foods like rice, idly etc. all by herself. That too, the qty was comparatively higher than what my son used to take. I will definitely say that it is because of my SIL's efforts. Do we have any choice? It is easy to say, but what else to do? Keep trying..one day, they will start eating without any trouble. Make sure that they are not staying underweight.

When it comes to in-laws, you have to explain them. Becoz, they all belonged to a different generation and dont understand what we are dealing with our kids in food or studies.

And for yr son, think that you can wait very well for paruppu sadham. Have u tried giving him pedia sure? I saw my friends use to give if they are very fussy abt the food. It shd be in a parallel way.

Some kids cant finish a fruit or veg., bottle in a time; So, give him 2 or three times with a short interval. And, try feeding yr kids in a separate room. With my daughter, she always needed my attention when she was young. If I talked to someone, she would start crying!!

Good luck..

[dsankaran]

R, Thanks for your reply. That helps a lot.

[R]

This recipe which I tried from tarla dalal is a nutritious one. Can omit pepper and substitute with jeera.

Paneer parata:

1/2 cup paneer, grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
salt and pepper to taste
Other ingredients
oil to cook
1. Combine all the ingredients and knead into a soft dough using
water.
2. Divide into 6 equal parts.
3. Start making like regular chappathi.
4. Cook each paratha on a griddle (tava), smearing a little oil or ghee, until both sides are golden brown.
.................................

This one I saw my friend making as cheesy puri. But, I tried making cheesy chappathi.

Cheese chappathi

1 cup wheat flour
grated cheese 5 tbsp
pepper podi or jeera podi 1 tsp
water to knead
salt

Mix all the above and make like chappathis which is a filling one.

Adding pepper or jeera is for digestion. so, dont forget to add. And, since cheese has also some salt, make sure abt the qty of salt while adding to the flour.

Good luck!!

[R]

DAL PARATHA

For the dough

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

For the filling

1/2 cup yellow moong dal
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

Other ingredients

oil/ghee for cooking

For the dough

1. Combine all the ingredients and knead into a soft dough using enough water.

2. Divide into 6 equal portions and keep aside.

For the filling

1. Wash and soak the dal for at least 20 minutes. Drain.

2. Cook the dal in 3/4 cup of water till all the water is absorbed.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, cooked dal, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.

4. Simmer till the dal mixture is dry, stirring continuously.

5. Cool completely and divide into 6 equal portions.

Method to proceed:

Just how we do for parata(stuffing chappathi), can prepare chappathi and stuff with the moong dal mixture. Or, make two same sizes of very thin chappathi. Spread the mixture on the center and close them like a sandwich, seal the edges with water.

Cook on a tava using oil or ghee and wait till the color is golden brown. Ready to serve.

[R]

Try this different types of idlies instead of giving the kids plain ones.

I method:

Idlies 2 to 3
Basic vegetables like carrot, green peas, beans, spinach, onion, tomato, corn together 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup
chilli powder or pepper powder just to taste
jeera powder, dhania powder 1/2 tsp each
salt, haldi
curd optl.

mustard, jeera, curry leaves(dry and powder them so that min., amt of nutrition will go inside which is good for the kids too) for seasoning
ghee or oil

Chop all vegetables finely. Either you can stir fry or cook them.
Cut idlies into small pieces.

Heat oil/ghee and do seasoning. Add vegetables with all powders. Mix well and put the idly pieces. While cooking the vegetables, can add some coriander leaves too. Stir well for a couple of minutes. If you want, can add some curd, cook for a minute or leave it.

II method:

Take some batter for the qty they take. Mix the above said vegetables w/w.o potato and make idlies.

Or, pour half qty of the batter in the idly plate, place the stuffing and pour the batter on top of the veg., (this method I read from a cookery book).

[R]

Once the kids are like 16 months or they know how to chew things like bread, we will give bread with peanut butter or cheese or jam with vegetables.

For a change, take a bread, spread cheese or butter on half of the bread, rest with jam. On top of the cheese, spread 2 to 3 tsps of rava upma which is a filling and a different choice.

Dont make upma like our usual upma. Take 1/4 cup of rava with 1/2 onion, 1/2 tomato, pepper powder, jeera powder, 1/2 cup of grated cheese or paneer.

Heat oil, season with mustard, curry leaves. Add the above all ingredients except grated paneer or cheese with sufficient water. Before you switch off the stove, add paneer/cheese.

If you are putting cheese, then, no need to spread cheese on the bread.

[pr]

Dear friends
My son is 11 months old. He dislikes the mixed grain cereals and spit that all the time . But i have a big box of it and dont want to waste it .
Any ideas how it can be converted to a new dish . I tried mixing fruit in it , but no use ..
Ps : but he was a regular eater of cereal b4 and now he has started dislikin it ..
Thanks and Regards '

[R]

Have you tried mixing with other cereal like rice cereal or oatmeal-plain and flavored? Or, have u tried changing the texture like reducing water qty or try mixing with juice..Good luck!!

[shanta]

My year old also did not like oatmeal cereal, i started making it in organic milk and add little Horlicks and now she likes it. i guess babies like different tastes.

[pr]

Thank u very much for ur tips R and santha
Regards

[Urmila]

Hello R,
Can you send me too the collection of children's recipes by Mrs.Revathy Shanmugan, in English please. Would be quite helpful as I'm literally struggling for variety dishes, for my twins' school lunches, and their after school snacks.
My id is, urmi_anil@rediffmail.com

Would highly appreciate and be very grateful to you.
Thanks in advance,
Urmi.

[R]

Hello Urmila,

As I am totally caught up with my work, could not sit, translate and send the kids' recipes.

Give some time and will try to send..

[Seethab]

Hi R:
I request you to send me the recipes. Thankz in advance.

seetha_kris@yahoo.com

[virumbi]

hi all! what is oat in tamil?

[sujathakannan]

Hi Urmi,Seethab and R,

Here I am trying to transalte few of Mrs.Revathi Shanmugam's Children's recipes one by one.

First is beetroot kheer. I tried this last weekend and my son who is 3 yrs old loved its taste and bright pink color.

Beetroot Kheer

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1 (medium)
Milk - 1 litre
Cashews - 8
Badam - 8
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Camphor - a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Condensed milk - 3 tbsps
Sarai paruppu or Almonds - 1 tbsp

Method

Wash the beetroot, peel the skin off and cut into pieces. Add 2 cups water to cashews, badam and beetroot and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Boil the milk until reduce to 3/4th and cool it. Then open the cooker and peel the skin off the badam. Then grind beetroot, cashews, badam, camphor and condensed milk to fine paste. Add this paste to the cooled milk and chill it. Decorate with almond slices and serve.

Note:- You do carrot kheer by substituting carrots for beetroot.

[R]

Thanks a lot for the favor becoz Ms.Urmi was asking for the translation recently and felt bad for not sending her immediately becoz of my schedule.

Once again, thank you Sujatha.

Bye.

[sujathakannan]

No problem R.

R, What is sathu mavvu in English?

Even I can translate only few at a time because of time crunch at my work too :-)

OK one more recipe for today.

Dry fruits milk shake

Ingredients
Seedless dates – 10
Milk – 2 cups
Badam – 4
Cashews – 4
Akroot – 1
Honey – 1tbsp

Method
Blanch the almonds by soaking it in ¼ cup hot water for 5min and remove the skins. Boil the milk. Add the dates, badam, cashews, akroot to the hot milk. After the dry fruits have soaked well and milk has cooled, Add the honey to the milk and blend everything in the blender/mixie. Milkshake is ready.

[R]

As far as I know, Sujatha, there is no direct translation for dishes. Can call ragi porridge since ragi as a main ingredient.

[R]

Sprouted moong parata

Sprouted Moong 1 cup
Onion 2 tbsp cut finely
Jeera 1 tbsp
green chillies or pepper powder 1 tsp
coriander leaves little
lime juice 1 tsp
chilli powder optl. 1/2 tsp

wheat flour 1/4 cup
oil, salt.

Mix wheat flour, oil, salt with enough water to knead into dough.

Heat oil or ghee, add jeera, onion, chilly, sprouted moong, chilli powder and salt. Saute them well till the moong gets lightly cooked. Once done, take it out and when it is cold, grind coarsely(just one round in mixie is enough). Keep aside.

Squeeze lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves to the mixture. Mix well.

Take a small ball from the dough and stuff the above, close; start making like a parata. Cook on tava both sides using oil or ghee.

Nutritious parata is ready for kids as well as adults.

[Urmila]

My deep thanks to Sujatha and R !! Very sweet of you both to post the English versions, would surely help many mums like me. How many recipes are there exactly, hope it is not too much of a trouble to post all of them ?

Thanks a lot, your gesture is very much appreciated .
Urmila.

[sujathakannan]

Urmila, there are close to 30 recipes in this child special.

Yesterday I tried this following recipe. My son loved it. He like the idea of floating balls on brown syrup. He really loved the taste of the syrup and ate 3-4 balls.
Here is the recipe:

Floating Balls

Ingredients
Urad dhal – ½ cup
Coconut milk – 2 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Jaggery(brown sugar) – 2 cups
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Cashew paste – 1 tbps
Oil as needed

Method
Soak urad dhal for ½ hour. Boil milk and add cashew paste to it. Dissolve jaggery in ¼ cup water and then filter it. Add this sugar syrup to milk. Add coconut milk, cardamom powder to milk mixture. Now grind the soaked urad dhal by adding little water as you would do for grinding for Medhu vada. Heat oil. Make small balls out of ground dhal (small bhondas) and fry in oil until it turns golden brown. Add this milk mixture and serve after it soaks a little.

[sujathakannan]

Ok for here is the translated chappathi recipe.

Green Chappathi

Ingredients
Wheat flout/atta – 2 cups
Boiled peas – ½ cup
Mint leaves – ½ a bunch
Cilantro leaves – ½ a bunch
Green chillies – 2
Salt
Ghee – 1tbps
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Oil as needed.

