Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes

The cupcakes are basic and light with chocolate beautifully complimenting the peanut butter flavour. 

And so, Nabeel is currently enjoying his summer break in full swing, ensuring I am on my toes 24 hours, or at least till he is awake. His constant needs to play, eat, read, and have fun sucks out all my energy and time. I am enjoying no doubt, but the everyday dilemma of “how to keep him busy? is tiring me completely. This year am adopting “no summer class” policy (hope to stick to it till the end) which means all me time will be converted to only mommy time..phew!

So, yesterday, we spent time in the kitchen baking cupcakes…something both of us thoroughly enjoy. We baked these cutsie mini cupcakes flavored with Peanut Butter and slathered with chocolate. Peanut butter gained entry into my kitchen for the first time and soon it was used in a baking recipe…something I generally do with all my new found ingredients :-).

We spent our evening snacking on these beauties while watching our 100th session (no exaggeration, really) of Kung Fu Panda.

Heading to the park now, please find this simple recipe of Mini Peanut Cupcakes, below. I adapted it from here.

Do try them with your kid..super fun and messy too 😉

Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Makes 24 mini OR 12 regular sized cupcakes

Ingredients
Refined wheat flour – 1 cup
Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – a pinch
Creamy Peanut Butter – 1/2 cup
Butter – 1/3 cup
Castor Sugar – ½ cup
Eggs – 2 nos
Vanilla Essence – 2 drops
Milk – 3 tablespoons
Melted Dark Chocolate – ½ cup , for the frosting

Method
Step 1 – Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Keep it aside.
Step 2 – In a bowl, put peanut butter, butter and sugar together using an electric beater till fluffy and white in colour.
Step 3 – Lightly mix in eggs, one by one. Add Vanilla essence.
Step 4 – Fold in the dry ingredients with a light hand.
Step 5 – Mix in milk to adjust the batter consistency.
Step 6 – Pour the cupcake batter in moulds and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 25 minutes, to bake.
Step 7 – Once the cupcakes have risen, remove and cool before serving.
Step 8 – Top the cupcakes with melted dark chocolate.

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Dual Berry and Yoghurt Lollies

Lollies are the perfect summer treat for kids. Delicious, healthy, easy to make using handful of ingredients they are a great way to give kids fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Lollies are definitely better than giving readymade ice-creams to kids plus children can prepare lollies on their own making them forget the store bought ones.
I have used 2 berry flavours; Strawberry & Blueberry but any combination is possible.

Dual Berry and Yoghurt Lollies
Makes 8 lollies (as seen in image)

Ingredients
2 packs Danone Blueberry flavoured yoghurt (80gms pack)
1 pack Danone Vanilla flavoured yoghurt (80gms pack)
½ cup chopped Strawberries
1 tbsp honey (might need more in case the fruit is sour)
A pinch of salt

Method

Step 1 – Mix strawberry, salt and honey in a bowl. Lightly mash to make pulp yet retaining few fruit chunks.

Step 2 – In another bowl, empty the yoghurt packs and whisk them well.

Step 3 – Mix the strawberry pulp with the whisked yoghurt.

Step 4 – Pour the mixture into lolly / kulfi moulds and freeze overnight or for minimum 6 to 8 hours. If you don’t have moulds you can make lollies in paper or plastic cups, insert wooden candy sticks and then tear the outer covering once the lollies have frozen.

Here’s another fresh fruit summer treat for kids that you could try Real Strawberry Pops 

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Snack on Yoghurt

Snacking has become a way of life for kids these days given their rigid schedules. Kids rarely have time to savour and gain from the basic meals of the day, their 3 full meals are essentially broken down into 5 to 6 quick snacky meals out of which 2 are usually grab and go kind of meals.

For most kids’ breakfast is just a glass of milk before heading to school followed by a light Tiffin snack during a short timed break, mostly packaged and lacking good nutrition.
For the after school, after play, before activity class, TV time munching, etc kind of snack breaks kids usually enjoy quick fixes in form of semi-prepared convenience foods or chips and other packaged stuff which tastes delicious but satisfy for a short period.
Lunch and Dinner might be nutritious home cooked meals but they are consumed in small portions because of the many breaks that precede and follow them.

To sum it up, kids eat a lot during the day but does it help them in anyway? Was the consumed food nutritious along with being yummy and convenient? You may prepare the best of and the healthiest stuff for lunch and dinner but are you ensuring their other meals are nourishing, too?While a child may not ask such questions with regards to food, we as mothers need to.

Snacks can be healthy too and nothing like freshly prepared homemade snacks to munch on. However, preparing something fresh every time is not very practical and one does have to rely on food stuffs outside of the kitchen. Nuts, fruits, yoghurt, dried nuts and fruits, etc are great snack options which are very healthy and convenient, one of my past article lists all such healthy snack options that one could consider.

It is important to concentrate on the snacks kids consume during those little hunger breaks as it makes a lot of impact on their overall daily consumption.

