Are You A Busy Parent, relying on packed snacks.....lets have some homamade snacks

In today's world, everybody seems to be running. Either you are running for your work or taking kids to activities, social gatherings and specially in the beautiful weather of summer it seems there is so much to do in so little time.

We all know time never stops. Back in June me and my friends were talking how this long summer break gonna pass and here we are only last little bit of summer break left & I'm thinking where did all the time went. We have been busy with all the summer related activities and parks and water plays are on top of it. When we are busy enjoying summer weather sometime one doesn't get enough time to do cooking, at those moments grabbing a take out seems to be so perfect BUT not if you are well prepared ahead of time.

Dates, Almonds and Flaxseeds Energy Balls

Today I'm gonna share some tips and ideas on how to stay well planned ahead of time so you can keep your family healthy by avoiding junk food and also if this route saves you some money who doesn't want it. I know what you guys are thinking that summer is already at the end and my post is late but I'm sure this post can help you with regular school days also, when again we all are busy but with different kind of activities :) .

 

1. POPCORN HOMEMADE with REAL BUTTER: who doesn't like popcorn with good buttery flavour.  Back in 2011 when I stopped using Microwave kids were really worried and O'course popcorn was one of the concerns. But once they ate stovetop popped popcorns with real butter they never looked back.

Recipe is real simple. Take a deep heavy bottom pan(that is must) with lid , I use my 6 qt. stainless steel Dutch oven/chilli pot(whatever the name is but for us it's now popcorn maker :) ). Heat the pan on medium for few seconds add 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil. Carefully swirl it so it coats the bottom of the pan. Add half a cup of the popping corn and using a spoon just mix them so all of the corn kernels get coating of oil. Cover the pot with the lid in a way so it's not tightly closed , leave a little tiny opening(keep the lid little tilted, may be like quarter of an inch any more then that & popcorns might jump outside while popping) so the steam can escape and you get crunchy popcorn and not soggy kind.

Now, the Fun begins. after few seconds corn kernels will start to pop. BE CAREFUL DO NOT OPEN THE LID, just enjoy the popping music it gonna take anywhere from 1&1/2 minute to 2 minutes. When the popping music kind of dies no more popping means work is done turn the gas off. In a small pan melt the butter(if using), take the lid of the popcorns & slowly add butter & keep mixing. If using salt also sprinkle that & again mix it.

This total procedure should not take more then 5 minutes and you have one wonderful snack ready which can keep anyone happy.

To Store : Once cool these can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days or better you can make single serving size ziplocs and they are ready to go whenever you are ready to go.

2. HOMEMADE MEATBALLS good enough for snack or as part of the meal : My kids love home made meatballs. They are good for a quick snack or if you like add some pasta and pasta sauce and you got your family a quick healthy meal in very little time yes the only time taken here is the time it takes to boil the pasta given that you already have pasta sauce(sorry no recipe on the blog yet) ready and meatballs also ready in the fridge waiting to be devoured by you and your family.

3. QUICK FRUIT BREADS : I like to bake some sort of fruit bread once a week as they can serve as healthy breakfast option or as a mid meal snack/ goto snack. My kids even like them as a dessert also provided they are given with a scoop of some homemade ice cream or freshly whipped cream. Two of my favourites are  Almond & Banana Whole Wheat Cake and this Healthy Banana Bread with Oats and Whole Wheat flour. Yes I do bake these as cake sometime to make it look more interesting. Let me tell you these are very forgiving kind of recipes I use these as base for my many recipes, sometime I add a finely grated zucchini or finely grated carrot. I have also made these with all whole wheat flour, in that case I like to use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour as it results in light baked goods.

4. BREAKFAST COOKIES, they got WHOLE GRAINS, ALMONDS, FLAX SEEDS, all the good things you should eat during breakfast : My first grader loves these(Click here for the recipe). Given that she's considered sugar monster in my home it's a good feeling when she asks more of these and I noticed if I'm well stocked with these favourites of her, she's happy when ever sugar urge strikes and I don't mind if she eats 2 or 3 of these. They are also perfect for packing as snack while you or on some road trip.

