Friday 2 May 2014

Tiffin snacks to try

Parentune - Blogs for Parents
What to give your child in her school tiffin is a question most mothers seem to be dealing with every day. After all, we want it to be healthy, delicious, and even good-looking so that our young one is tempted to try it and ultimately make an attempt to eat all of her tiffin food. Last week, we got many ideas from our fellow mothers—each unique and equally appetizing. Why not try some with your own child? And a big thank you to all the mothers who shared their ideas with us.


1) Egg Rolls: Anurima
Make an egg roll using a thin roti or parantha. You can experiment with fillings. They can be Chinese style with sautéed vegetables, or potato/paneer filling. Roll tightly so that it doesn’t unravel. For younger children, you can cut it further into bite-sizes.
2) Cheese cucumber sandwich: Anurima
A favourite with most children in the hot season, the cool crunchy cucumber and cheese is a never-fail combination. Just assemble it all together and season with salt, pepper or any herb of your child’s liking.
3) Frankies: Divya
Make thin, soft rotis, and place any vegetable in it. You might want to layer the roti with ketchup first. Tightly roll and wrap in aluminium or cling wrap.
4) Fruit salad: Divya
Mix up a few seasonal fruits together, and add a dash of lemon juice (lemon juice keeps the salad fresh also).
5) Fruits: Ankita
Fruits are healthy, filling, and mostly non-messy too. But try and give fruits that will not go bad easily such as grapes, oranges, sweet lime or mausambi (peel and cut into bite-sizes), and bananas (not too ripe). Older children can be given an apple or a pear. Sometime, you can sneak in a cucumber too.
6) Paranthas: Ayushi
Stuffed paranthas are another popular choice because they remain soft and are flavourful. Try with any available vegetable such as grated cabbage, cauliflower, onion, mix vegetable or even paneer. Once in a while make a roll out of plain parantha. Spread pizza or pasta sauce on a parantha. Saute chopped vegetables such as onion, green capsicum, beans, with garlic and a dash of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and roll in up. You can also break an egg onto the parantha and cook it before putting in the vegetables.
7) Chilas: Natasha
Make out of besan and add season vegetables to it. You can initially spread ketchup for taste and to keep it moist as well. Try making chilas out of sooji or semolina the uttapam style.
8) Cheese Chappati: Hazel
For children who are fond of cheese, grate cheese on their regular roti or parantha and pack it up. They will definitely devour it.
9) Rice: Neetu
Most children seem to love rice. You can try giving them lemon rice (season with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Add lots of lemon juice later). Add soya nuggets for a burst of good health.
10) Treat Them: Divya
Add a surprise goodie like a chocolate or muffin in the tiffin, once a while. They will love it.