Method
Clean mint and cilantro and grind it to paste along with green chillies. Add this paste to wheat flout and make chappathi dough by adding water, ghee, salt and all the dry powders. Make chappathis from the dough and cook on a tawa. Serve hot with a side dish.

[virumbi]

i have a one year old kid .can anyone suggest me some lunch or dinner recipes. thx in advance

[kavithasenthil]

Idli and dosai are the best liked food.
They like puri too.

For luch u can give
Mixed veg rice.
Rice+Ghee+salt is the number 1 kids food.
Rice+dhal+ghee
Whole egg or just egg white either boild or cooked on tava.

But u can introduce lot of new food from 1 year onwards.

[virumbi]

dear kavithasenthil,

thanx for the info

[R]

Nutritious adai/dosa

Sprouted whole moong 1 cup
Red chillies 1
Ginger, curry leaves little
Dosa or idly batter 1 cup or whatever u need.

Grind moong with chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Mix it with dosa batter.

grated carrot 1/4
cut onion 1/4
coriander leaves little
haldi

With the above batter mixture, add all the above mix well and start making thin dosa or thick adais.

Once done, garnish with grated cheese.

..............................

Simple sweet/snack

Maida 1/2 cup
water enough to make batter.

Prepare batter with the above two. If need, can add a pinch of haldi too.

Moong dal 1/2 cup
cardamom powder 1/2 sp
jaggery 1/2 cup(depending on yr taste)

cook dal and grind with the above two. Prepare balls from the mixture. Dip the balls in the batter and fry in oil; shallow fry is also enough. In that case, can prepare like vada so that it is easy to do shallow frying.
................................

Banana dosa :

Banana 5 medium size
cashew 50 g
rice flour 1/2 cup
maida 1/2 cup
sugar 50 g
ghee 50 g

Mash banana nicely and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the batter on the tava, add ghee on both sides. After flipping over to the other side, press it with the laddle and let it cook for some time.

Yummy dosa is ready.

.........................

VARIATION:

Combining the above two recipes, one special dosa is coming here..

Sweet portion:

Moong dal 1/4 cup
cardamom powder 1/4 sp
jaggery 1/4 cup
banana 1 small

Maida 1/2 cup
water enough to make batter

Prepare batter with maida and water.

Grind all ingredients from sweet portion and finally add the mashed banana with it. Mix the batter with the ground sweet paste and start making dosas applying ghee on the sides.

[sujathakannan]

Sorry for such long gap in posting the recipes. Here is another one:
Cornflakes Milkshake

Ingredients
Milk – 2 cups
Corn flakes – 2 tbsps
Banana – 1 small (1/2 or green banana) – cut into pieces
Milk biscuit – 2
Sugar – 3tbsps.

Method
Boil the milk and soak corn flakes, biscuits and sugar in the milk. After it is soaked well and cooled down, add banana to it and blend it in the mixie. Cool it in fridge and serve it.

[Urmila]

Hi Sujatha,
Just now I've sent you a pvt. message.
I am extremely delighted to have got the recipes, AT LAST !!

Thanks from a very happy mother,
Bye,
Urmila.

[Urmila]

Hi Sujatha,
Absolutely no probs. at all about translation. I have got it all done from my neighbour, and I myself can post the recipes one by one, as and when I get free time.
Thanks a whole bunch for your timely & very prompt help, its people like you who make all the difference.
Bye.

[R]

This recipe is rava pongal which I tried at my cousin's place. Though I saw this recipe in so many sites, did not bother becoz for some reason, was not impressed. On seeing the softness, I thought that it is also an ideal tiffin for kids particularly those who dont chew but swallow!

Sooji pongal:

Sooji(rava) 1 cup
moong dal 1/2 cup
water 3 1/2 cup
curry leaves 1 sprigs
ginger 2 tsp grated or cut
pepper 30 or less than that
jeera 2 tsp

Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, powdered or whole pepper, curry leaves, jeera, dal and fry slightly.

Cook dal with the said quantity of water for 2 whistles and keep in medium fire for 10 mts, switch off.

Meanwhile, fry rava with a tsp of oil till it is golden brown. Keep aside once done.

Heat oil in a different pan, add 2 tsp of oil or ghee. Pour dal mixture and rava little by little so that there will not be any lumps. Add salt and if you want, can add a pinch of haldi too.

Keep in medium fire and once the water all absorbs completely and get cooked, it will turn out very soft. That is the time to switch off the gas.

*********************

[sujathakannan]

Ok ,here comes the next recipe

My son really liked this with ketchup. Liked the green color of it.

Greens (Keerai) Cutlet
Ingredients
Potatoes – 4
Spinach (Palak) – 1 bunch
Green chillies – 2
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 pods
Cheese grated – ½ cup
Maida – ¼ cup or bread slices – 3
Bread crumbs as needed
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Cron flour – ¼ cup
Salt and oil as needed

Method
Boil the potatoes, peel off the skin and mask them well. Clean the greens. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies to greens and grind altogether to a fine paste. Add green’s paste, salt, maida or dry bread pieces, cheese and lemon juice to mashed potatoes and mix well.
Mix the corn flour in little water. Make a lemon-sized ball from potato mix and shape into a cutlet. Now soak this cutlet in corn flour solution and drenge in breadcrumbs. Heat a tava with little oil and cook cutlet on both sides until it becomes golden brown. OR Heat oil and deep-fry the cutlets.
Note: - You substitute half mint and half cilantro for spinach leaves.

[sujathakannan]

I haven't tried thsi recipe yet. Looks good though.

Cheese sticks
Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Cheese grated – ¼ cup
Cheese cubes – 3
Black Pepper powder – ½ tsp
Baking powder – 2 pinches
Ghee – 1 ½ tbsps
Salt some
Oil as needed

Method
Mix maida, baking powder, pepper powder and salt together. Add cheese to this and mix like a poori dough. Then roll the dough into small size pooris. Top one poori with cheese grated from the cheese cubes. Close this another poori and roll it together.
Heat oil and deep-fry these rolls.

[R]

Here is an interesting recipe based on idly!

Royal idly:

Idly 6
onion 2
thoor dal, channa dal 1 small cup together
moong dal 1 tsp
ginger a small piece
curry leaves little
Red or green chillies 2 or depends on yr taste
cashew 4 or 5
oil, salt

Seasoning: mustard, urad dal 1 tsp each

Soak all dals in water for 2 to 3 hrs and drain it completely. Grind them with salt, chillies coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan, do seasoning and once it splutters, add cut onion, ginger, curry leaves and saute well. Once the color changes, add the ground dal paste and cook till it reaches crumbling stage.

Meanwhile, cut idly into small pieces and mix them with the dhal mixture and cook for 5 mts in medium fire. When they all gets mixed up, switch off and garnish with pounded or whole fried cashews.

[sujathakannan]

Ok ,the next item:

Dry fruits balls
Ingredients
Dates seedless – 20
Almons( Badam) – 15
Cashews – 12
Dry coconut – 2 tbsps
Akroot or Walnut – 2 tbps
Dry coconut – ½ cup (optional)

Method
Chop dates, almonds and akroot to small pieces. Mix all the ingredients together except for ½ cup dry coconut. Then make small balls out of it. If needed roll the small balls over the reserved ½ cup dry coconut.

[g's mom]

Looks like a yummy and healthy recipe for kids.....

The colors look so vibrant that they will have no choice but to eat :)))

U could also make with carrot I suppose with the same recipe and make it tri colored :)))))

http://www.massala.com/breads-durangi.htm

[RK]

Urmila, there are close to 30 recipes in this child special.

Yesterday I tried this following recipe. My son loved it. He like the idea of floating balls on brown syrup. He really loved the taste of the syrup and ate 3-4 balls.
Here is the recipe:

Floating Balls

Ingredients
Urad dhal – ½ cup
Coconut milk – 2 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Jaggery(brown sugar) – 2 cups
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Cashew paste – 1 tbps
Oil as needed

Method
Soak urad dhal for ½ hour. Boil milk and add cashew paste to it. Dissolve jaggery in ¼ cup water and then filter it. Add this sugar syrup to milk. Add coconut milk, cardamom powder to milk mixture. Now grind the soaked urad dhal by adding little water as you would do for grinding for Medhu vada. Heat oil. Make small balls out of ground dhal (small bhondas) and fry in oil until it turns golden brown. Add this milk mixture and serve after it soaks a little.

Hi Sujatha, can you please forward to me the recipe collection...Thanks.... my e-mail:shuba@tilogics.com

[riceandbeans]

With so much sugar and/or jagery who wouldn't love those recipes?? Is it really healthy to feed kids so much sweets?? I am always concerned about cavities and all.

[riceandbeans]

tHE ARTICLE IS ABOUT JUNK FOOD BUT THIS PIECE MENTIONS SUGAR IN KIDS DIETS:

"...Parents, heed this!...
"...Keep an eye out for sugar, fat or salt as one of the first three ingredients. If any of these are listed high in the ingredients, consider that food to be very high in sugar, fat or salt.

"...The high sugar content in junk food causes tooth decay, increases tendency for blood clots, decreased levels of good cholesterol, increased levels of blood fat associated with diabetes and heart disease and childhood obesity."...

..."At Chaturbhuj Narsee Memorial and ND Parikh pre-primary school, Mumbai, children are served healthy snacks, like sprouted bhel, sandwiches, idlis, khichdi curry, patties stuffed with vegetables, unmashed pav bhaji. "And the children love it," says a teacher."... (continues). Here is the link... http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2005/mar/21junk.htm

[dev]

I second U rice&beans... Fatty foods,foods high in sugar & salt r harmful for not only kids,it's equally harmful for adults also... I recommend feeding the kids with healthy food right from the start than feeding them with junks & later when they become overwight,complaining that the kids doesn't prefer food low in fat,salt,sugary... Kids eat what we teach them to eat,& later it becomes an addiction... So,teach your kids to eat healthy, so that they live a healthy life forever...:)

PS: I'm not criticizing any recipes posted here...This is just a general suggestion from my part...So,all moms here,pls don't be offended...:)

[sujathakannan]

Hi all,

Sorry not posting for so long I got quite busy in my work.

