Potato Pancakes ( No Egg)

P for Potato, P for Pancakes and P for Penguine.. amma, when my little naughty daughter says that and walks like a penguin by keeping her hands on side and walking firm side -to- side pretending as if she is a little penguine, which makes us ( me and my son) laugh instantly at her little stunt. These days my son has little grown-up and accompanies me in cherishing all our little daughter's naughty stunts. Whenever she does things like these, both of us exchange the looks that 'Here She goes again.....', and that exact moment makes me realize the joy and pride in motherhood as i experience all these sweet nothings with my kids.  So, today let me share the 'not-that-sweet-pancakes', the pancakes made with potatoes recipe here. Enjoy!

Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
Potato - 2
Onion - 1
salt - 1 tsp
black pepper - 1 tsp
Flour - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Peel the Potatoes, Wash and Pat Dry them.
2. Grate the Potatoes and Onions. Add salt and black pepper, baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
3. Keep this aside for 10 minutes.
4. Add Flour to this mixture, add milk little by little until it becomes a thick batter. Add some water as necessary.
5. Heat the non-stick pan and pour a ladle of batter and spread it like a round. sprinkle oil around the pancakes.
6. Once the bubble forms turn it to other side and let it cook on all sides evenly. 
7. Repeat the steps and make pancakes until you finish with the batter. 
8. Now layer 2 or 3 pancakes and spread the strawberry jam or nuttella or maple syrup  and sprinkle some powdered sugar. 

Today I have served these with Nutella to my kiddo's.

Let your kiddo's dig into this healthy breakfast. They don't mind if you pack these for their lunch box as well.

Note:

• I have avoided eggs, instead I have added baking soda for the quick fermentation and puffed pancakes.
• You can use butter milk instead of milk for the same effect.
• Or you can use egg, then don't use baking soda. 
• This yields 12 to 15 small pancakes.

In the same batter I have added some left-over maggi masala to give that twist of spice for Big People.

Take care until we meet here again...
-Mythreyi

Corn Cheese Toast

As Sweet Corn or Baby corn is Abhi's favorite vegetable, I try to include corn in as many dishes as possible and he enjoys too. Today I am featuring a recipe with corn which he enjoys as a morning breakfast or evening snack item. Here is the recipe for you...

Corn Cheese Toast

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Bread Slices - 2
Butter - 1 tbsp
Sweet Corn - 1/2 cup ( frozen)
Shredded Cheese - 1/4 cup
black pepper - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat the Non stick pan.
2. Apply the butter on one side of the bread on two slices. Toast it lightly in the pan ( on the butter side down)
3. Thaw the corn in microwave or thaw them by placing in the water for 5 min.
4. Add 1 tsp crushed black pepper and shredded cheese to the corn and mix it well.
5. Place this corn mixture in the bread slice and top with another slice. 
6. Press gently and toast it on two sides on the pan.
7. Take it out from the pan and cut diagonally and serve it after 5 min ( allow it to cool inside).

Sit back and enjoy while your kiddos snack on this item....Oh Yeah! That is what I did today... :-)


Snack On until we meet here again
-Mythreyi

Belgian Hazelnut Spread and Weekly Breakfast Menu

I am one of those people who will be stand in the lines to try all the samples at the grocery stores looking for something new. Wait,wait, don't get me wrong. These 'sampler stalls' are very nice to get an idea of the product  with out buying and not to get disappoint after buying it when you don't end up liking it. As we are big fans of Costco, some times their samplers are huge enough to skip the breakfast. ;-) While I miss those days, here Hypercity comes to my rescue, when i saw 'sampler stalls' at this place. So One morning this Hazelnut spread got my eye, as I am not a huge fan of chocolate or sweets, reluctantly I have tried this sample hoping this chocolate spread does not taste like 'Chocolaty'. and No I did not, it is so Natural ( no artificial flavors) and it tasted so delicious. With out any thought it has been added to my grocery cart, and VJ gave me that looks which conveys, 'For People like me only the sampler stalls meant for. They make you try and make you buy' :-)

So Next day I want to see my buy in action, I spread this on the milk bread and served the kiddos, they simply loved it. That evening I heard Abhi talking to his friend saying ' My mom, got this spread you know, it is so yummy.. you should try this too... ' ( his exact words with his big eyes that expresses all his liking about this spread). Couldn't ask more when my kiddos love the new things that I always try and buy. :-)

With that Let me share my Weekly Breakfast Menu planner here... ( As I am in India now, I am including all the tropical fruits in their breakfast and kids are enjoying new kind of fruits).

