Hey mama’s, winters are on their peak, somewhere its snowy, somewhere its foggy. But the best part of the day is when there is some sunlight to soak ourselves and get vitamin D. I still remember those school days, wherein we just used to laze around in the sun with cozy thin blankets, at times reading thrilling novels and at times relishing winter delicacies straight out of mama’s casserole.
Though the roles have reversed and I’m a mama now, I do intend to savour some of those winter delicacies to my pre- schooler child. But, the kids are so picky, I’m most of the times on the run to give my son nutritious yet energetic food to help in their fast growth. Despite practising some simple food arts , I rely on making simple foods healthy and delicious. Being travel addict family, I have to keep ready some travel friendly cuisines as well.
Thinking of puree foods for toddlers? Click here for some baby first foods .
Hence, here is my shortlisted winter foods that kids are sure to relish and they are full of nutrition :
1. Granola bars :
We so much love these crunchy bars, they are full of Iron, proteins, essential vitamins and are Travel friendly. My son has them in their box whenever we are ready for a drive. I make them out of Rolled oats, pureed dates, muesli and they are rich in almonds, cashew, peanut butter. What else can be more energetic and delicious than these bars on the go? Read out my recipe for Granola bars .
2. Split Mung beans chilla :
Or, Mung daal chilla, can be loved in stuffed or even plain form with green Chutney by kids. We usually have their pakora’s in winters, they taste awesome, but my son instead loves his stuffed chilla. I’m happy since this chilla has the goodness of proteins (base being of mung beans) and stuffing is full of crushed paneer [fresh cottage cheese], carrots, beetroot and capsicum. It really tastes delicious when served with green chutney. A simple, filling and nutritious preparation, loved by kids and adults equally. You can find ample recipe’s on the net for Mung beans stuffed chilla. Try once!
3. Fenugreek leaves [Methi] Parantha with Curry :
Well, that’s not just my son’s favourite, it is a family favourite delicacy relished in winters only. Methi [Green fenugreek leaves], is full of nutrition in the form of proteins, fibres and is iron rich vegetable. It even helps in enhancing milk in breastfeeding mother. Further filling up the dough with methi, fennel seeds, sesame seeds is a great nutritious blend and crispy parantha tastes amazing with curry. They can also be rolled and eaten while travelling. For the variation, you can also cut and add spinach along with methi to make it more healthy.
Do compliment with Til Laddoo’s (sesame seeds – Jaggery balls), which are eaten with great zest during Makar Sankranti.
4. Sarson Saag [Green mustard leaves]- Makki roti [corn flour chapati]:
I’m sure, this is a perfect delicious winter food which is relished by most of us. Last winters, I saw my son’s fascination for this combo and he absolutely loves eating saag and makki roti. To make saag, I add spinach, bathua, mustard leaves all which really makes this food a super healthy for growing kids. It is highly rich in iron and fibres and it tastes delicious as well.
5. Veggie sandwich :
I guess, this is a super fast all time favorite of my son. When we are clueless to cook for breakfast, veggie sandwiches come for the rescue.To make it full of nutrition, I add, corn, spinach leaves, cucumber, onion, carrots, beetroot, cauliflower, all crushed and mixed with Mayonnaise. Its tastes awesome and is always on the go when we plan for a play outing in the sunlight. By this way, we can ensure that kids get the necessary nutrients, be it macro or micro nutrients that help a lot in their growth.
The tastes of these foods are directly proportional to the nutritional values, with both these parameters getting a thumbs up from me and my lil 3.5year old kid. And what better than a happy mama and a happy kid.
How do you make your kids enjoy the nutritious winter foods? Share in the comment section and allow us to circulate more such healthy ideas for our budding champs!
Enjoy Winters!
My kids were picky eaters too when they were little. Now that I’m a grandma, I have a little more time to be creative. I like to sneak good for them things into smoothies, or make their plates fun. So maybe we’ll make a face out of a banana (smile), strawberries for the eyes, etc ..
