When it comes to food, our little soldiers are a nightmare to tackle. Saying ‘no’ or shaking their cute heads will only make the mother’s guilt scale up. Never mind those little brawlers who straight up never eat any food! How they manage to run around and play with little stores that their body can save is beyond me. Being a mother of two naughty ones, I had tough time in meal planning for them and spend dreamless nights thinking and inventing ways to coax them take at least a tiny portion of some nutritive food.
In this article, I am sharing some of the best finger foods I tried and tested with my little ones and have won in the battle of feeding them nutritious foods.
First comes the easy one, baby carrots. Yes, carrots are well known for their benefits as a nutrient rich food. Baby carrots are nothing but called as such because of their smaller size. Take some medium to small carrots. Remove the skin and put them in a hot boiling water for a minute or two. By doing so the worms in the vegetable can be killed and they are good to be given as a finger food. They also help in teething as the toddlers are very irritated and need something to grind their budding teeth.
Next comes our very good apples, green or red anything will do as long as they are in the form of French fries. Peeled and cut into long French fries like shape. Apples boost their appetite and good source of all powerful vitamins and nutrients. Go ahead and try those apple fries!
Watermelon excluding seeds cut in small rectangles are a juicy way to quench their thirst and supply nutrition at the same time. Rich in vitamin C they help to strengthen the gums and teeth, thus very good food during teething. They also provide immunity against various illnesses.
A nice and soft-boiled Channa Dhal (sundal), is a best protein snack for those toddlers who skip meals quite often. They are a good source of protein and quite fun to pick up from their plates thereby enhancing their hand eye coordination.
Idly is a versatile food which gives you both carbs and protein in good quantity in a single serve. Cut the idlys in any form or art and let the kids have fun in picking them up!
Sprouted ragi flour mixed with jaggery and wheat can be made into small dosas. Make shapes out of them and serve. The portion of calcium is well served and add ghee/butter to it to make it an allrounder energy dense food.
The golden banana is yet another ready to carry finger food for your toddler. They are tasty and packed with nutrients and carbs making it one of the best go to foods for everyone even the adults during travelling!
Introduce cut soft fruits which have no seeds like pineapples, jackfruit, pear, kiwi, mango, grape etc In a bowl every day. One fruit at a time should be given.
Dates are another finger food which are travel friendly and tasty too. A good source of iron they add the much-needed nutrient in their diet.
Dry grapes are also a good travel friendly finger food which are a good source of iron, vit B6 and magnesium. So, what are you waiting for? Toss some finger foods in a bowl and serve your toddlers some good energy rich nutrient foods in a jiffy!