Yoghurt as a Healthy Snack

The Indian consumer has quite a few variety of packaged yoghurt to choose from. Danone India has fruit flavoured yoghurts on offer and it recently launched a healthier version called “Greek style Yoghurt”. Danone’s Greek Style Yoghurt is one of its kinds for the Indian consumer. It has higher protein content, low fat and is much creamier. The protein is almost double and is ideal accompaniment for the carbohydrate rich Indian diet.

We were at the product launch of the same and there were some unknown insights shared by Nutritionist Naaznin Husein on yoghurt and how it can be a great snack option.

• Yoghurt has been a traditional food item and every Indian household consumes in it some form of the other for its wonderful benefits
• Yoghurt is great for your gut and helps aid digestion, something very much needed for our kids who eat so much during the day.
• Young and adults alike need to consider snacking on pre-portioned yoghurt packs as a replacement to unhealthy options like chips or fried food with empty calories.
• Yoghurt is high in proteins and helps curb hunger while keeping the calories at minimum.
• Yoghurt works wonderful as a low fat dessert, late night snack or T.V time snack.
• Yoghurt adapts well to recipes and there are many ways you can use it to create mouth-watering dishes.
• Yoghurt packs are ideal as on the go snacks and can be carried in lunch boxes.
• Yoghurt based smoothies are the ideal breakfast item for kids.

 

Chef Varun Inamdar demonstrating few recipes using Danone Yoghurt

I found one of the breakfast recipes interesting for kids, below is an image of the recipe card as shared by Danone.

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Till then, Love Being a Mommy!

Santa Crunch – Christmas Treats

Continuing with our Popcorn mania, Nabeel and I rustled up a new Popcorn dish called Santa Crunch, keeping in mind the festive season. This one’s a colourful mix of sweet and salty ingredients which is very alluring and fun to make..maybe that’s why Nabeel christened it Funfetti 🙂

Santa Crunch Recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons popcorn kernels
2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon butter
½ cup + ½ cup marshmallow bits
½ cup green and red M &M’s or Gems
Christmas sprinkles or colourful cake sprinkles

Method
Step 1 – Heat 2 tablespoon butter in a pan, add one or two corn kernels to check if the butter is hot enough and they pop instantly.

Step 2 – Once popped, remove the kernels and add in the remaining corn kernels. Mix them well with the butter. Cover the pan with a lid while the corn kernels pop.

Step 3 – After all the kernels have popped, uncover the pan and let the popcorn cool.
Step 4 – Spread the popcorn on a dish, preferably over butter paper.
Step 5 – Mix in the green and red candies and spread them evenly.

Step 6 – In a heavy bottomed pan melted 2 tablespoon of butter. Stir in ½ cup marshmallows and melt them on low heat to make a sauce.

Step 7 – Once melted, remove from flame and pour over the popcorn mix, evenly.
Step 8 – Let the marshmallow sauce cool then transfer the mix to a serving bowl. Mix in the remaining ½ cup of marshmallows and top with Christmas sprinkles.

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Till then, Love Being a Mommy!

5 fun breakfast ideas for kids

Breakfast is an important meal of the day for both adults and kids. Kids, in particular, need to eat a wholesome breakfast to face the challenging day ahead. We all know about the cold war between food and kids and how difficult it is to get the right thing in their system; unless of course the food is presented in a very attractive manner to them or when they whip up treats on their own. Here are some fun ways kids can make their own breakfast, with little help from parents, and relish it too.

5 fun ways to involve kids in making their breakfast and eating it too!

Read through the 5 fun breakfast suggestions involving kids to bring a stop to all your kids breakfast woes.

Chocolate Pancake Pizza

1) Chocolate Pancake Pizza – Want kids to eat pancakes in a fun way? Let them convert pancakes to yummy chocolate pizzas. Kids can layer pancakes with maple syrup, sliced fruits and then grate oodles of chocolate over it before lightly baking it. The goodness of wheat pancakes, fruits and chocolate will make your child happy and ready to face the day.

Rainbow Toast  (Image credit:  www.learnplayimagine.com )

2) Rainbow Toast – I found this incredibly good looking breakfast idea on the net. With some edible rainbow food colours, the humble bread slice can be turned into something so appealing that kids will always look forward to breakfast. Mix some edible colors with milk and paint a rainbow on a bread slice, toast the slice and enjoy. For detailed procedure read here.

Flavored straws are a great way to perk up a boring glass of milk

3) Strawesome Milkshake – Have you bought flavoured straws for your kids, yet? Yummy flavoured straws from Sipahh are a wonderful way to spike up a boring glass of milk at the breakfast table. All that the child has to do is rip open the individual straw packet, dip it in milk and sip through to enjoy instant delicious milkshake. Available in 10 exciting flavours, kids get to indulge in a different milkshake every day.

4) Assembling Quesadillas – Mexican quesadillas stuffed with vegetables and kidney beans make for a wholesome breakfast that will keep the child full for hours. Let your child build his own quesadillas by laying out its ingredients in different bowls on the breakfast table. Things required are tortillas, sautéed mixed vegetables or boiled shredded meat of your choice, mashed kidney beans, grated cheese, herbs and seasonings. Once the quesadillas are layered, help the child lightly toast or grill them in a pan.