Day	Carbs and Protein	Fruit Based
Monday	Milk Bread with Hazel Nut Spread	Pomegranate
Tuesday	Boiled Egg	Apple
Wednesday	Oatmeal with Milk and Honey	Banana
Thursday	Bell Pepper Omelet	Watermelon or MuskMelon
Friday	Milk with Chocos	Papayya or Guava
Saturday	Semya Upma with Vegetables	Mango Juice
Sunday	Idli/Dosa	Strawberry Yogurt

I made sure I have included Carbs and Protein and Nutrients  to well balance the kiddo's diet. Hope this makes it your busy morning easier. :-) Please share your breakfast planners and new breakfast ideas for little ones. Would love to try them all.

Have a Happy Morning Everyday 

- Mythreyi

Pink Pancakes

Yeah, you heard it right, it is not 'Pink Panther',  they are Pink Pancakes. :-) Today I am portraying this recipe idea by my good friend and cousin Geethika Akka. A while ago she sent me a suggestion to make pancakes with vegetables than fruit, and she picked Carrot and Beetroot to make the pancakes sweet naturally. You can skip the Sugar and Syrup (as I have replaced the syrup with Honey)  in your routine pancakes with this recipe and these vegetables add good fiber and color in your kiddo's breakfast.

Pink Pancakes

My naughty and girly little one finished all of her breakfast saying 'Pinky Pinky Pinky Pancakes' and my son helped me in mixing the batter.

Here is the recipe for you, Enjoy!

Ingredients:
10 Grain Pancake Mix - 1 Cup
Milk - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Egg - 1 medium
Grated Carrot  - 1/2 cup
Grated Beetroot - 1/3 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup

How to Make It:
1. Beat the Butter, Egg and Milk, then add the Pancake mix to it.

2. Stir in the Grated Carrots and Beets into this mixture and make it like batter
3. Heat the Griddle and Spray some oil on it, and pour 1/4 cup of pancake mixture on to griddle
4. Once the bubbles are formed turn them and wait until the pancakes cooked on both sides.
5. Repeat these steps with the remaining batter and make batch of pancakes.
6. Layer 2 or 3 pancakes on the serving plate and drizzle with Honey.
7. Beets give  nice pink color and carrots give very yummy taste to these pancakes.

Now Enjoy this Yummy Yummy breakfast with your little one.!!!!


I am sending this to
Breakfast - Pancakes event hosted by Kritis's Kitchen initiated by Helen from Fuss Free Flavors
Food Pallet Series - Pink at torviewtoranto
Breakfast Mela at Cooking 4 All Seasons

Take care until next time
-Mythreyi

Weekly Breakfast Menu ~ April 2011

Lot of my friends and relatives are asking me to post the breakfast ideas for kids from long time. After I posted some lunch box ideas (for Adults), then the demand was more for kiddo's  breakfast and lunch box ideas too.

There is a saying  "You Should Eat Breakfast like a King, eat Lunch like a Prince and eat Dinner like a Beggar". As I don't truly follow that completely, I follow that at least for Breakfast. :-)

As my kids are not going to school yet, I haven't started packing lunch yet, But I give lot of stress on breakfast. Breakfast is the important meal in the whole day, which starts your day with great energy. I don't want to compromise on break fast and do the same for kids. I always try to balance the breakfast diet by including Whole Grains, Protein, Fiber. (and do eat the same breakfast to be the role model for them, OfCourse along with my morning coffee, can't skip that ;-) )

Usually I put together a Breakfast Menu for a Month and will change it by updating the choices every month so that it makes interesting for the kids too. This saves me tons of time in the morning and with out a thought  I know what should I make for kids breakfast and helps me to shop precisely :-). Hope this come handy for you too!! Enjoy!!

Day	Breakfast	Picture
Monday	Boiled Egg and Fresh Orange Juice
Tuesday	Oatmeal with Milk, Honey, and Pecans and Apple Slices
Wednesday	Multi Grain Waffles with Honey and Berries
Thursday	Multi Grain Cheerios with Milk and Banana
Friday	Omelet with Cheese and Vegetables
Saturday / Sunday	Milk & Cookies

Note: On Weekends I will go little easy, to give break for myself. :-)

Take Care

-Mythreyi

Mini Waffles

I love Earth's Best Foods, I have used their jar foods for my kids when they are babies, and snacks when they are toddlers, and now Love their Organic Oatmeal Singles and their mini waffles. EB always focuses on quality of food and their presentation is always appealing for kids. My kids never said no to their products, they are so yummy and tasty also, sometimes I do sneak into my kid's plate. ;-)

Look at these wonderful mini waffles.

