Kids Were Bored... Till I Tried This In My Kitchen!

How many of you make the same meals every week because it’s just easier and we find it comfortable? (the kids definitely don’t!)

It’s not the case only with our meals – we do the same thing with our friends, our daily routine, our careers… Aren’t I right?

Most of us are either hesitant, scared or don’t know where to start. Starting something new isn’t easy!

I read a little note somewhere:

🔸️Friend 1: We live only once

🔸️Friend 2: No that’s not it. We die only once. We live every day.

This made so much sense right? Every day is a new day. So everyday day is an opportunity to start something new.

I want to share a small example of how it worked for me. I am a Punjabi and as is with everyone I’m sure what you grew up eating is your comfort food and easy to make khana when you’re in a rush. My kids that way are quite set in their food habits.

How Did I Work On Building My Kids Taste Palate?

When we were in lockdown is when I started experimenting with their food. I had never fermented and made my own dosa batter. I just thought it was too tedious. But the kids needed variety so I tried. Failed a few times but tried some more! Now my dosas, uttapams and appe rock if I may say so myself!

We have such a variety of food in our country it’s just mind-boggling. And exposing kids to different kinds of food is an excellent way to develop their plate, lose the boredom of eating the same meals and you’ll be pushed out of their comfort zone to try out new things.

The KSP Meal Plan I send you every week is my way of doing just that with a variety from across the world! If the kids see you doing something outside your comfort zone then they will also be inclined to try new things – whether it’s food, a sport or a skill that they may just be considering.

So what is something new you are really looking to start?

By the way, I’m sharing some fun Independence Day-inspired recipes below as well as something to have a sweet Janmashtami. Tag us @kidsstoppress when you try them out!

Recipe Of The Week

Chicken Tikka Wraps

Ingredients

Marinade

150ml thick curd
¾ – 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Ginger – peeled and chopped
1 Garlic Clove chopped
¼ -½ Tsp Red Chilli Powder or as per taste
1 Tsp Garam Masala
Generous pinch of green elaichi, black elaichi & saunf – ground together
1 Beaten Egg
1 Table spoon oil
2 rounded Tbsp Gram Flour/Besan

For the chicken

400g chicken breasts cut into small pieces
Oil for brushing

Serve with

Chaat Masala
Roti of your choice
Onion finely sliced
Tomatoes finely sliced
Lettuce finely sliced
Green Chutney

Pre-soaked wooden/metal Skewers

Method

Put all the marinade masalas in a bowl. Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork and add to the marinade. Leave it in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.
To cook the chicken, preheat the grill to medium. Brush the grill rack liberally with oil and place some aluminium foil on the oven floor to catch the drip.
Thread the chicken pieces on metal/wooden pre-soaked skewers and place them on the rack. They shouldn’t be touching. Grill for 8-10mins, rotating it halfway. Cook till slightly charred around the edges.
Slide the chicken off the skewers with a fork and sprinkle the chaat masala.
To serve divide th chicken into equal portions and place a portion on a warm roti. Top with the onions tomatoes and lettuce & with a spoonful of chutney.

Note: You can use the same marinade and recipe to make a paneer tikka wrap. Adjust cooking time accordingly.

Your Grocery List

Did You Know

Barley or Jau is a cereal hugely popular in India. Barley contains nutrients like niacin, a B vitamin that our body uses to turn food into energy; niacin is also key for our nervous and digestive systems and for the health of our skin. Barley is a good source of another B vitamin, B6, which helps our brains and our immune systems.

It’s available in many forms, ranging from hulled barley to barley grits, flakes and flour. I’ll share my mushroom & barley soup recipe next week.

By the way, barley is known to have a diuretic effect, besides it helps with alkalising an acidic pH, Barley water is an excellent home remedy for UTIs.

Hack Of Week

It is not wise to store all your fresh produce together. Some produce cause others to spoil more quickly because they emit ethylene “ripening” gas. For instance, do not store apples and cherries or blueberries together; the berries and cherries will spoil faster. If you store your potatoes and onions together, the potatoes are prone to rotting or sprouting faster.

On the contrary, if potatoes are paired with apples, the potatoes stay intact and fresh for longer. One fruit to keep away from the rest of your farm fresh produce is the banana. Bananas emit a lot of ethylene gas. The gas will not only cause them to ripen and spoil quicker but also, ruin any other fresh produce around bananas.