 

5. NUTS and DRIED FRUITS : This is one simple snacking option which doesn't need any cooking time, I always keep a small snack size ziploc full of almonds(our new favourites are raw almonds) and another one with dried figs, raisins and dates in my handbag. These come very handy when we go for long walks and hiking and you need to maintain your energy level so instead of depending upon some candy bars why not get some natural sugars in the simple form.

 

6. ENERGY BALLS : This is the variation of above option only. It need roughly 10 minutes of your time to prepare this wonderful healthy snack full of natural sugars and other nutrients. To make these take around 30 dates, roughly chop them & keep aside. Now put around 1&1/2 cup of almonds(preferably raw) in a food processor, also add half a cup of dry roasted Flaxseeds. Process these keep it little coarse, now add chopped dates & again process them for few seconds. Once everything comes together like a ball, take it out of the processor and make small balls out of it. Store in a airtight container.

 

 

These are the few food options which I rely on quite often. Specially the days when we are busy and as a mom I don't want to always say no to snack but at the same time I don't want my kids to eat junk & unhealthy food. So little planning & we all are happy. I'm really sorry that I don't have pics for all the above options as I don't have access to my computer. Once I have access to my computer I'll update the post with the pics. The only pic I have right now is of Energy balls, because while travelling I'm carrying those. I did had Breakfast cookies too but those finished before I expected.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and for more healthy snacking options you can also check this page on nuts.com .

Mango Ice-cream & Coffee Ice cream

Now a days we are enjoying pure home made ice cream treats as lunch, specially when outside temperature is in 90's. Kids don't want to eat lunch specially when they are slepping till 10 in the morning & by the time they finish their breakfast or I should call it brunch it's almost noon. So, as soon as one batch is made, plan for next batch is already in discussion.....so Mom do U think we can make choc. flavour next time. I'm only the incharge of making sure that we have enough supplies on hand as the credit for this delicious ice cream goes to my 8 yr. old & her Dad. Now for the recipe :

What U need :

• 3/4 cup whole milk, chilled
• 3/4 cup regular sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract(optional)
• pulp from 2 medium size mangoes, chilled

What U do :

• Using a blender puree the mango pulp, use pulse if u like little pieces in it, keep aside.
• Using a hand mixer or a whisk combine the milk & granulated sugar, until it dissolved.
• Stir in heavy cream & vanilla to taste.
• If using ice cream maker follow the instructions of the ice cream maker. Towards the last 10 minutes of churning add chilled mango pulp & once done(usually whole process takes about 35 min.) transfer it to air-tight containers & let it freeze for at least 2 hours or so.
• If U don't have ice cream maker blend everything together including mango pulp & let it set in the freezer in air tight container & every couple of hours take it out whip the ice cream(to break the ice crystals), freeze it again. Repeat the process for at least 3 more times.

Here's a pic of Coffee Ice cream with home made brownie bits as topping(Coffee + Chocolate nothing can beat the combination). For coffee version omit mango pulp & blend 3 tablespoon of instant coffee powder  with the mixture & during the last 5 minutes of churning process add 3 tablespoon of chopped semi sweet chocolate + 3 tablespoon of roasted chopped almonds.

Note : It's been 5 years since I'm using my Cuisinart ice cream maker but have never tried manual method but it's a common process & in my case comes from an experienced person who in his childhood has done lot of arm wrestling for this yummy cold treats, yes you guys guessed it right it's DH.....in fact he has some first hand experience of making "mutki wali kulfi" too.....but for that I'm gonna need matka first so till then I'm happy with my electronic ice-cream maker.

Savory Semolina Muffins and No Bake Date & Nut Fudge

Today's post is all about trying recipes from the fellow bloggers. Almost a decade back when I started to have adventures in my kitchen, Bawarchi.com was the main or I should say only place where I would go searching for the Indian recipes. But many a times even I liked the recipes but because of lack of photos I never tried those. I always love reading cookbooks also with food photos. Fast forward o 2009, I discovered food blogs while looking for some recipes and instantly loved that how everything is given with photos. Result is my list of bookmark recipes, sometime I feel, to find a bookmarked recipe I need some sort of search program....I can't help bookmarking, because the details and pictures in the recipe make me go "try this one...try this one". So, to solve that problem I try to make the recipe same day I discover it(provided I have everything on hand plus time to make it). My first trial was Ragi Roti and in the past couple of weeks I tried 2 more recipes : No Sugar Nuts Fudge from Creative Saga and Savory Semolina Cake from Red Chillies, they have also adapted these recipes from other food blogs.