RK,

I send the recipe collections to your email.

Dev and riceandbeans
Please don't start criticizing without even looking tthe other recipes. We also know that giving too much candies and sweets will spoil kids. But the recipe that you guys are talking about actually has brown sugar which is much more healthier than white sugar varieties. And giving kids one sweet food in a week which is prepared at home rather than store bought will not make them obese or fat. In fact most of the other recipes posted here should be balanced out according to each one's taste and preferences. When a mom is struggling to find good healthy nutrious food to appeal to her kids she knows which is a good or bad. So if you don't like any of the recipes here, you don't have to try it out.

Ok for rest of you here is the another recipe:

Dates Curd Raita
Ingredients
Fresh curd – 2 cups
Dates seedless – 10
Cashew nuts – 8
Pomegranate – ¼ cup
Fresh cream – ¼ cup
Black Pepper powder – ½ tsp
Sugar – ½ cup
Salt as needed.

Method
Drain the curd through a sieve. Chop dates and cashews into small pieces. Add fresh cream, cashew, dates, pomegranate, pepper powder, salt and sugar to the curd and mix well. Serve in a attractive cups.

[sujathakannan]

Dev and reiceandbeans,

These recipes where actually posted in one of Indian magazine and another mom requested it to be translated to English. So before starting to blame moms here please see to what is been done in this thread.

[dev]

Hi Sujatha,

If u see my post,I've clearly stated that I'm not criticizing recipes here...But it was just a general suggestions... If U guys don't like the suggestion being placed here,I'll take it back...I've no problems... :huh:

[forrecipe]

Hi sujatha,
I am new to baby food link. can u please send the recipes to recipeid@hotmail.com
Thanks
DD

[riceandbeans]

sujathakannan,

First of all, I don't see why you should be so agressive and defensive. Some comments can be of a very constructive and positive nature. For instance, if it is known that too much "oil" is bad for us, it is only natural that we reduce or try to avoid it, regardless of culture. So much so that Indians are more concientious about the use of oil nowadays. From all I know, the fact that the recipes are posted in an Indian magazine doesn't make them the healthiest. And sugar, be it in whatever form it is, isn't the most nutritious thing moms can offer their kids. Not because it "spoils" them, as you put it, but because it leads to inumerous other health problems. But anyway, to each its own. Anybody is free to feed their kids with whatever they feel like. Still, to others it is reserved the right to comment.

[sujathakannan]

riceandbeans,

Looks like I was not aggressive and defensive as you are now. I am more health consicous than you know. All I am asking don't label others or questions other moms ablitiy to decide what she can do for their kids.

These recipes were translated at another mom's request. Saying this does not label any recipe healthy or not. It is just a favor that was extended. So don't question the nature these are done.

Posting comments is your right, but saying that posting these kind of recipes will make a kid's health questionable is not.

[sujathakannan]

Hi all,

I found this in CNN by pure chance today.


That 'Lowfat diets might deprive kids vitamins'
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/12/childrens.vitamins.ap/index.html

Even this article does not point out which is good or bad, it clear shows that is the debut about the kids diet can go for ever.

[dev]

:lol: Another health thread in progress???!!!!... Anyways, It's true that the RDA for adults & kids differ...That's coz of the growth they are undergoing... They need lots of vitamins & minerals for building stonger bones & muscles... I'll try to write in more detail about it in Healthy lifestyle thread(maybe sometime in June)...

It's true that kids can be given whole milk & nuts(but it has to be limited)...Kids needn't be put on a strict diet as long as they are active & healthy... At the same time avoid feeding them fried snacks & other junk foods often coz they can become addicted to it very soon...

Always,It's easier to learn something than to unlearn it... So better,teach them the right eating habit at young age,so they needn't struggle trying to unlearn a unhealthy eating habit later on...

Again,no offence intended... :wink: Anyway,I don't want to digress anymore...I'll continue about all suggestions & discussions on healthy in the healthy lifestyle thread... Let this thread continue to be for kids recipes... :wave:

[indu]

Hi,
How to get young children to eat by themselves and when is the right age to start ? My 5 year old girl always only plays with the meal, EVEN IF SHE IS VERY HUNGRY. First 2 bites of say dosai or first 2 spoons of rice she'll eat herself, then she'll mix up everything in her plate or sprinkle it on the table, or scatter on our plates !! Mealtimes are becoming very stressful and only when I get up and feed her, she gobbles everything hungrily.
With my son [now 8 yrs.] I had no trouble as we were in India then , with our in-laws, so I hardly remember when or how he started eating by himself. I would be relieved to see some practical suggestions that will help me , please.
Thanks,
Indu.

[rajsand]

Hello. Could anybody post me kids recipes .. I could download a few of them..

my mail : rajsandhome@yahoo.com
Thankyou

[rajsand]

Hello Sujatha, can you please forward to me the recipe collection.
Thankyou

[rsankar]

Vegetable chapathi



FOr more healthy variation add badam paste to this mixture before making chapathi, or you can add flax seed flour (very healthy) to this.

Hope this helps. If you need any other recipe please let me know.
:D


Hello,

Could you please tell me in Tamil, What is "Flax Seed flour"

Thanks

[rsankar]

Hello R, sujathakannan, and all,

Please send me the kids recipes in tamil, to my Id sanrays@gmail.com

thanks in advance.

[R]

Hello rsankar,

Just now, sent the tamil recipes to yr id. Let me know the receipt.

Bye.

[rsankar]

Hello R,

Thanks for your quick response.

[forrecipe]

Hi ,
I am in very need of kids recipe collection. can anybody send to recipeid@hotmail.com
Thanks in advance
DD

[rsankar]

Hello DD,

I sent the recipes in your Id. please check.

[rsankar]

[quote="R"]Hi foodlover, Shanta and kals,

..........Some people also add little amt of masoor dal. That is only if the kids dont like our moong or thoor dal..........


Hello R,

For my baby, I always add massor dal with rice. I don't add moong dhal or thoor dhal. because of the cold (Moong dhal), and gas (thoor dhal) am I doing right? pls explain me.


Yes, my dear baby also take her food, after taste a little bit.

and one more question, What is angaya podi? could you tell me the all ingredients, I'll collect and powdered in my home.

Thanks.

[R]

Hello rsankar,

I dont know how old is yr kid? For the first time, am hearing that moong dal will cause cold.

If yr kid has crossed 1 yr. then guess that he/she should start taking all kinds of food. Believe it or not, my daughter is 2+ and she used to get ear infection until she is 1 1/2. I am in NJ which is also a colder place. But, what to do? Certain things, they have to come across, right?

Abt thoor dal,let her/him drink plenty of water(add little omam or jeera) & add hing while cooking dal and this way, you can avoid gas. My SIL's mother use to say that if you fry dal and feed the kids, the dal will not produce gas.

Maybe I am from south india, am not comfortable with masoor dal. As a side dish, it is ok. Dont take me wrong.

And, for my father(he is aged, of course), he was taking mysore dal(orange color) when I was schooling and becoz of that, had some health problem( for kids, not sure..). Then, we totally stopped buying those dals and stick with our regular dals. So, I use this dal very rarely.

Abt angaya podi, dont have my mother's recipe in hand. She added lots of ingredients unlike other recipes in sites. If you are in US, then, it is difficult to get certain ingredients.

For time being, you can try this link..Will get back to you soon with my mother's recipe.

http://159331.ammas.com/a1/advisors/index.cfm?r=vr&recipeid=2333&cid=159331

[a_gopinathan]

hi all,

i have a 2 1/2 year old son. he doesnt seem to be liking any fruits except banana and apple. he doesnt like grapes, pear, berries or other ones. how you do feed fruits to your kids? he likes juice, but i am not keen on giving lot of juice.

[R]

Combination of fruits:

My daughter is also in the same age group; she does not like eating apples directly. So, I grind it with other sweet fruits like pappaya, mango, dates, cantaloupe and banana(she loves banana). Combination is very important.

It is difficult for them to taste sour fruits like pears, peaches etc. So, pls dont scare them with all kind of sour fruits. I assure that they will be fine in a year. Becoz, I had the same problem with my son; but, when he was 3 1/2, started eating all kinds of fruits directly. At one stage, all the kids will start eating without any prob.,

For now, try the combination of sour with sweet fruits; we have to make them to like. Initially, used to grind softly. Now, dont grind that soft; some fruits will stay whole and she is eating that too.

If it does not work out, split the above fruits from the sour fruits; it is ok to drink pear/peach juice everyday around 6 oz which is the normal qty. Apart from the juice, let him take the above fruits separately.

good luck!

[a_gopinathan]

thanks R. even my son doesnt like to take apples directly. i grind apple with milk and give it to him. but i tried that for pear, mangoes etc, he didnt like it. but i"ll try the combination you have mentioned . thanks!

[R]

I am also not interested in giving juice until my daughter was 9 months. After 1 yrs, I started giving her gerber pear juice or mixed fruit juice in a least qty. There is nothing wrong in it.

[R]

While grinding the fruits, add a couple of nuts from each(boil and peel the skin out) which is very healthy for them.

[a_gopinathan]

Thanks R. i tried badam milk for my son, but he didnt like it. i"ll try it with the juice. my son loves orange juice, but i dont want to give him more than once a day. thats why i wanted to try fresh fruits. thanks for the tips!

[R]

Hi,

Didn't ask you to give whole badham. If you grind badham, cashew & pista(just 2 from each) while grinding fruits, they cant find the taste for sure.

Hope I am clear. bye..

[a_gopinathan]

Thanks R. i"ll try this today.

[gvb]

Hi R,
Can u send me the kids recipe collection?My Id is gvsugan@hotmail.com.

Thanks in advance,
GVB

[R]

The fonts are in Tamil only, is that ok?

[gvb]

Yes R,thats fine by me..Again thanx.

GVB

[R]

GVB, sent you the attachment to yr id..let me know the receipt..

[gvb]

Hi R,
Got them..I guess i don't have tamil software in my computer..Does anybody have it translated in english?Or do i have to download the tamil software.?