This plates is full of EB's multi grain mini waffles with Honey and Black Berries.

I will be posting healthy breakfast menus for kids soon. Keep watching...

Take care until next time
-Mythreyi

Asparagus Stuffed Omlete

At our house Asparagus is a all time winner, as Abhi loves this veggie I will try to sneak in every possible way. Usually Asparagus is very expensive, but some times when this is abundant in season it will be on sale. Now is the time for that, as I have seen this on sale in Sprouts, I have been buying this every week. Or Some times I get this big bunch from Costco in bulk.

Today I have stuffed this veggie in omelet and served with apple slices.

Ingredients:
Asparagus Strings- 3
Egg - 1
Onion - 1 Tbsp
Bell Pepper -1 Tbsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1tsp

Preparation:
1. Microwave the Asparagus strings for 30 sec to 1 min. It should be soft and crunchy.
2. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and by adding onion, bell pepper and black pepper.
3. Heat the Nonstick omelet pan and add oil to it
4. Once the oil is hot, pour the egg mixture and let it set for a min.
5. Once you start seeing the mixture is getting set on upside also, then add the asparagus strings on top and fold the omelet.
6. Turn the omelet on other side and cook for 30 sec.
7. Take if off from the heat and cut in half and serve with apple slices.

Now tell your kids that this is the letter A Veggie and Fruit plate. Just tell that and see next time when you serve something your kiddo will tell you what plate it is. :-)


Note:
Don't think I have forgotten salt in the ingredients. Purposefully I haven't added any. The crunchy vegetables won't let you miss the salt in this dish. Don't believe me, give it a try.

This post is linked up to Super Healthy Kids:  The Alphabet Food Academy .  See what others are cooking up for healthy kids too!

Take care until next time
-Mythreyi

Idli Bites

Idli is one of the south indian breakfast delicacy. There are some creative ideas what you can make with Idli at Yum! Yum! Yum!. But for my little ones  I always server them plain. You can serve these with a side of sugar or top with ketchup along with Ghee (clarified butter).

Nutritional Info:
This item serves Protien, Carbs and Dairy.

Q for Readers:
Please share your ideas how you transform Idli to your little ones.

Bread Banana Bites ( Step by Step)

By looking at the name if you expect the usual Banana Bread then sorry to disappoint you. But the good news is this is yet another good recipe with the same taste and nice presentation and ready in minutes, which makes your kiddo wonder what are these cute little bites that are so yummy.

I have used MultiGrain Bread in this recipe. As I have ditched White bread long time ago, always get 15 Grain Bread or MultiGrain. But Today My hubby got this from Costco ( Kirklands) and every slice has 6 g protein and 23 g fiber in it. Love this dark colored bread packed with nutrients.

Okay Okay!!I don't want you to wait any more and Here is the recipe for you Enjoy!

Ingredients:

MultiGrain Bread Slice - 1

Honey - 1 Tbsp

Banana - 1/2 ( medium riped)

Chocolate Syrup ( a Dash)

Preparation:

1. Toast the MultiGrain Bread in toaster ( i have used Bread toaster and set at 2 ) to medium toast.

2. Spread the Honey evenly on the slice

3. Cut the banana into slices and arrange them on the bread slice.

4.Transfer this to a plate and then squueze the Chocolate Syrup on it. ( make the letter Z or S shape to get the great effect)

5. Carefuly Cut the bread arrangement into slices ( vertical cut and then horizontal cut, like lattice). That's it ! Yummy kids plate is ready in 5 minutes.

Aha! Look at them how beautiful they are!!!

I have made my son particiapte in making this. He loved it and ate all of it with that excitement as he made this. Don't you call this win-win situation, a breakfast full of nutrients and topped with fruit and a squeeze of chocolate syrup is enough for my son to show his happy (empty) plate. Eating Healthy is not difficult, look around you for those limit less possibilities.

I am sending this to Pari's 'Only Bread Event'

Happy Cooking!!! Take Care until next time.

-Mythreyi