Some easy to prepare ideas for a healthy breakfast for your toddler
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Skipping breakfast can make your child feel tired, restless, or irritable. A healthy breakfast will fuel your little explorer’s body with enough energy and other nutrients. It also helps establish a normal eating pattern. Eating regular meals and snacks is the key to maintaining good health throughout life.
Young children are often picky eaters and not very interested in trying new foods. As parents, we keep introducing something new for you to eat and delight your taste buds. Here are some recipes that are not only healthy but also delicious to treat your little one:
• Chapati roll/pizza roll:
Ingredients: Chapatti, onion, tomato, boiled potato, beans, cabbage, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, carrot, bell pepper, mayonnaise.
Preparation: Wash, clean and cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Sauté all the vegetables in a pan with a little salt and pepper. Brush another pan with some ghee. Toast the chapatti on both sides. Remove it on a plate, spread mayonnaise, cover it with sautéed vegetables and put a little tomato sauce on it. Roll it up and secure with foil or tissue paper. Your chapatti roll is ready to eat.
Note. You can choose the vegetables according to your child’s taste or availability. You can also spread some pizza sauce on a chapati if your child likes that.
• Paneer sandwich:
Ingredients: two slices of wholemeal bread, paneer, salt, pepper, onion, cumin powder, tomato sauce, butter.
Preparation: Cut the edges of the bread slices. Put some butter in a pan, add grated paneer, salt, pepper, cumin powder and let it cook for about a minute. Once cool, spread it over the bread slices and put it in the toaster or pan. Toast it on both sides. Serve with tomato sauce on the side or design on top to make it more appealing to your toddler.
Note: Use different cookie cutters to make these beautiful shapes. You can also use cheese if your child likes it.
• Fruit pastry cream:
Ingredients: Seasonal fruits, milk, custard powder, elaichi powder, sugar, nuts.
Preparation: Chop all the fruits and nuts into small pieces. Boil a cup of milk and add half a tablespoon of pastry cream, half a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of elaichi powder. Mix it well and set it aside to cool down a bit. Once it cools, start layering it in a cup or bowl. Top with the custard mixture first, then a layer of one fruit, and repeat with other fruits. You can set this up by putting it in the refrigerator for a while. Sprinkle some honey on it before serving it to your toddler.
Note: you can omit the sugar if you are satisfied with the sweetness of the fruits. Be sure to check if your child is allergic to dried fruit before adding it. Do not keep the prepared dish in the refrigerator for a long time as the cut fruits will begin to spoil.
Breakfast recipes don’t have to be complicated to be healthy. Consider simple options and try different breakfast ideas to please your children’s taste buds. Be a role model for your child. These little human beings are good observers and follow what they see around them.