[R]

Can you read the fonts in tamil or not? I dont think that you need tamil software for viewing purpose becoz dont have it. Just, use to download the tamil font for reading magazines, that is all.

[indu]

Hello gvb,

Just few minutes back, I've sent you Mrs.Shanmugam's file, in pdf format. Let me know if you got it, and are able to read it.
Bye,
Indu.

[gvb]

Hi R,
I downloaded sthg called murasu anjal to read the document but it isn't helping..How do u do urs?


Indu,
Thanx for pitching in..But i din't get ur mail..can u send it to me again?

[rsankar]

Hello rsankar,

I dont know how old is yr kid? For the first time, am hearing that moong dal will cause cold.

Maybe I am from south india, am not comfortable with masoor dal. As a side dish, it is ok. Dont take me wrong.


Abt angaya podi, dont have my mother's recipe in hand. She added lots of ingredients unlike other recipes in sites. If you are in US, then, it is difficult to get certain ingredients.

For time being, you can try this link..Will get back to you soon with my mother's recipe.

http://159331.ammas.com/a1/advisors/index.cfm?r=vr&recipeid=2333&cid=159331


Hello R,

Thank you for your reply.

My daughter is 2 1/2 years old. We're from Tamil nadu. In India we use only thoor dhaal for babies.....but, when we came in uk, I use masoor dhaal for my baby because ....... I think masoor dhaal easyly cookes, taste is slightly different and best than thoor dhaal :!:


About "Anghaya podi".... is this the one take after birth?

Thanks
rsankar.

[R]

Hi rsankar,

I cant agree that masoor dal is better than thoor dal, but opinion differs.

Abt angaya podi, yes, this is the one used to take after delivery.

[indu]

Hi gvb,
I have got a 'Delivery Failed' Notification from your hotmail id. But I have sent the file again now, to the same id. Hope you will get it.
If even now you don't recieve it, let me know of any alternate mail id, I will mail it to that instead.
Bye.

[rsankar]

Hello R,

thanks for the link. (Anghaya podi)

rsankar.

[a_gopinathan]

hi,

do you have any kid friendly recepies using mung sprouts?

Thanks
Anju

[Anandi]

Hi R, or anyone,
Can u please send the kids recipe collection to my id nandumom@yahoo.com?

[R]

[R]

One more parata which I tried for my kids. You may call raddish parata. It is different from our regular ones.

Raddish parata:

Prepare dough with wheat flour, oil and salt and keep aside.

Now, comes to veggies portions. Take a major portion of raddish like around 10 small raddish, 1 small potato, 1 small onion(not sambar onion), 1 small tomato, 1/2 small beet & 1 carrot.

Cut all into fine pieces and cook with little water.

Heat oil, add 1 tsp of jeera, onion and saute well. Once done, add tomato, cooked vegetables with enough salt. Let them cook well together. Now, add half tsp of sambar powder, 1/2 tsp of garam masala(optl) and mix well.

Stuff in the dough and prepare paratas.

[R]

Hello Anandi,

The recipe collection is in tamil langauge. Is that fine?

[R]

Will post a couple of paratas soon just for kids....

[a_gopinathan]

Thanks R. i"ll try this sprouts paratta today. i"ll also share some kid friendly recepies soon.

[Anandi]

Hi R,
Yes. Tamil is fine.

[R]

Sent the collections to yr id, Anandi.

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi R,
Do you have an english version of the baby food recipes? I can only speak Tamil but cannot read or write in it. If you do have an english version, could you send them to me?

Thanks,
CI.

[R]

Hi CI,

I dont have the english version, but one of the hubbers called Sujatha had posted the dishes in the same thread from page 3 or so.

Hope this helps.

[R]

Hi rsankar,

I had posted the angaya podi(my mother's version)recipe under SUN TV recipes collections thread by mistake. So, pls check there.

Thanks.

[rsankar]

Hello R,

I just now read your anghaya podi......

thankyou for this so much. Now the time is 22.50 PM so, tomorrow I'll perpare your anghaaya podi...and I'll let you know.


rsankar.

[R]

How come? You are getting all the ingredients in yr place? Actually, I brought the powder from Chennai only.

[a_gopinathan]

R,

thanks a lot for the mung sprouts paratha..i made it today and my son ate that without any hesitation for dinner..i was sooo happy :-)))

[rsankar]

Hello R,

Many srilankan, pakisthani and punjabi shops are here. But I didn't see neem flower and arisi thippili there. I'm going to do powder, without these 2 items.

Thanks.

rsankar.

[R]

oh, ok..that is fine..hereafter, in future, it is better to take a bulk from India, small suggestion.

[R]

Good to hear that yr kid had without saying NO!! If I feel so boring in grinding or cooking, will make a very simple version of parata. Even yesterday, made it for my kids.

Simple parata:

Take a cup of wheat flour and add enough salt, 1 tsp of oil, 2 tbsp of curd, 2 tsp of besan, 1 tsp of jeera. Mix them well.

For vegetables, you can add any one from the following: grated carrot or grated beet or grated zuchini or grated cabbage with some grated cheese.

Mix all of them well and keep aside for 20 mts. Start making as usual. That is it. Easy for us to do and they will get to know the raw veggie taste as well.

_________________


Once the kid reaches the age 3, you can start giving them sundal becoz they will start chew and dont have to worry about choking. But, better, you sit with them and give a few at a time.

Navadhaaniya sundal:

This sundal usually my mother prepares back in our home during navarathiri time. But, nowadays, I have started making monthly once not as a snack, as a side dish!!

Adults too can take this dish with the kids and dont have to make any veggies.

Take a handful of each like black channa, white channa, mochai, thuvarai, moong, kaaramani (chowly), peanut, peas (white or green), channa dal etc. and soak them in water the previous night.(any kinds of pulses you can include).


fry 2 tbsp of dhania and 2 red chillies in 1/2 tsp of oil till you get a good flavor and grind them nicely with 3 or 4 no. of curry leaves. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil, season with 1/2 tsp of mustard, 1 tsp of urad dal, hing, 1 small piece of pounded ginger(so that the pulses will not upset yr stomach), 1 tsp of jeera, let them splutter. Once done, add the cooked pulses with a pinch of haldi and drain the water completely.

Mix them well with enough salt and haldi. Add the powder and a handful of coconut. Mix well. Yummy sundal is ready and no one can resist from taking it.

TIP:

For all the dishes, instead of seasoning curry leaves, you can just grind them and put it in the food.

Instead of taking all pulses, you can make with one pulse too.

[Anandi]

Thanks a lot R. I received the recipes

[a_gopinathan]

R,
Thanks for the sundal recepie..i did my pg in coimbatore and i remember eating sundal at my friends place..it was really yummy..i"ll definitely try this for me and hubby...not sure whether my son can eat as he's only 2 1/2..thanks a lot

[rsankar]

Hello R,

About Mullanghi sambar....at the first stage when we fry onion, g.chillies, tomato, I add mullanghi too. and prepare as usual. But I couldn't get the good aroma of mullanghi...It likes usual sambar.

When I came from India, my mother give some home made sambar podi. (I spirinkle.....like 1 1/2 to 2 spoon)

Could you clarify me, what am I going to add for to get the best mullanghi sambar. (sorry for the late reply)

Thanks.

rsankar.

[R]

Hi rsankar,

This is how myself and my folks prepares mullangi sambar.

Season in oil/ghee(1/4 sp) (preferably nallennai) with mustard, fengureek seed, curry leaves, jeera and hing(hope you know the qty).

You can add mullangi alone or onion too with it. After seasoning, add cut onion, fry for some time till it is half fried and put cooked mullangi with a pinch of haldi.

Instead of adding our regular sambar powder, put fresh grind powder so that the aroma will be very good. And, you dont have to add our regular sambar podi too. Since the sambar powder has been prepared a long time back, as you said, you will not get any fresh taste.

Take 2 tbsp of dhania, 1 tbsp of channa dal, 4 to 5 red chillies(depending on yr taste) and 2 tbsp of coconut(fresh or dessicated).

Heat oil and fry all the above well till the dals are golden brown in color. Grind nicely. If you want, can add 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seed too. This is the fresh powder for onion or mullangi sambar.

After the tamarind smell goes off, add this powder with cooked and mashed dal; keep the fire in medium and boil for some more time. Once the consistency is slightly thicker, switch off the gas.

Bye.

[indu]

Hi rsankar,

While pressure cooking toor dal [for the sambar], add 1 chopped mullangi too along with the dal. [Remaining chopped mullangi u can add as usual]. This way, the mullangi aroma & flavour will fully be there in the sambar, so even when the 'thaan' is finished, remaining plain sambar also will taste of mullangi. Same method is also suited for chow-chow, drumstick sambars also. But don't add any tomatoes [or anything sour] alongwith dal, as then dal never cooks properly; I had to remove the tomatoes & pressure cook the dal again.
I personally prefer not adding coconut to mullangi, chow-chow , drumstick sambar etc. as I feel coconut flavour comes more strong as these are 'mild' veg. -- just my taste, that's all.

[rsankar]

Hello R & Indu,

Thank you both of you friends.

(Whenever I came from India my mother gives about 2....3 kg our usual sambar podi.) In future I'm going to add fresh sambar podi only.

Thanks.

rsankar.

[R]

Keep sambar podi in hands becoz for vathal kuzhambu, the machine ground sambar podi suits well than our fresher ones. Fresher ones are only for once in a while purpose; if you start making it frequently, then, it will be so boring and you will not find any difference.

Hope you get my point.

[rsankar]

Hello R,

Just now I powdered Anghaya podi, and leave it for cool. (without neem flower and arisi thippili)

I'm going to use this podi from today for my family.

Thankyou

rsankar.

[rsankar]

Ok R,

I'll follow as you said.

Thankyou.

rsankar.

[R]

Corn parata:

Fresh corn or frozen corn 1 cup
wheat flour 3 cups
sambar powder 1/2 tsp
garam masala 1/4 tsp
tomato puree 1/4 cup or fresh tomato 1
salt, oil and haldi

Knead flour with salt, oil and water to make a dough.