Yea, going creative with food really helped me a lot to make my son love food! Thanks
i wish i knew how to make Makki roti , everything in your post photos looks delicious, i wish my kids would be willing to eat new kinds of food, maybe when they will grow up more
It actually is yumm, would love you to introduce you and kids to these flavours anytime:)
I love winter season for lots of vegetables and specially makki ki roti and sarso da saag.. awesome combination
Waooo YUMLICIOUS food 😛 I would love to have all especially that saag and makki ki roti. Awesome food list.
Yea, I too love saag the most!
These look yummy! My middle child loves curry 🙂
My son loves veg sandwich Even though he might skip the veggies.. Thanks for sharing such healthy food options.
There were years my daughter’s answer to what she wanted to eat was ‘Spaghetti with butter’ – I suffered. Now being a – well-travelled – adult, she’s into any kind of food, so they obviously grow out of that phase. By the way, I would love to have all the food you are introducing, so just send it over here, I’ll eat it in a blink of an eye!
Ha ha, indeed I would have loved to send you over. Since you love travelling so much Renata, why not explore the beauty of India, would love to host you over!
Wow all of these are my favourite. How about shakar ki roti too
Oh yes, Shakkar ki roti also sounds yumm for sweet cravings:)
these are great options for kids. My son is a fussy eater and seems that he has goven up on solid foods entirely in these winters. I am definitely going to try these
Nice one. I love all that you mentioned above, especially the methi parantha and makke ki roti sarso ka saag
Al the items in your post look great! they are just the right kind of food not just for the kids but for an entire family meal as well. I would love to try out the Makki Roti and Sarson saag soon. If you have the recipe, do share 🙂
I don’t have the proper recipe for myself, lol. But I take from the net, mostly vegrecipesofindia. They have a good collection. Thanks
All of this options sounds great especially the veggie sandwich. thanks for the post!
My family love makki di Roti and sarso ka saag combination. I love till ki Laddu too.. Winter is a great season with loads of green veggies around..
I definitely used to be a picky eater as a child, but I’m glad I’ve grown out of it. The veggie sandwich looks very tasty! Thanks for sharing
Some great ideas here, I have always wanted to try to make my own granola bars, I might give these a try x
There are some good ideas here. I need to expand my grand daughters list of foods she will eat.
Kids are really picky sometimes. A great way for them to eat veggie is that sandwich of your. I like ganola bars too, haha
Sometimes I suppose it’s goot to let the child explore food and enjoy it slowly. Nice recipes thought! My cousing whom I’m spending a lot of time with is 2 years old and I recognize his need for independence while eating and I think that makes a big difference.
That can be true, but when I see kids not really eating any nutritious foods and mums getting panicked, then we have to be creative enough to trick on smart toddlers and kids:)
Sometimes it’s so hard getting good food into children! Something I found worked with my nephews was letting them make their own. Homemade and fresh chicken nuggets was a firm favourite with them and also making their own pizza with fresh meat, cheese and vegetables
My kiddos are SO picky. I literally have to blend up veggies and put them into sauces and such for them to eat them. They do love granola bars, though, and fortunately there’s a huge variety of them available.
So true, we mommas have to be creative enough for it.
These are really simple yet delicious . Love your suggestions . Will be trying some of these
Great ideas but there is no way my kids would eat any of them! They are super fussy and the slightest sniff of a vegetable and they push their plates away! I really struggle!
Oh, I love the granola bars and your recipe is super easy to make. Veggie sandwich also looks great. Thank for sharing your ideas.
Methi Paratha is one of my favorite winter breakfasts, it tastes so delicious with butter or ghee! These foods taste amazing and are nutritious-so perfect for kids!
I have a toddler and she is also a picky eater.I always need to change her food so that he will be interested.she loved til ka laddo and rice crackers .Thanks for sharing this.I will try to include these in her diet
I do have a fussy eater. I am always trying something creative to get them to eat better.
I think I could get my daughter to eat the granola bars. That would be helpful. The hard thing as a divorced parent is dealing with two different standards and getting your child to eat something when they don’t have to eat it anytime else.