Meal Plan This Week

Hydroponics is a term that has become immensely popular recently. While there are hydroponic systems that are certified organic, most hydroponic systems are not organic. So don’t mistake all hydroponically grown produce for being organic.

Organic gardeners and hydroponic growers are both trying to grow the most nutritious produce, but their growing methods are usually completely different.

What is hydroponics?

Hydroponic growing systems use a soilless growing media and provide all of the plant’s nutrition in the plant’s water. The system may rely on sunlight, either outdoors or in a greenhouse, or it may use artificial lighting. Because every aspect of growing can be controlled, hydroponic systems can result in higher yields in shorter growing times. They do not use manure, which is a potential source of bacterial contaminants.

To be certified organic, a garden must meet very strict guidelines set forth by the National Organic Program. They use a natural supply of needed nutrients, delivered in a plant-friendly form by micro-organisms, and environmentally friendly methods of pest and disease control.

To consider

One potential issue with regard to hydroponically grown vegetables is food safety. The high humidity of hydroponic greenhouses can make these vegetables susceptible to salmonella contamination. Salmonella can cause food poisoning if ingested, but washing vegetables thoroughly before eating them can often remove any of the bacteria that might be on the surface. Cooking vegetables thoroughly destroys salmonella.

Recipes To Help You Through The Week

Chocolate Oatmeal

Tiranga Poori

Ingredients:

3 Cups Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Besan / Gram Flour
1/2 Bunch Palak/Spinach
1/4 Cup Beetroot, Grated
1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
Salt To Taste
2 Green Chilli
1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

Method:

Put the spinach and green chillis (optional) in a mixie and puree.
Grind beetroot with little water.
For Green colour: To 1 cup wheat flour add pureed spinach and salt and knead into a soft dough.
For Red colour: To 1 cup flour add pureed beetroot, red chilli powder and salt. Knead into a soft dough.
And for Yellow colour: Take besan and 1 cup wheat flour– add turmeric, salt and knead into a soft dough.
Cover and keep all doughs for 30 min. Now roll out 1 inch thick rolls of each of colour.
Make a braid and lightly roll them so the dough blends into each other.
Cut into smaller portions to make dough balls.
Roll out puris and deep fry

Sonth Ladoo

Kesar Shrikhand

Ingredients

1 Kg Thick Curd (Dahi)
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
A Few Saffron Strands (Kesar)
1 Tbsp Warm Milk
2 Tsp Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

Garnish

Pistachio Slivers
Almond Slivers

Method

Hang the curd in a muslin cloth/in a tiny holed sieve and keep in the fridge for 5-6 hours. All the liquid (whey) will get drained.
Gently mix the saffron into the warm milk until it dissolves.
Remove the hung curd from the fridge once the curd is creamy.
Mix together the hung curd, sugar, saffron milk and cardamom powder in a bowl. Churn it all together using a hand blender.
Chill in the fridge for 4-5 hours and then serve garnished with slivers of pistachios and almonds.

Note:

The hung curd should be kept over a large bowl so that the whey doesn’t touch the curd when it’s hanging.

Puffed Rice Porridge

Ingredients (feeds 2)

1 Large Ripe Banana
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
1 Cup Brown Puffed Rice Cereal/ Murmure/ Muri
1 Cup Almond milk
Light Brown Sugar, To Taste

Method

Reserve about an inch from the end of the banana, leaving the peel on and blend the rest of it with the almond milk. If you don’t have a blender you can just mash it with a fork.
Next, tip the puffed rice in. As it sinks in, sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar over it as per your taste.

Tip: Try this with natural low fat yoghurt too, for a change. It tastes really good.

Delicious Cheddar Soup – Serves 6

Image Source: https://a.dilcdn.com/

Ingredients

2 Celery Stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 Tbsp Vegetable or Olive Oil
5 cups vegetable/chicken broth
1 medium Baking Potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups Cheddar Cheese
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt to taste
Croutons or Crusty Bread (optional)

Method

In a large saucepan, cook the celery, carrots, and apple in the oil over medium heat until softened for about 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the broth and potato and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the potato is tender. It takes about 15 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to the saucepan, whisk in the Cheddar and Worcestershire, and season to taste with salt.
Serve the soup with croutons or bread (if desired).