FOR STUFFING:

Cook corn and grind coarsely or nicely. Heat oil, add the ground corn, stir for a couple of mts and add tomato puree or well mashed tomato with all powders including salt. Mix well and keep them in medium fire till they are dry. If you want, can add a tsp of corn flour.

VARIATION:

Instead of stuffing inside the roti, can directly mix this mixture with the flour and knead into a dough. Start making parata directly. Either way, the taste would be great for kids and adults. Yum and yellow parata is ready!

[Anandi]

Hi friends,
My daughter is almost 17 months and is only 17 pounds. She is a v picky eater. She eats v v little amount at a time (has been like that since she was born)-she was 4 pounds 7 oz when born. My ped is concerned now and says if she does not put on weight, she is going to run a lot of tests on her next month-but she is quite active and happy.
I give her cereal in morning(2 spoons only she will take), pparuppu sadham(only 2 spoons) in afternoon, cooked apple for dinner and ragi ganji before bed-she drinks soy milk twice, she also will take 1/2 banana in the morning.

Please let me know how I can make her put weight.

[Surya]

Can't u run sambar sadham, and vege's in the mixie for a while and feed it to it? :?

[Anandi]

I was putting rice in mixie and only giving to her until a month back-but anything, she will not take more than 2 spoons and for that, I have to fight with her for 45 min. Every feeding time is a big war for us and I become so tired at the end of it.
She likes milk only-other things she hates . If i try to force anything, she will vomit immediately. She was vomitting daily 3 times(yes, 3 times a day) for 3 months and then we switched to soy milk-now thank God, she doesnt' vomit that often.

I tried sambar and rasam-she finds them to be spicy.

[kavithasenthil]

Hello anandi,
i understand very well. I have 2 1/2 yr old kid. She is also a poor eater. If you force ur child...in the war u r the looser always. Try diverting her while u feed. I used to find lot of new stuffs to divert her daily. Another thing..put good amount of ghee in the rice to make the small amount but more calories. This is my pedia's advice.
Then browse www.babycenter.com for more details..like how to tackle picky eaters ect..

[R]

Hello Anandi,

For 17 months old, sambar sadham is TOO TOO early, as a mother I can say that. Why dont you give a good mashed dal rice (moong or thoor ) as kavitha said with lots of ghee!!

Yes, forcing them is difficult; but what to do. They have to eat. Slowly increase her solid food pattern and cut down the milk(not fully). Now that she is 17 months old, she can take 3 to 4 cups of milk which should be sufficient. Kids those who take liquid food will naturally avoid the solids.

Take her out or put on her TV while eating. If she is adamant in drinking milk, atleast mix horlicks or boost which is more nutritious than drinking plain milk or give her badham milk every 2 days.

Similarly with kanji add well mashed potato or banana which also helps in putting on weight. Try introducing pudding(all flavor) or flavored yogurt which none of the kids would say no.

Or, give her bread spreading with extra cheese or creamy peanut butter or extra butter with jam. Try to find out whether she likes sweet or spicy food. If she likes sweet, then no problem you can try the above.

When she is very hungry, dont give her milk. Instead feed her solids. Until 12 months they have to take liquid 25 oz or something in a day.

As I said earlier, take quarter banana, half apple, 3 to 4 dates with boiled and skinless nuts grind all of them nicely and feed her which is very nutritious; instead of making it solid, make it semi solid so that you can feed her from the tumbler or with a spoon.

If she likes oats, can feed becoz oat meal is just like our kanji which will put on more weight. If she is fine in taking channa; soak them in water the previous night and cook finely, mash them and feed it with dhal rice(white channa alone) and slowly try with karamani, whole moong whichever is soft.

If she is still adamant, try giving her food every 2 to 3 hrs. interval. Mainly, check whether she is hungry or not which is an imporant problem. Make her to sit with you family while eating and tell it is yummy..they are kids..they will definitely repeat the same on what we are doing.

Hope this helps.

[Urmila]

Does anybody know that 'Kesar Almond Syrup' by Mallika Badrinath ? It was shown on TV, over a year ago but I have misplaced that recipe. In fact, I had made it a couple of times as it was very handy to make kheer, hot almond milk also for my kids using that syrup only , as it had long shelf life too. Now am desperate for that recipe, hope somebody can post it.

[Anandi]

Hi R,
Thanks a lot for your suggestions. She does not drink too much of milk-1 small cup in the morning and 1 in the evening(abt 4-5 oz each) on;y she takes.
I am trying to give her any food that she does not resist-she likes sweets and so she will take fruits-but v little.
Yeah-I will try the ideas that u have given and let u know how it goes

[Anandi]

Hi Kavitha,
Yes. I take her to the patio and show her the cars and make her eat. I try to divert her and make her forget that she is eating. Then only she will take some food.
I add some ghee in the food-but she does not like the taste of ghee. If I add to much, she wont touch it atall. So I try to add little ghee and give the rice.
Thanks for the link. I will go through it today.

Anandi

[R]

Hi Urmila,

I got that recipe of kesar almond syrup(Mrs.Mallika's) from my cousin and will post you later today or tomorrow.

Bye.

[R]

Hello Urmila,

Here is the recipe which you have asked for:

Almond Syrup:

Almond 1/2 cup
ghee 2 tsp
sugar 2 cup
water 1 1/2 cup
kesar yellow color little
almond essence 1/2 tsp

Blanch almonds in hot water and remove the skin. Dry it up on a towel and fry the same in ghee in reduced flame for few mts. Cool and powder finely. But, dont run the mixie for a long time; short interval would be better at a lower speed.

Heat water with sugar and wait until the boiling point reaches. cool down, filter and mix it with powdered nuts, color and essence. Fill it in dry bottle and refrigerate it.

Kesar Almond Syrup:

Based on the above almond syrup, we are preparing this.

Dissolve 1 tsp of saffron in warm water and to the above badham syrup. Reduce artificial color, if you use saffron.

To serve:

for hot or cold badham kheer, take 1 1/2 tbsp of syrup for a cup of milk.

---------------------

Similar to the above, can substitute with pista(no blanching) for kesar pista syrup.

[samika]

Hello,

I came upon this thread while browsing. This is so informative. I have a 4 and 1/2 month old daughter. She was 7 lbs 3 ozs at birth. I had continued on mothers milk and formula for her until now. I started her on rice cereal just 2 days ago. My pedeac had advised solids only at 5 months, but my daughter reduced her milk intake a lot and I got worried. Guess I am looking for reassurance that it is alright to start solids at 4.5 months.

Also, could you please send me the kids recipes attachment in tamil/english to samiraste@yahoo.com.

Really appreciate it.

Thanks
Samika

[R]

Hello Samika,

My daughter was almost the same when she was born(7 lbs 2 oz). But, my paed., suggested to start the solids(rice cereal) at 6th month only!! So, why dont you wait until 5 months?

Of course, some people use to start solids at 4th month onwards. It all depends on the baby too. When it comes to babies, they are all different though they are siblings and cant compare. Is she not taking formula either?

The doc knows very well when to put the baby under solids. So, consult with yr doc and make a decision. Good luck!

[riceandbeans]

Anandi,

I can relate to your situation because my 19-month old has also been a very picky eater since she was born. Now she i'sn't interested in solids at all but she likes milk and formula. I had to incorporate more calories to her diet because I could not just simply force her to eat. What I usually do is, and this is not any advice since I am no expert on children's nutrition, I am just sharing my experience and attempts with you, I cook dal very soft with vegetables and butter or olive oil (my baby doesn't like the taste of ghee for some reason), a little onion, and sometimes even use little tiny bit of a Maggy cube just to give it a nice taste. Since we aren''t vegetarians I even add little pieces of chicken, fish or other meats including hard cooked egg yolks. Then, I blenderize or sieve the cooked vegetables and mix with the formula or milk. I also make smoothies using the formula, whatever fruits I want, sometimes yogurt and sometimes tofu or oaltmeal for babies to give it a texture. She won't eat bananas or apples but I make a shake with these fruit, the formula or milk, peanut butter and a little honey to desguise the taste. She eats everything. Another is avocado smoothie with a little honey.

I found out she likes Ramen noodles so for lunch and dinner I started I cooking them very soft with butter, adding a little tiny bit of the flavoring along with pureed dal, pureed green peas, channa, spinach or whatever I can come up with. She eats little bits at a time and I always give her some juice in the end.

In my case, enrolling on an every day play class helped a lot. She runs around and plays so much that after the class she is usually thirsty and hungry. One trick that psychologists don't recommmend but I find very useful for us is the TV. She loves Sesame street and Elmo so I find it OK to take advantage of that distraction to feed her. She still won't eat much solids but I make sure she gets all the nourishment indirectly as much as I can in the bottle. I am not concerned about still bottle feeding her at this age because as my mom has put it, you don't see anybody in college eating from a bottle so at some point she will learn to eat like everybody else. Good luck with your baby.

[samika]

Thanks R. I spoke to my pedeatrician. She said that if my baby refuses milk and formula there is nothing much we can do but accomodate her with what she likes!!!

I will continue to visit this thread for the info all the hubbers are providing!!

Samika

[tomato]

Riceand beans,
I can see that you are a very caring mum. I'm awed at the amt of effort u take to meet the nutritional requirement of ur child. i just have one suggestion to make . Pls take it positively. Do not use the maggi cube for flavouring. It has high amts of monosodium glutamate which is harmful for children. Maybe u could use jeera pow or some other masala pow in minute qty for flavour.

[R]

but I make sure she gets all the nourishment indirectly as much as I can in the bottle. I am not concerned about still bottle feeding her at this age

Hope you dont feed her in the bottle during night time since it leads to cavity.

[riceandbeans]

Tomato,

Thank you very much for the info, I really appreciate it. I will not use the cubes from now on.

R,

No, I do not feed my baby the bottle at at night time. She has feedings during the day and one last bottle two hours before bedtime. She sleeps through the whole night.