Now for the recipes I mainly followed the actual recipes but with some changes according to my taste & availability of ingredients.So for actual recipes please check the respective blogs as I'm going to mention only the changes I made.

1) No Bake Date & Nut Fudge actual recipe NoSugar Nuts Fudge(Creative Saga) :

Actual recipe doesn't ask to soak the dates but I did soaked them in 2 Tblsp. of warm milk as that made it easy to puree them. But that also add little extra moisture, so for that add either more oats or nuts. But I added sesame seeds & wheat germ which balanced it. Also, I kept only few pieces outside & rest in the fridge as I've used milk in it.

I made two versions, first version was for kids so I used almond meal instead of coarsely grind almonds & I didn't used any walnuts in this. Added 2 Tblsp. of Wheat germ + 1 Tblsp. of instant oats.

Second version : Coarsely grind almond & walnuts. I also added around 1 Tblsp. each brown & black toasted sesame seeds and 1 Tblsp. of wheat germ.

NOTE : a) If you are new to black sesame seeds, it's better to use them in combination with regular sesame seeds you use, as the flavor is really strong, but they have more calcium, for more details check here.

b) Wheat germ is a concentrated source of several essential nutrients & essential fatty acids. Which is naturally found in whole wheat flour. I use it in my baking & cooking whenever I'm using any other flour than whole wheat flour. I don't remember the actual source from where I read it but it said it should be used sparingly as it is concentrated form of nutrients and it also need to be stored in fridge as it can easily become rancid if not stored properly.

2) Savory Semolina Muffins actual recipe Savory Semolina Cake(Red Chillies)

Changes I made in this recipe were :

• chopped broccoli florets instead of peas
• no sugar I used only salt
• 2 Tblsp. of wheat germ
• baked them as muffin in regular muffin tin for 22 minutes at 375 degree F.

Loved the taste of Upma & the ease of baking it in the evening & having it for weekday breakfast next morning.

Thanks to Sowmya & Supriya for sharing these recipes. I feel this is the best way to celebrate my 50th post in this blog world by saying thanks to my blogger friends & enjoying some of their recipes.

Fruity Granola

I'm Glad I finally made this.I don't now why, but for some reasons I never made granola till yesterday.Though I always keep roasted almond/walnuts and dry fruits on the breakfast table but not everything combined as one thing, called granola. Yesterday, while baking pasta for the dinner I thought why not make granola also, oven is on, so why not use it for something extra at the same time.But I didn't had dried berries(we are not big fan of dried berries....fresh are always welcome) a common feature in granola, so instead, I decided to use all the dry fruits(love them) I had in my cooler box(yes...i mean fridge).Granola is a very versatile recipe you can easily accommodate any kind of nuts & dry fruits according to your taste.

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts(almond/walnut/pecan)
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats(I had instant kind so I used those)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup chopped dry fruits of your choice(I used dates, prunes, apricots, raisins,candid pineapple)
• 1/2 cup cereal of your choice (I used cheerios)

For Sugar syrup :

• 1 & 1/2 tblsp. of light brown sugar
• 2 tblsp. of honey
• 2 tblsp. of water
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Method :

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Either grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

2)In a large bowl mix together rolled oats, salt & cinnamon.

3)In another bowl mix the ingredients for sugar syrup.Microwave it for 10-12 seconds, it helps in mixing sugar & honey, stir it with fork or whisk.

4)Now pour the sugar syrup over the oat mix & gently mix everything using your hands(make sure syrup is not hot), so that oats get coating of the syrup.Spread it on the baking sheet.

5)Bake it for around 10 minutes then take it out, add chopped nuts and cheerios(if using) to it and mix them using spoon/fork(it'll be hot now).

6)Bake for another 15 minutes, take it out, add chopped dry fruits, mix everything together & let it cool.

7)Once it's cool you can store it in air tight container.Or may be just start eating it, like I did.

Everybody knows granola comes under the healthy food category,to make it more healthy you can also add wheat germ to it once it's baked. And I guess by now you must have figured out why I call it Fruity Granola and not simply Granola,I used more nuts & dry fruit then Oats, and to explain the benefits of all these dry fruits I believe I have to write another post soon.