Sneak Ins- Happy lunch box ideas for your kids- Part 1

Sneak Ins, Happy lunch box ideas

When I was newly appointed as the mother of  a nursery going baby- I was struggling to come up with Happy snacks in her lunch box.  My definition of Happy snack- Happy snacks are those which the mothers are happy giving- ie they are healthy to eat. Child is happy eating as it is attractive, easy to eat and tasty.And of course,the stomach is also happy to receive. 

6 years now from that appointment- I am sharing some ideas here-hoping it helps.

Tips:
1. Grind some nuts and keep- almonds/pistachios/cashew/peanuts.
2. With winters here- some white sesame seeds can come handy.
3. Avoid ready packs of juice/cookies/cakes

I call these 'Sneak- Ins' as I sneak vegetables/nuts/fruits into these snacks without the kids knowing.

Just yesterday- I asked my daughter if I she would like some oatmeal with almonds and pistachios. 'Yes' to  the meal but 'No' to the nuts was the answer. I nodded. I cooked oatmeal and added a tbs of ground nuts-( About 5 of each nut). When she ate- she goes- mamma - it tastes yummy without nuts! We both were happy. This is what I call- Happy snack.Instead of sugar- I add honey and/ or raisins.
This is perfect for morning or evening snack.

Vegetarian  FRUITY PAN CAKE

I call it Fruity as I sneak some fruit in.

Take a 3-4 tbsp wholemeal flour. (It will make 8 small cakes.) Add 1 tbsp ground nuts.( As I mentioned above) Add milk and stir to make batter. The Fruity- Add grated apple or pear. I use either of these. Banana is also a good option. Do one round of wiz using a hand blender on the batter to make the batter smoother. Once the batter is flowing consistency,  pour over a non stick pan to make small cakes. Cover with pan. The steam helps the cakes to rise. After couple of minutes, turn over, and don't cover this time, and cook from other side as well. 

You would notice that I haven't used any egg. Without eggs also, they turn out to be soft. I haven't used any sugar either. 

Once the cakes are ready, make a sandwich by applying your child's favorite sauce( I use honey or chocolate) on top and joining two of them together. They taste delicious. Choice suggestion-jam/dates syrup/marmalade etc.

Easy snack to make and easy to eat. When I pack this in the snack box, I am sure it will not be returned.  
Its a good idea to prepare the batter the night before if constraint on time. 

Sneak Ins- Happy Snack

Yellow Lentil Fudge

Happy Diwali 

Diwali is a festive seasons for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs all over the world. If you didn't know, its an official holiday not only in India but other Asian countries as well. Sri Lanka, Singapore, Myanmar .. far across Fiji. With the world becoming a smaller place- I didn't miss any one of the Diwali fun in Dubai. Get together, fire crackers, sweets was in abundance. No time be nostalgic about India. 

Different kinds of delicacies are available across the sweet shops. Traditionally, women cook many delicacies at home as well. Amongst the sweet delicacies- there is 'Moon Dal Halwa' (Yellow lentil Fudge- This is what I named moong dal halwa for some of my non Asian friends ). It's very famous in Rajasthan (a state in India) and few other northern states of India. It is also cooked in our house every year to please Goddess Laxmi or shall I say all family members. Sharing the recipe here

Moong dal halwa( Yellow Lentil fudge)

This is a dish which can be cooked at leisure. The trick is to cook on slow heat, it brings out the aroma best when cooked for 2-3 hours over very slow heat.

Soak 1 cup yellow moong lentil with skin overnight. One can use lentils without skin as well.Even powdered dal is readily available. But for best results- the yellow lentil with skin. Of course washing this dal takes longer. Also soak half cup almonds overnight. 

After you have washed the dal nicely ( - ie all the skin  has been removed and you have only yellow dal), grind it in the mixer using minimum water. Avoid water if possible. Grind to a coarse paste. Empty it out. In the same jar- grind the almonds- little coarser than the dal. 

Now,take 1 cup ghee in  a heavy pan and make it hot. Take the pan out from the heat and add the dal paste. Put back on the heat( low heat this time)  and stir constantly so that the dal doesn't stick. Add the almonds as well. Once  the dal is nicely mixed and doesn't stick any more, ( this should have taken about half hour) let it cook on the low heat. Stir occasionally.When the dal has turned light golden brown and you can see the ghee separated from the dal- you will know its done. Should have taken about another hour.

While the dal is simmering- take about 2 cup sugar  and half a cup water and saffron. (Soak 9-10 stands of  saffron   in warm milk for 5 min and break the strands using a mortar and pestle if you have one;else you can use any bowl and a spoon). Mix these three on heat so the sugar dissolves in the water. The saffron mix will give the sugar syrup a nice yellow color. We need a syrup of single thread consistency. ( To know if the sugar syrup is done- take a small amount in one finger and close with thumb and open. See if you get one thread. )

Once the dal is done- add this sugar syrup and mix well.

The moong dal halwa is now ready. I know it takes time, but when you see your family and friends closing their eyes as they take the first spoon- you will know its a pay off.


I didnt rest to moong dal halwa this time. I also made something- which is the other extreme to this halwa- in terms of ease of preparation.

Vegan Nariyal kein ladoos- Coconut balls ( Coconut Ferrao Rochers)

Prepare half a cup of sugar syrup as described above and let it cool. Once cooled down- add one cup dessicated coconut, 2-3 spoon of coconut milk  and mix well. Take a small amount of coconut in a bowl. Make small ladoos (balls) of the mixture and roll on the dry coconut. Lo- Its ready. Can there be something easier than this. 

With coconut being good in nutritional value, I think its a great idea for lunch box for kids as well . Make and keep for a week in fridge. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.