We have also introduced some hygene habits to her and whenever we go brush our teeth, we give her her own toothbrush. First she plays with it, immitating us and then she allows us to lightly brush her very few front teeth.

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi R,
I had a question about starting to feed this to the baby. Usually the doctors ask us to try one grain at a time to rule out any possibility of allergy. Since this has lot of grains together, how did you handle this? Did you try making it with each grain and then added them together or just fed your baby directly as a mixture of all grains. I am planning to make this and that is why this question.

Thanks,
CI.

[R]

Hi CI,

You can introduce sathu maavu preferably when the baby is atleast 6 months old. As you said, it has lots of grains & nuts and it will take time to digest ; so, not less than 6 months though in India, some people use to give before that.

When my daughter was 6 or 7 months old, I introduced sathu maavu; initially, she was not comfortable. So, tried again after two weeks. To start with, I just introduced quarter tsp with quarter cup of water with sugar, cooked them and added some warm formula for the taste. Then, she was fine and was waiting for a couple of days. Since did not find any prob., started giving her every alternative days in the morning or a.noon.

Sprouted sathu maavu can be given after 1 yr old. During that time, if you have all the three kinds of sathu maavu, can give it one by one in alternative days.

Before that, start introducing here the local gerber cereal (rice) and then, oats plain cereal. If they are fine, then, give rice with fruits flavored and oats with fruits. And, finally, give the mixed grain (gerber) cereal.

So, somehow they will be fine with all grains; then, introduce sathu maavu to the baby. By the time, she might be 6 or 7 months old. If she is fine and dont get any allergy, you can cut down the mixed grain cereal and all the plain cerals, but, continue with the flavored cereals atleast just for the taste sake.

Hope this helps..

[R]

Hi CI,

You can introduce sathu maavu preferably when the baby is atleast 6 months old. As you said, it has lots of grains & nuts and it will take time to digest ; so, not less than 6 months though in India, some people use to give before that.

When my daughter was 6 or 7 months old, I introduced sathu maavu; initially, she was not comfortable. So, tried again after two weeks. To start with, I just introduced quarter tsp with quarter cup of water with sugar, cooked them and added some warm formula for the taste. Then, she was fine and was waiting for a couple of days. Since did not find any prob., started giving her every alternative days in the morning or a.noon.

Sprouted sathu maavu can be given after 1 yr old. During that time, if you have all the three kinds of sathu maavu, can give it one by one in alternative days.

Before that, start introducing here the local gerber cereal (rice) and then, oats plain cereal. If they are fine, then, give rice with fruits flavored and oats with fruits. And, finally, give the mixed grain (gerber) cereal.

So, somehow they will be fine with all grains; then, introduce sathu maavu to the baby. By the time, she might be 6 or 7 months old. If she is fine and dont get any allergy, you can cut down the mixed grain cereal and all the plain cerals, but, continue with the flavored cereals atleast just for the taste sake.

Hope this helps..

[R]

Hi CI,

You can introduce sathu maavu preferably when the baby is atleast 6 months old. As you said, it has lots of grains & nuts and it will take time to digest ; so, not less than 6 months though in India, some people use to give before that.

When my daughter was 6 or 7 months old, I introduced sathu maavu; initially, she was not comfortable. So, tried again after two weeks. To start with, I just introduced quarter tsp with quarter cup of water with sugar, cooked them and added some warm formula for the taste. Then, she was fine and was waiting for a couple of days. Since did not find any prob., started giving her every alternative days in the morning or a.noon.

Sprouted sathu maavu can be given after 1 yr old. During that time, if you have all the three kinds of sathu maavu, can give it one by one in alternative days.

Before that, start introducing here the local gerber cereal (rice) and then, oats plain cereal. If they are fine, then, give rice with fruits flavored and oats with fruits. And, finally, give the mixed grain (gerber) cereal.

So, somehow they will be fine with all grains; then, introduce sathu maavu to the baby. By the time, she might be 6 or 7 months old. If she is fine and dont get any allergy, you can cut down the mixed grain cereal and all the plain cerals, but, continue with the flavored cereals atleast just for the taste sake.

Hope this helps..

[R]

Hi CI,

Have sent a mail; for some reason, could not send my msg..some error keeps on coming!! wondering why?

[R]

While sending a msg, a general error keeps on coming..so could not send any msgs. freely. Why? Is everyone facing the problem?

Thanks.

[Urmila]

Dear R,
Sooooo... sweet of you to respond so quickly! Thanks for your very helpful posting , I was really searching this recipe .
Bye,
Urmila.

[Urmila]

Dear R,
This is my fifth attempt at posting this reply, what's happening ???

Very sweet of you to respond so quickly! Thanks for your very helpful posting , I was really searching this almond syrup recipe .
Bye,
Urmila.

[Urmila]

Dear R,
This is my fifth attempt at posting this reply, what's happening ???

Very sweet of you to respond so quickly! Thanks for your very helpful posting , I was really searching this almond syrup recipe .
Bye,
Urmila.

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi R,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I have started introducing rice cereal and oatmeal. Will try mixed grain cereal after two weeks.

Thanks,
CI.

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi R,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I have started introducing rice cereal and oatmeal. Will try mixed grain cereal after two weeks.

Thanks,
CI.

[Urmila]

Hello R
I was thinking of you only while I made that badam syrup this morning, I'm glad for your help.

Do you by chance, know how to make concentrated juice of orange & lemon, which we store in fridge , and mix with 3 parts water while serving ? I think that is also a Mallika's recipe, something similar to squash,but no preservatives will be there. If you're aware do post the method.
Ok, Bye.

[R]

I saw the recipe for Lemon crush & Orange squash, but both of them has potassium meta bisulphite(2 pinches) and citric acid is also present in Orange squash.

So, do u want them still? Let me know..

[Urmila]

Hello R,
Yes, citric acid will be there. I've used it before, and have it with me. This sulphate stuffs, I never use, still never got any bad result. I always make, without this kms, etc. using only citric acid & juices never go bad. So, do please post the method for this squashes.
Thanks in advance,
Urmila.

[dsankaran]

I am writing in hopes that my experience may benefit someone who has picky eaters (kids) too. I have visited this thread before and received advice from some of you when my kids were starting on solids. Its been a few months now. I happened to see some posts from people who have picky eaters and wondering what to feed them.

Both my kids are really picky eaters. They eat decent quantities if they are allowed to eat by themselves and if the food is not sticky (American food like bits of burgers, steamed veggies etc). Initially I tried steaming veggies and feeding them bits of dosa, idli etc.. somehow that trick didn't pan out well.. may be I wasn't cooking things to American taste! Anyway...

I just gave up on trying new dishes (unfamiliar to me, i should say) and decided to stick with what I am used to - rice dal veggies rasam roti idli dosa. For my 1 yr old, i started him on solids when he was 6 months old - he refused solids until he was 9 months - however I continued to offer him rice+dal+veggies+ ghee + salt + rasam water (blended) everyday even though it went to the sink in the end. .Finally when he was about 10 months old, he started eating the stuff I gave him in small quantities... he still has his good and bad days.. but I offer him the rice mixture (or idli with a blended veggie sauce or dosa with ghee and sugar) regularly. Most important - I don't turn my world upside down if the kid doesn't eat. Although it took me a loooooooong time to believe that kids will eat what they need.. it has proved true in my case.. My doc always says, don't worry too much about them getting nutrition.. they will take in what they need. That's very true..

My daughter - she's 3 yrs now.. she didn't touch rice or solids (at home that is) until she was about 22 months old.. but she's fine now.. still has days when she will not eat a morsel.. but I just give her Kanji (Mannah powder from India - same as Sathu maavu I guess) on those days.. Many of you may pounce on me for this - It won't kill them if they don't eat for a day. They will ultimately feel hungry and eat something.

That said, now if your kid doesn't eat much and you have a under-weight or vitamin deficiency problem, your pediatrician is your best bet. They are usually supportive and offer good ideas..

Give the kid what he or she likes.. but also offer the foods that you want them to eat consistently.. they will start eating it someday..

I have been through times when mealtimes uses to be a battle and I used to dread those hours of the day.. Time has taught me that I can do better with my energy if I stop worrying myself to death over it..

My 2 cents... hope it helps!

[R]

Orange squash :

Ingredients :
Orange juice - 1 and 1/2 cups
sugar - 2 and 1/2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Citric acid - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Orange essence - 1 tsp
Potassium meta bi sulphite - 2 pinches (KMS)

Method :

1) Select ripe, juicy oranges.(Sweet lime or loose jacketed orange)
2) Wash thoroughly under running tap water.
3) Cut into two halves and extrace juice using cone type of extractor.
4) Strain the juice using stainless steel or plastic strainer to remove seeds and other fibrous portions.
5) Measure the juice and leave aside in a closed container with a tea spoon of sugar.
6) Mix sugar, water, citric acid in a vessel and heat it till the sugar is dissolved completely.
7) Remove from fire when it starts boiling.
8) Cool down to room temperature.
9) Filter the syrup through a fine dry muslin cloth to remove dirt.
10) When the syrup is cooled completely add essence colour, orange juice and mix well using a dry laddle.
11)Dissolve potassium meta bi sulphite in a tea spoon of warm water and add it to the juice.
12)Mix thoroughly and pour immediately into sterilized dry, narrow mouthed squash bottle.
13)Leave 1 inch head space in the bottle while filling.
14)Keep air tight cover or cork and store in a cool dry place.
15)While serving, dilute one part of the squash with three parts of ice cold water.

Sterilisations of bottles :

Wash bottles with mild soap or detergent using warm water and a long brush to clean inside. Place all the bottles in a broad vessel covered with water. Keep cloth paddings in between the bottles, so that bottles doesn't crack while boiling. Heat till boiling point and reduce the flame. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool down to room temperature. Take out empty bottles from water and wipe well with a clean cloth. Dry under hot sun till there is no moisure inside the bottles. Fill in the squash when the bottle is still warm as it is taken from hot sun. Make sure the cork or lid also do not contain any moisture.

