Kids will be kids. They will always ask for unhealthy food and avoid healthy ones as much as possible. It becomes the responsibility of super-moms like you to take the matter into your own hands and provide tasty and healthy snacks for your children. You will be surprised to check the number of healthy snacks for children that can be prepared with the regular kitchen ingredients. You have to cover health in the pack of tastes so that your children get the most out of it. If you have a fussy kid, don’t worry, all parents have a kid with eating disorders.
Why is it Important to Provide Growing Kids with Nutrients?
Children are growing at a rapid pace and it becomes important to take care of their diet. Your child is getting exposed to a lot of different types of food when he/she is at school and outside. Most of those ‘quick-snacks’ are unhealthy and do not provide your child with the nutrients he/she needs.
Also, they are becoming more demanding of the snacks served at home. They dislike the usual snacks served as they do not find them to be delicious and savory enough. Being a mom, you are inclined to bow to their demand but you should not do that. On the other hand, you can be more creative with the snacks you serve them in terms of the nutrients content and also not compromise on the flavors.
What are Important Nutrients Which are a Part of a Healthy Snack Diet?
Nutrients are essential as they provide the body with the energy for repair and growth. Some nutrients are important than others and should be a part of your child’s diet on a daily basis.
Protein will give your child good immunity. It also helps in the development of muscles and tissues in the body.
What are the Sources of Protein?
Some of the major sources of proteins are eggs, meat, and milk.
Fiber is important to have a strong and healthy gut. It also helps in the digestion process.
What are the Sources of Fiber?
Some of the fiber-rich foods are oats and flour. To add, fruits such as apples and guavas also contain fiber.
Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth. A healthy amount is important if you want your child to be sporty and physically active.
What are the Sources of Calcium?
Milk is a major source of Calcium.
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Vitamin D:
For the calcium to be absorbed, Vitamin D plays a very important role! A major source of Vitamin D is sunlight. It’s important to push your child to be outdoors.
What are the Major Sources of Vitamin D?
Milk, as well as sunlight (majorly), are the major sources of Vitamin D.
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Carbohydrates:
If you want your child to be an energetic day in and day out, then Carbohydrates will provide them with the energy to do so.
What are the Major Sources of Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates rich foods are flour and oats.
For healthy brain development and to boost metabolism, healthy fats are essential.
What are the Major Sources of Fats?
Flax seeds and vegetable oils are sources of healthy fats.
What are Some Healthy Snacks for Children?
Imagine your child coming back from school. They are really hungry and tell you that they need some snacks to eat ASAP. What would you do? Well, you can choose from the below list of healthy snacks for children. Your child will be happy with the taste and you will be contented with the healthy nutrients the snacks will give your child.
The following is the best list of healthy snacks for children:
1. Steamed Dhokla
This is one of the most popular Gujarati dishes which is not only very tasty but also very healthy. This dish contains the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Steamed Dhoklas are made from Besan (Gram Flour) which is high in protein content.
Ingredients:
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- Besan- 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder-1 tbsp
- Citric acid- 1 tbsp
- Baking powder -1 tbsp
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves -8
- Dried red chilly- 1
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Recipe:
Take a bowl and mix 1 cup of besan, turmeric powder, salt to taste, 1tbsp of sugar, and 1 tbsp of citric acid. Add water proportionally and make a thick batter. Mix 1 tbsp of baking powder and add it to the dhokla mix. Take the steaming tin, add butter to it, and put the mix into it. Steam it for 20 minutes. For the tadka, add 1 tbsp of oil, 8 curry leaves, mustard seeds, and 1 dried red chilly in a pan. Add the mix to dhokla, and cut it into pieces.
2. Nutrela Patty (Tikki)
This is tikki with a twist. Nutrela contains high-quality proteins. Children are quite grumpy about Nutrela. Now, with nutrela patties, they will not complain!
Ingredients:
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- 1 cup nutrela (boiled)
- 1 cup boiled potato (mashed)
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper
- Coriander leaves
- Lemon juice
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Recipe:
Boil the nutrela and soak the water out of it. Let it dry for a minute or two. Put the dried nutrela in a mixer grinder and crush it. Take a bowl, and put nutrela in it. Mix the nutrela with 1 cup of mashed potato, salt to taste, 1 tbsp of black pepper, coriander leaves, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Now, give the above ingredients a mix and make tikkis out of them. The tikkis are then fried in a pan with ghee. You can serve the nutrela patty with tomato sauce.
