I learnt my parenting philosophy from my mom. She’d say that parenting is not just about loving and cuddling, it is also about disciplining and teaching – but most of all it is about raising healthy and well-adjusted individuals. The habits that we help our little ones develop in their childhood will go a long way in defining the adults that they will become. Food habits, in particular, will reflect in the way they eat and live for decades to come. This makes it our responsibility as parents to make responsible eating and healthy foods a way of life, the occasional indulgence notwithstanding.
One of the greatest myths of our generation is that healthy foods are boring. There is so much innovation around us that all we need is to take our traditional foods and add a creative twist to them. Look up the best of gluten-free recipes, millet recipes and incorporate them into your daily meals. Here are some foods that are a great hit in my household –
- Slurrp Farm Chocolate Millet Pancake–Pancakes are the quintessential favourites with children. Nothing quite beats the goodness of ragi and foxtail millets pancakes, except of course chocolate flavoured pancakes. Slurrp Farm’s chocolate flavored millet pancakes are filled with the goodness of ragi and foxtail millets. As an alternative, you may choose Slurrp Farm’s banana flavored millets pancake with choco chips, oats, jowar, and amaranth.
- Foxtail Millets Porridge – Porridge is a traditional breakfast dish in many Indian households. Foxtail millets porridge can be the perfect combination of healthy foods and rich flavour. It is light but keeps your child feeling energetic for a long time. Apart from adding the usual milk, you may want to throw in a handful of almonds, pistachio nuts, sliced figs or dates, lotus seeds and amaranth seeds for an extra boost.
- Millet Idli –Idli is another very popular and easy to make breakfast dish. In fact, these days idli is an all-day item that can be enjoyed in any meal. The foxtail millets can be soaked with the rice in a 1:1/2 proportion and ground with the urad dal as in any regular idli recipe. Steamed millet idlis are delicious and very nutritious as well. Here’s how you can prepare it at home (Plus additional recipes using healthy dosa premix batter)
- Slurrp Farm Beetroot Millet Dosa –Dosas are a great hit with children and adults alike. Millet dosas are a perfectly healthy and nutritious meal. To get the little ones to love their meals, try Slurrp Farm’s beetroot millet dosa or the spinach variant.