Note :

If moisture is left in bottles the squash will spoil in short term.

------------------------------------------
Lemon Crush :

Ingredients :

Lemon juice - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 and 1/4 cups
Water - 1 and 3/4 cups
Lemon essence - 1/3 tsp
Lemon yellow colour - little
KMS - 2 pinches

Method :

1) Select ripe and juicy fruits.
2) Cut into halves and squeeze out the juice.
3) Strain the juice to remove seeds.
4) Add 3 teaspoons sugar to the juice and keep aside in a closed container.
5) Prepare sufar syrup by heating sugar, water and a few tea spoons of lemon juice to boiling point.
6) Filter through fine muslin.
7) Cool the syrup to room temperature.
8) Add essence, colour, preservative ( KMS - dissolved in warm water ) and mix well.
9) Fill in narrow mouthed sterilized dry bottles.
10) Before serving dilute with three parts of cold water.

-----------------------------------

[riceandbeans]

R,

Just out of curiosity, so I am aware of it, I was wondering about the logic behind adding a preservative, even if an organic additive, to the drink and its advantage over good old plain fresh orange juice??

[apujittu]

Hi R,
Can u suggest me some fruits for making milk shakes for toddlers!. I am using Banana & Apple. Strawberry & mango can be used. Other than these can you suggest !.
I want to know what can be added to these milk shakes to make it more nutritious & high calories too!
Tips on fruits juices would be helpful.

[tomato]

Vanilla icecream can be added while making milk shakes for children who need to put on weight. I add it sometimes when I make apple, chikoo, mango, strawberry ... milkshake for my 6 yr old who is a picky eater and whose weight is slightly below average for his age.
Sometimes I also add silken tofu- soft soya bean curd, to increase the protein content of milkshake. when using tofu there is no need to add milk, just add a little water to get the rt consistency.
I also add honey in place of sugar.
Hope these tips help u.

[tomato]

Oops........ :oops: I did not see that the query was adressed to R. I hope u don't mind.

[apujittu]

Thanks tomato,everybody's input is really helpful as my daughters are picky eaters & they need to gain weight!
Has anybody tried milk shakes with grapes or berries like blueberry or cherry or any other fruits...
Any tips on using avacodo !

[Tharuna]

hi R,
my 11 month old is refusing baby foods. he wants spicy foods we eat. any suggestions?
Thanx in advance

[R]

Hello Tharuna,

Too much of spicy food-they are tender and young and it might be difficult for the stomach to get adjust, still see some kids are taking. So, mark the level and feed yr kid.

And, would like to know what kind of spicy food she is asking for ? It is ok to introduce basic vegetables with mild spicyness. If she is taking idly, there is nothing wrong in giving with sambar(less spicy) and paruppu podi or roasted gram powder which has roasted gram, 1 red chilly(since they are kid), curry leaves. and pepper.

Like this, reduce the ingredient which is harmful to the body and compensate with pepper or jeera so that they will get used to the taste in days. Whatever they are asking for in particular, it all depends on what we introduce at first, right??

[R]

Hello riceandbeans,

Preservative, if an organic additive---When a food or juice is coming for a month or so, then, definitely that has minimal amt of preservative, whether it is organic or inorganic which is my opinion .

The only way is to make at home fresh juice or thoroughly washed fresh fruits/vegetables. Even, if you make juice at home, how long it will come without adding preservative(have not tried it)?

Anyways, you dont have to worry becoz the amount they add preservative is very minimum and it is not going to affect the health and how long one can avoid those things? But, we can avoid certain ingredients like baking soda or powder, food color etc. to some extent.

[R]

Hello appujittu,

First of all, I am not very much into fruit juices for both of my kids since prefer to give them fresh fruits. So, have no idea abt making juices.

Abt milk shakes or fruit combinations, can suggest you a few which tried with my daughter.

The basic fruit is banana or apple to be added so that the texutre will not be very watery. So, can take quarter banana if you want to raise other fruit's qty.

banana+apple+honey dew+water melon+dates+raisins+3 baby carrot
banana+dates+pappaya+plums+pear or peach+raisins+3 baby carrot
banana+any berries+cantaloupe+dates+raisins+3 baby carrots

Adding banana and dates will increase the sweet taste and they dont refuse the other fruits if it is sour.

Since carrot is good for kids and also help to put on weight, dont cook; instead grind it directly. When yr kid is 2, can try adding carrot starting with ONE number.

Similarly, you can try any fruits available in the market. The reason we are adding raisins is to increase the nutritional value and also it will put on weight if you take with milk regularly.

I always add nuts(already mentioned) like badham, pista and cashew; when she was 2 yrs completed, started giving her roasted gram directly. And, we apply peanut butter in the bread and also add peanut in all vegetable gravies or green gravies with the seasoning. So, did not bother to put it with the fruit mixture.

For the above fruit combinations, dont need to add any milk, but putting a tbsp of fresh coconut will give a good taste.

I am yet to try avocado. Like tomato said, not only vanilla ice cream, try with mango ice cream can be added to make banana milk shake and can add cut fruits/nuts as a topping. For more taste, can add honey.

Abt raising calories, make banana milk shake and add cooked sago or semia and the taste will definitely differ. Becoz, I saw many people making sago or semia payasam adding fruits like banana; so, for a change, you can try this.

[R]

You can even try fruit nut shrikand. And, also, saw in SUN TV the recipe for tandai which is powdering seeds like cucumber, poppy with cardamom, kalkandu. Mix it with milk and heat well and finally, garnish with sarai paruppu(dont know the english name).

Will post the recipes under SUN TV thread..

Bye.

[tomato]

Thanks tomato,everybody's input is really helpful as my daughters are picky eaters & they need to gain weight!
Has anybody tried milk shakes with grapes or berries like blueberry or cherry or any other fruits...
Any tips on using avacodo !

Check this for tips on avocado :

http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=1766

[apujittu]

Hi R,
Thank you so so much.......I never expected so many tips! You are really doing a wonderful job ,handling 2 kids at home & then actively participating & clearing all our HUB members doubts too!.
Really hats off to you!.
Is somebody starts a new thread of how to manage 2 kids & get things organised at home, I think I will be the first one to join.
Thanks R once again ! :) ....I will check the sun TV section too......

[apujittu]

Hi tomato thanks for the link on avacodo........

[R]

Hi apujittu,

Nice to read yr statements; I do nothing, but mere sharing..The more everyone shares, the better they will gain!! That is how I feel and do..

Thanks for yr compliments..

[Tharuna]

hi R,
thanx for ur response. am substituting pepper for kaaram in my son's food. he is taking it ok.he has the habit of asking from the plate from which we eat. he comes to us when v r having dinner and gives a very sad kind of look(!!!). that is why i gave him some food we ate. all my relatives in India are of the opinion that table foods should be introduced very early and they were constantly asking me whether he was eating paruppu rice, rasam rice etc.
But now i realise that its a mistake to give them table foods too early.he is not eating bottled vegetables also now.i have to put some salt or sugar in the bottle so that he will eat something.he hates cereals also.thats why am giving ragi with jaggery for him now. other than this he loves potato poriyal,sambar rice ,etc.he is too eager for taste.i made potato poriyal for him with little salt and pepper roasted in ghee.for idlis I jus diluted the sambar which i made for us. he is doing ok.
Once again a million thanx for ur reply. As a first time mother i was feeling really confused what to do.now i got some ideas about feeding my kid.

[R]

No problem, Tharuna..

What the elders are telling is right? They should get the habit of taking foods from the plate so that we dont have to feed them, but to some extent like giving 2 or 3 morsels of plain dal rice with a pinch of salt is ok or you can even give him soft idlies for dinner.

You can give him a plate and some rice with spoon, after that, dont think that he will disturb you at all.

The baby cereals has lots of iron which is very important for kids. The doc are suggesting that kids those who dont eat our regular cereal after 1 yr. can even continue with the baby cereal.

Anyways, you can feed this gerber veggies/fruits for the next 6 months or so; my daughter would stop taking baby cereals after completion of 1 yr. and loved to take cheerios. Similarly, around 18 months, she said no to gerber veggies/fruits!!

But, she never touched our regular curries; so, I use to season in ghee or oil with jeera, add the curries with salt, hing, haldi and pepper, jeera powder(dry fry and grind, store in a container)and this will be much better than the pepper powder alone.

Instead of giving plain curries, you can try the above method.

Similarly, with the juice, my doc used to suggest upto 1 yr or so, better not to give orange juice which will create acidity as the babies stomach are so tender, they cant take it.


Take care..

[kavithasenthil]

R,
tired navadhaniya sundal with just white channa. It tasted good. My daughter like it.thanks.

[R]

Good to hear that yr daughter liked it..Getting an applause from the kids is really a big deal!!

Thanks, anyways..

[R]

Hi,

I saw this brand "Maruna Lai" in fruit juices and they have lots of varieties like guava, mango etc.Need an advise whether it is ok to give 2 + year kid? Is the brand known one?

I give my daughter Mott's brand juice, but they have very limited varieties. Pls post me yr opinion ASAP.

thanks and bye.

[BKJIGNA]

could anybody please send me the kids recipes attachment in english to jignasoneji@yahoo.com.


Dear R

Since yesterday I was going through ur recipes and ur contribution to all the basic to most difficult queries in this thread and on sun TV thread...Amazing! You are really a very very lovely and most co-operative person..Keep it up!! Tons of blessing

thanks and love u
jigna[/i]

[R]

I am reposting my query about juice..

Seetha or any mommies, yr suggestions are welcome.

Looks like no one have heard about this juice brand!!??

[R]

Thanks for yr compliments, jigna..I am really glad to read the same.

[BKJIGNA]

Dear R

what ia adai? i read ur recipes but what i guess from that its like dosa and made same like dosa.. am i correct

thanks and bless you
jigna

[a_gopinathan]

Hi R,
i havent heard of this brand before. i usually get healthy kids tropicana or minute maid or some times buy organic juice from whole foods for my son.

rgds
Anju

[R]

Hi Anju,

Dont remember exactly, but it is mott's product. But, the name is not given in big size like the other juices! Since they have lots of varieties of juices like mango, guava, I was thinking.