3. Mixed Veg Malai Sandwich
A healthy sandwich is good and convenient and avoids cheese and mayonnaise. A mixed veg sandwich is a perfect blend of vitamins, proteins, and fibers with no compromise on the taste.
Ingredients:
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- Half cup rawa (semolina)
- Fresh milk cream- 1 cup
- Carrot -1
- Potato -2
- French Beans- 1/2 cup
- Cabbage- 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper
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Recipe:
Clean and chop the vegetables into small pieces. Take a pan and add carrot, potato, beans, and cabbage to it. Add the cream. To this, add salt, black pepper, and coriander leaves. Mix them together. Take the batter and put it on the bread. Now, heat the sandwich on the gas till it gets cooked.
4. Upma
Upma is an excellent snack that does not only taste good but also provides additional nutritional benefits. Rawa-Upma also helps in digestion.
Ingredients:
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- Rawa (semolina) – 1 cup
- Water – 3 cups
- Pure ghee – 3 tbsp
- Carrot -1
- Tomato -1
- Onion -1
- Green pea -1/2 cup
- Beans- 1/2 cup
- Capsicum -1
- Coriander
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Turmeric
- Lemon juice
- Urad dal
- Chana dal
- Cashew nuts
- Curry leaves
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Recipe:
Take a pan and roast rawa till it gets brown. Add ghee to a separate pan and wait for the pan to get hot. Now, put chana dal, urad dal, and cashew nuts into this. It’s now time to add black pepper, curry leaves, onion, tomato, carrot, green pea, beans, capsicum, salt, & turmeric powder. Cover the pan for 5 minutes and let it steam. Add the roasted rawa to it. Take some water in a pan and warm it and put the water into the raw mix (from above). Add lemon juice and coriander, and give it a quick mix. Pour this batter into a pan and steam it for 2 minutes on a high flame.
5. Poha
Poha is light and very easy to digest. It is a good source of instant energy and holds off hunger cravings. Your child will find this dish to be very satiating and there will be less nagging.
Ingredients:
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- Poha (flattened rice) – 2 cup
- Onion -1
- Tomato -1
- Peanut- 1/2 cup
- Green peas – 1/2 cup
- Potato -1
- Coriander
- Lemon
- Curry Leaves
- Salt
- Sugar
- Black pepper
- Black salt
- Cumin seeds
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Recipe:
Wash the poha in a strainer and allow it to cool for some time. It will become soft. Take a pan, heat the oil, and add the peanuts. When they are mildly fried, take the peanuts out. Add curry leaves, cumin seeds, and black mustard. When they start to splutter, add the onion, tomato, potato, & green peas. Fry it for a minute. Once the onions are cooked, add turmeric powder, salt, & black pepper. Add peanuts and juice from half a lemon. Add half tbsp sugar. Let it cook for eight to ten minutes. Add the drained poha to it and mix well. Let it simmer for half-a-minute. Add coriander while serving.
6. Pizza
Your snack recipes for children are incomplete without a yummy pizza. Born in Italy, pizza shares a good reputation in India, especially with kids. Let us help you to make a tasty restaurant-style pizza at home that is further packed with healthy ingredients. Take this chance to feed all the good vegetables to your kids.
Ingredients:
For Pizza Dough:
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- All-purpose flour- 2.5 cups
- Dry active yeast- 1 tbsp
- Warm water- 1/2 cup
- Olive oil- 1.5 tbsp
- Salt- 1/3 tbsp
- Sugar- 1 tbsp
- Cornmeal – 1 tbsp
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For Pizza Sauce:
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- Tomatoes -400 grams
- Garlic cloves -2
- Red chili flakes – 1 tbsp
- Italian herbs- 1 tbsp
- Organic sugar- 1 tbsp
- Salt -1/4 tbsp
- Black pepper -1/2 tbsp
- Oil – 1.5 tbsp
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For Toppings:
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- Mozzarella cheese- 200 grams
- 1.5 cups mixed vegetables like capsicum, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, etc.
- Italian herbs – 1/2 teaspoon
- Red chili flakes -1/4 teaspoon
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Recipe:
Start with making the pizza dough. Take a big bowl and pour 1/2 cup lukewarm water into yeast and sugar and set aside. The water will turn frothy and then add flour, salt, and oil and mix well. Prepare the dough by kneading for at least 5 minutes. Keep your dough covered with a moist cloth.