Fruit Skewers for breakfast – artistic & fulfilling

5) Fruit Shashlik – Fruits are the most ideal thing to consume for breakfast. Lay an array of fruits at the table and ask kids to arrange them in an artistic way on skewers to make Fruit Shashlik or Fruit Kabobs. Instead of diced / cubed pieces of fruits use special cutters to cut fruit and make the entire breakfast activity interesting and fulfilling. Honey or maple syrup can be drizzled on the fruit skewers for added flavour.
Do try these simple yet interesting breakfast ideas involving kids this holiday season and let me know how your kids enjoyed them. Do you have any breakfast idea involving kids? If yes, then please share in the comments below.

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Till then, Love Being a Mommy!

3 Easy Kids Recipe Videos

Being mom to a dynamic kid sure has it’s share of worries and concerns, one of them being what food to make for him that will ensure a good flow of energy to meet up his activity requirements.

I am often left in this dilemma and so are most moms, many of whom have written to me. They are constantly on the look out for recipes which are easy to prepare, energy giving and at the same time relished by kids, without much coaxing and drama.

So, here are some easy to make, healthy yet yummy recipes for kids, in form of videos, that I did for BabyChakra. The recipes are versatile enough to work as snacks, tiffin treats, on the go food or even mini meals. Above all, they for sure ensure a good supply of energy that will help keep your child active and going any time of the day.

 

VEGETABLE QUESADILLAS

 

POTATO WEDGES

 

KIDS ENERGY BARS

I have been associated with Babychakra for good 2 years now and this new assignment was really fun to work on. Do leave a feedback and let me know what kind of recipes / content would you like to see in future videos.

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Till then, Love Being a Mommy!

 

 

Easy 3 Ingredient Energy Bar for Kids

Energy Bars as the name suggests are packaged snacks loaded with whole lot of goodness that impart instant energy. These bars are a popular product in the US, enjoyed by kids and adults alike. They are a convenient food on the go and sometimes also work as a meal replacement (although I would never recommend that). While off- the- shelf energy bars rely on processed sugars for energy and other synthetic flavours to make them more palatable, I am here talking about the homemade ones, something I have been wanting to try out for Nabeel for a while now.

I see kids and mums rushing back and forth to various classes, summer camps, sports centers and what not…a scene indicating THE summer vacations are here. Kids display a range of emotions and moods during vacations from being busy to lazy to hyper active and very passive. If kids are not out for a tour or visit to their grandparents then at home their schedule tends to be busier than school days.

My 4 year old also attends summer classes and this time they are rigorous, meaning I have enrolled him for sports training which is quite exhausting compared to classroom activities. While his food intake has increased many folds I see the need for something handy which can be with me always that I can feed him whenever his battery is about to die 🙂

Kids lose out double the amount of energy during vacations; some sort of super food that gratifies and instantly tops up their energy is highly required. Thus, I have been toying with the idea of making him an energy bar using dates since he loves eating them plus we know dates is a super food which gives instant energy. Being a natural sweetener it also eliminates the need of any processed sugars. There are plenty of energy bars that you can make with various wholesome ingredients and amazing flavour combinations. I narrowed down to the one below which is easy as a breeze calling for just 3 ingredients that lend some amazing benefits.

The Easy 3 ingredient Energy Bar for Kids is made using Dates, Oats and Almonds. Iron and instant energy from dates, fiber from oats and vitamins from almonds is a powerful combination which will energize your child right away.  Feel free to replace almonds with any nut your child prefers, add in seeds like sesame and peanuts for additional benefits. A spoon or two of honey can also be added. Enhance the flavour of these energy bars by mixing some cocoa powder or chocolate chips, bits of dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, etc.

Easy Energy Bar for Kids Recipe 

Makes 10 (1 inch x 1.5 inch) bars

Ingredients

1 cup tightly packed seedless Dates

½ cup Instant Oats

½ cup Almonds

Method

Step 1 – Lightly toast oats in an oven or on a tawa (griddle). Keep aside.

Step 2 – Lightly toast almonds in an oven or on a tawa (griddle). Keep aside.

Step 3 – In a dry bowl mix all 3 ingredients together, then roughly divide in half.

Step 4 – Whizz half of the mixture in a grinder till everything grinds well and you get sand like texture. On pressing the mixture, it should come together and bind well.

Step 5 – Whizz the remaining mixture in a similar manner.

Step 6 – Mix both parts together and let it all come together as a big bowl.

Step 7 – Spread the mixture in a baking tray which has been lined with butter paper. Spread till desired thickness is achieved.

Step 8 – Refrigerate for 1 hour and then cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

• The bars keep well for a month at room temperature but considering Mumbai summers it’s wise to refrigerate them since the dates tend to get sticky, especially ground dates.
• Dates are the binding agents for energy bars, except them feel free to add subtract ingredients of your choice as I have recommended in the article.
• If your dates are hard you may soften them by soaking in just enough water. Discard water before grinding.
• Honey can also be added to the bar in that case use dry dates as the moisture level of the bars will increase resulting in a sticky mixture.

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