Anyways, let me know the brand name of organic juice you are buying.

Thanks.

[R]

Hi jigna,

It is similar somewhat to dosa except for dhals; in adai, lots of dhals are present and a heavy tiffin, consumes lots of oil whereas in dosa, only one dal we put and dont need this much of oil. Texture will also differ.

Hope this is fine.

[BKJIGNA]

Dear R

Thanks for your prompt reply...Now I will do try one of your recipes and let u know..

Bless u
jigna

[a_gopinathan]

Hi R,

last time i got Healthy valley organic apple juice. some times i get unsweetened juice and give it to my son. whole foods have lot of brands like lakewood, knudsen etc. i have tried lakewood guava juice which was good. i dont buy it in a regular basis, as all these organic stuff are pretty expensive.

[R]

Thanks, anju for yr response.

[chamy]

Dear R !
i want to add cashews and almond to my 11/2 years old kid's diet.i always forgot to soak them.can i dry roast them and make as a powder and add it to my son's milk?whether they have to be cooked in milk before giving it to them?also i have lots of peanuts in my home.Can u give me some idea to incorporate peanuts in his food .He likes milk than solid food..Kindly clear my doubts.Thanks in advance.
Regards foodlover.

[R]

Hi foodlover,

There is one recipe in Mr.Hemant's collection which is a drink and the powder is a combination of badham & pista(can substitute with half cashew & half pista), cardamom powder & pepper. Dont remember exactly, but will be like this. Blanch the nuts & dry them well or dry fry them till it looses the wetness. Grind them with cardamom powder & pepper.

Take a tsp of powder and mix it with milk and sugar. Cook for some time or while heating milk, add the powder and then, heat the milk so that it will get cooked.

Tried only once and it was quite decent. Maybe you can substitute half the quantity of peanut too(skinless & fried) with this powder. But, have not tried. Just my idea.

Adding peanut whole for 1 1/2 is too early.so, you can powder and feed him like there is a snack made with wheat flour, thoor dal powder & peanut powder. Dry fry, grind and mix them together. Prepare jaggery syrup and make balls; optional is adding ghee or milk to them.

Can use moong powder in the place of thoor dal powder. If you want the exact recipe or proportion, will let you know.

Other than that, I was told by a doctor in chennai that you can include peanut chutney for a kid as a side dish for idly or any other tiffin when they are 9 months old. Since they are young, you can just take peanut as much as you want, fry them in oil with red chillies(less no.), peanut & grind with tamarind and salt.

Optional is adding onion or tomato for extra taste which was suggested by my cousin & the taste is really great.

As u said, yes, you can dry roast and store them in a bottle when they are dry. For my daughter, I used to grind with fruits a long time back. What I do is pour water in a small vessel and add almonds, pista & cashew(each 2) and when it starts boiling well, switch off. After 5 mts, peel off the skin and grind with the fruits. Hope this is easy for you to make.

Bye.

[chamy]

Dear R !
Thanks for ur prompt response and information.Kindly post the recipe for the urundai wih flours.Thanks once again.
Regards Foodlover

[R]

Hi foodlover,

The recipe you have asked is here..

Nutritious urundai:

Wheat flour 1 cup
thoor dal powder 1/4 cup(optl. moong dal powder)
peanut 1/4 cup
dry fruits mix 2 to 3 tbsp
crushed jaggery 1/2 to 3/4 cup
cardamom powder
dry coconut 3 tsp

Dry roast them separately till they are really hot. Mix all the flours together well and add 2 tsp of hot ghee with other ingredients. Start making balls using more hot ghee or milk.

But, if you add milk, it might not stay for a longer time.

[R]

I was told by my mother about this nutritious snack, sorry dont remember the name. But, it is really good for kids and people those who fast, can take some in the day time, if they finish their fasting at the night time.

Sweet potato snack:

Take 2 or 3 sweet potatoes and cook well. Peel the skin out and take jaggery as much as you want.

Approximately for 2 to 3 potatoes, 1/ 2 cup of jaggery is sufficient as sweet potato has already contains the sweet taste. Mash both of them nicely with yr hands or use the rolling pin so that it will come out evenly without any lumps.

Make balls and yr kids will love it and also, it is a healthy, filling snack. Weekly once, you can give one or two balls.No harm..

[chamy]

Dear R !
Thank u very much for the recipes.
Regards foodlover.

[R]

You are welcome, foodlover..

And for every mother's info., just kid., have put the index in the first page.

Thanks.

[RedPepper]

Here is a useful link

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Don't know if someone has already posted this!

[freakycook]

I have been a silent reader of this thread and since long time .. havent seen any posts. I have a daughter who is 14 months old.. and belv me this thread helps a lot.... pls keep up the good work and continue to post ur best advices..

tks
freaky cook

[RedPepper]

My sister asked me if she can give saffron(added in milk) to her 18 months old baby. Her friend advised her to do so! I have never heard of this before. I googled but couldn't find anything about it. I was wondering if you guys have any idea?

Thanks in advance.

[rain]

hi redpepper,

there is tradition of pregnant mothers taking kumkumapoovu with milk in kerala. i heard my mother say that. apparently to have very fair babies :? :) there might be more to this i mean in the medicinal way but i am not sure. maybe u can try the ayurvedic sites. kumkumapoovu is saffron in english.

regards,
rain

[sailu]

This link, http://www.safinter.com/uses.htm ,has some info on saffron uses..it mentions that saffron mitigates colic and has a calming effect on infants during teething fits.

And this website link, http://www.royalsaffron.com/medicine.htm,mentions that "Saffron is as important ingredient of large number of Ayurvedic medicines. On account of its strong antipoisonous, aphrodisiac, cardiotonic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, stimulant, lactogogue, livotonic, nervine tonic, sedative and styptic properties it is highly valued in Ayurveda. It is considered an ideal Tridoshhara and a drug of immense efficacy in disorders of children of unknown actiology. It is used in acne, apoplexy, arthritis, asthma, colic, cough dyspepsia, hemierania, insect bites and stings, liver disorders, mental disorders, neurasthenia, oedema, painful menstruation, phthisis, prolapse of anus, sore throat and splenic disorders. (Chopra et al., 1956: Kirukar & Basu, 1935).
http://www.royalsaffron.com/medicine.htm

Hope this helps..

[RedPepper]

Thank you very much rain & sailu.
I will send those links to my sister, and also read it myself .

[dev]

Reviving the thread for cynthia...

[cynthia_a02]

hello R,
i'm a new hubber.i'm having a 15 months old kid.he is having constiaption problem always.u've mentioned abt angaya podi.can u please tell me how to make it.thanks in advance.

[sujathakannan]

For constipation to toddlers and babies we can use prunes mashed , or gerber prunes. It works really well.

[cynthia_a02]

Dear SujathaKannan,
what is prunes?where can we get this?Thanks in advance.

[dsath]

Including fruits and fruit juices in a baby's diet will help a lot. My younger one had constipation since the time she was born. After 5 months when i started giving her steamed mashed apple, mashed bananna and orange juice she started to get better. But i had to stop the orange juice as she developed eczema. But including fruits regularly in the diet is very helpful in constipation.
The problem is once the kids start growing older they stop eating fruits. In that case you can give them fresh fruit juices made at home.
Also try soaking some rasins in water and feed the water.
Hope this helps.

[sujathakannan]

cynthia_a02,

Do you live in USA. Prunes is nothing but dried plums. Here we get a lot of dired prunes and prune juice for adults. And for babies there are mashed prunes form Gerber and Delmonte baby foods. If you look in baking section, you will find dried prunes/plums.

[vekala]

Can anyone pls mail me the recipe collection of baby food to vekala@gmail.com

Thanks in advance

Kala

[sangeetha_me]

Hi..i have been a silent reader of this forum for sometime now. I have a one month old son. He is both on formula and breastmilk. He has this constipation problem too. I tried the raisin syrup suggested by R and it works out quite well. The paed suggested Karo syrup..but Iam scared to try it as i feel it might become a habit.

Is there any way to increase the quantity breastmilk?

[cynthia_a02]

Hai Sangeetha,
if u r a non-veg. u can take liver.it will surely increase the quantity.i used to have that.veg means u can take garlic fried in ghee.eat much.if u feel hungry eat well.drink a lot of milk.bye.take care.

[dsath]

Shark is generally believed to increase milk ( its even called paal sura). Also lots of greens like Spinach and plenty of milk as Cynthia mentioned.
Also check your blood count, having less blood count could also be a reason for reduced milk. In that case eat lots of iron rich things.
Hope this helps and good luck with the little one. :)

[sangeetha_me]

Dear Cynthia and dsath

Thanks a lot for you suggestions. Iam a veg. I will surely try taking lots of garlic, spinach and water. I hope it helps !

Thanks again.

[svasu_ani]

How to cook tofu for 10 month baby?

Anitha

[ayeshasadique]

avoid mint, sage and parsley - they are assumed to dry up the breast milk production

[ayeshasadique]

the more milk comes out, the more is produced............feed the baby more...... :)

[ayeshasadique]

barley water.. is said to be a milk production enhancer

[ayeshasadique]

Fenugreek also helps increase milk supply.

[ayeshasadique]

saffron is also said to incrrease milk flow

[ayeshasadique]

Another formula to increase breast milk is almond milk. Soak 10 almonds overnight in water. In the morning, peel them and blend them in the blender with a cup of hot water or hot milk. Pour the mixture into a cup or glass, and add 1-teaspoon honey or date sugar, and a pinch each of ginger, cardamom and saffron. Drink twice a day.

[ayeshasadique]

indian asparagus ('shatavari' -hindi) is said to increase milk flow

[sangeetha_me]

Hi Ayesha..thanks a lot for your suggestions ! :)

[sudhakarthik]

Hi,

Can anyone please send me the kids recipe collection to krishsudha_karthik@yahoo.com.

I have a 6 year old and 2 year old, so it is always a challenge.

Thanks,

Sudha