Take a pan, heat oil in it, and add garlic, red chili flakes, and diced tomatoes. Add sugar and salt and let it thicken. Once done, add herbs and crushed pepper and your pizza sauce are ready.
Divide your dough into three equal portions and flatten in a cast iron pan or baking tray with cornmeal at the base. Pour tomato sauce on your pizza dough. Place the vegetable toppings and grated mozzarella cheese over it and bake it in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle Italian herbs and red chili flakes once done and serve hot to your kids.
7. Cheese Dosa
The veg snacks recipes for kids have cheese as the sole superhero. Make a lip-smacking cheese dosa for your kids. It is healthy, light, and ideal for mid-time hunger.
Ingredients:
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- Thick dosa batter – one cup
- Onion – 1 medium
- Carrot- 1 medium
- Capsicum- 1 medium
- Tomato chutney- 3 tbsp
- Oil- 3 tbsp
- Grated cheese- 6 tbsp
- Salt- as per taste
- Crushed pepper- 1/2 teaspoon
- Coriander leaves to garnish
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Recipe:
Mix the dosa batter to attain the best consistency. Chop the onion, carrot, and capsicum finely. Heat a non-stick pan and pour dosa batter into it. Once spread evenly, put some oil for even cooking. Add the vegetables and tomato chutney to the dosa. Cook for one or two minutes. Add salt, crushed pepper, coriander leaves, and grated cheese. Once the cheese melts, fold it and then turn it. Wait for getting the perfect golden color and turn off the heat. Serve hot to your lovable hungry devils.
8. Bread Paneer Roll
Getting over paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is not easy, especially when we’re talking about healthy snack recipes for kids. Bread paneer roll is ideal for feeding the best nutrition to your kids with the crunchiness of bread. It is super easy to make.
Ingredients:
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- Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – One cup
- Peas – 1/2 cup
- Bread slices -6
- Oil – One teaspoon
- Cumin- 1/4
- Ginger garlic paste -1/4
- Red chili powder – 1/4
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
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Recipe:
Take a pan and heat oil in it. Add cumin and ginger garlic paste and let it fry. When done, add red chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala powder, and salt. Once mixed well, add paneer and peas and again mix. Let it saute for a few minutes and turn off the gas. Cut the edges of the bread and wet the surface. Place the paneer mixture in it and roll it properly. Take the help of water to roll the bread. Repeat for all of the slices and let them rest. Once done, heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry well. Serve hot to your little munchkins.
9. Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla)
Dahi vada tops the quick and easy snack recipes for kids. While many think that it is not easy to make, a little preparation at night can let you make delicious Dahi vada in 5 minutes only. Feeding a bowl full of good bacteria has never been so easy.
Ingredients:
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- Dahi (curd) -1 cup
- Soaked urad daal- 1/2 cup
- Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp
- Cumin powder- 1/2 tbsp
- Crushed black pepper- 1/2
- Salt- as per taste
- Chaat masala- 1/2 tbsp
- Oil- 4-6 tbsp
- Cold water- 1/2 cup
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Recipe:
Take a blender and make a fine paste of soaked urad daal and ginger garlic paste. Add some cold water to attain thick consistency. Heat oil in a pan and add a spoonful of this mixture. Let it fry properly. Once done, tissue stain to absorb extra oil.
Take curd in a bowl and add cumin powder, crushed black pepper, salt, and chaat masala to it. Put vada into the curd mixture and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve chilled.
10. Sprouts Chaat
Introducing your kids to sprouts can be a tough task. When searching for proteins, the list of healthy snacks for children is incomplete without sprouts. So let us today help you to serve sprouts in the tastiest way.
Ingredients:
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- Sprouts -1/2 cup
- Onion diced nicely- 1
- Tomato diced nicely -1
- Chaat masala- 1/2 tbsp
- Crushed black pepper- 1/2 tbsp
- Black salt- 1/4 tbsp
- Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
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Recipe:
Take a bowl and mix sprouts, onion, and tomatoes in it. Add chaat masala, crushed black pepper, & black salt to it. Finally, add lemon juice and mix well. Serve in a street-style paper cone to make it look more enticing.
We believe, after such a piece of detailed information on the type of dishes you could make to serve the dual purposes of taste and nutrition, your child would have nothing to nag about! Happy and healthy eating!
Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/healthy-snacks-for-children-prepared-at-home/
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