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Monday, July 28, 2008
My experiments with chicken and kids

Few days back, my niece visited me. Like many children, she was also very choosy about what she will eat and what not. One thing was clear after seeing her likes and dislikes that she was a game for junk food and I was very disappointed on seeing her eating habits.

On a lazy Sunday, she was insisting badly on going out to have burgers. I somehow persuaded her to stay at home by bribing her with her favorite toys and stuff and promised to cook some really fantastic things for her. Although, not really convinced, but she agreed. And here I was, sitting and wondering what to make which does not require me to roast in the kitchen for the whole day, which is nutritious and she should find it delicious.

Bingo, came up with the idea of making chicken pineapple salad and chicken kathi rolls. Very healthy, nutritious and yummy. I went to the near by store and got all the ingredients. For me, they were so easy to prepare and for her believe me, they were lip smacking.

I think kids like good-looking food, which is different from the routine stuff. And for mommies it becomes a challenge to have correct blend of nutrition, taste and looks for that matter :)
I look forward to do some nice experiments so as to give healthy food and inculcate healthy eating habits in my little son.

For now, here comes my chicken pineapple salad:



Juicy chunks of chicken with even juicier pineapple mixed in generous amounts of mayonnaise (you can use hung curd as well to increase the nutrition factor) is sumptuous.

And here are the chicken kathi rolls:


Piping hot paranthas covered with beaten egg, having succulent pieces of chicken are heavenly when eaten with green dip or sauce.
You too enjoy the treat :).

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posted by Jaanvi at 2:14 PM 11 comments

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Introducing new foods
Being a mother of 8 month old,I can tell you how difficult it is to make your baby eat for the first time. But,contrary to what I earlier thought,IT IS POSSIBLE.

The baby,I don't know about others,but mine is sure to reject any new food not once but many a times. I felt so disappointed that I started thinking, will he only be surviving on milk? But thanks god,to my much needed relief, after a number of unsuccessful attempts I finally got it right. Some mothers start the first foods when the baby is 4 or 5 months old but some over cautious mothers like me don't do it until that 6 month mark is reached.I started with cereals because they are most risk free and does not cause any allergies. Rice cereals works best initially but I think babies don't like it much.

This is how I managed my trysts with the first foods:
  • I tried many times inspite of him rejecting it. In a single day, I tried twice and then again the next day and gradually found him developing a liking for it. Probably he was not getting used to the taste and the idea of eating.
  • Another trick i tried that got me through was to give food with the milk feed. Some amount of milk and then something to eat. This strategy allowed him to relate eating to hunger.Then later on,I started giving him food in between feeds and it works fantastic.
  • Remember,the babies think that the only way to satisfaction when they are hungry is milk because this is how it is always. So never give them first foods when they are very hungry and also not when when they are not hungry. That's why the above mentioned strategy in the last point also works.
  • Try milder foods at first with less odour and if possible no odour at all.That's why certain babies don't take bananas well as a first food although it was not the case with my baby.
  • Distraction works. Initially distracting the baby with a toy or using some ploy to open his mouth is okay so that he starts accepting things. But make sure it should be used as sparingly as possible because he should have a habit of having food without any prop.
  • Go slow and don't introduce a number of foods at a single time.I introduced one food at a time for few days and then tried another one so that he becomes familiar with whatever is given to him.
I am still trying and making him familiar with different types of foods and preferably not the sweeter ones because I don't want him to develop a sweet tooth in the beginning itself. You can find your child picking up a fruit from the table in later years but he will be selective with the veggies. So I am trying my hand at veggies more so that he starts and develops a liking towards them.
Would really like to know some more tips and tricks from your side.

Its really important that a child has healthy eating habits so that he becomes a healthy adult and if that is possible by putting a little extra effort on my part,I won't hesitate to do it.

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posted by Jaanvi at 1:04 PM 2 comments