Immunity building in our kids is an important aspect we parents work on as children are growing up. The steps we take should begin at an early age. Children also need to understand what it is all about.
It is obvious that their little minds are curious to know, why we need to work on building immunity. My daughter is going to be 4 years old and she has started asking questions and we try to explain her in the simplest way possible of building immunity while indoors.
How to explain kids in simplest way, importance of Immunity.
Be Open– Answer their questions in the best possible way you can. Educate them with love and kindness. They will be curious to understand how nutrition and immunity works.
Interaction– Talk to them about it and how being healthy is important.
Balanced diet– Importance of eating healthy food that makes them strong. Including fruits, milk with a supplement like PediaSure that has 37 essential nutrients for complete and balanced diet and dry fruits.
Hand wash– Washing hands is one important habit inside or outside home. We taught our daughter how to wash her hands properly like rubbing individual fingers, b/w fingers and from clean back side as well.
Wash hands before and after eating food, after play, etc.
Quick learner– Kids are quick learners and they understand easily if you are open with them. Give them age-appropriate information so they have the right information from you.
Just like we want to protect our children from diseases, it is important we also protect them from wrong or incomplete information. We must answer their questions to the best of our ability.
These are some really simple ways you can teach kids the importance of immunity and how we can inculcate clean habits. Staying healthy and taking proper precaution is the only way to stay safe from infections.
The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any brand. Any omissions or errors at the author’s end does not assume any liability or responsibility on any party mentioned in the blog.
Kadhi kachori is one of my favorite dish from my native place Ajmer Rajasthan. We grew up eating spicy kadi kachori every weekend, so life was missing something here far from home. How can anyone stop me making my childhood favorite items, so here is recipe for favorite kadi kachori.
Ingredients
Dough 2 cups Maida( all purpose flour) 4 tbsp Ghee (thick) Salt as per taste Cold water for kneading ( to make soft dough)
Dal filling 200 gram moong dal ( soaked for 4-5 hours ) 2 green chills Spices – 1 tsp red chili, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp amchoor Powder, 1 tsp saunf ( coarse powered) , 1 tsp mint powder salt, 1 tsp garam masala & one pinch asafoetida 1 tsp grated ginger
Kadhi 100 gram gram flour (besan) 400 ml water Salt as per taste Spices – 1 tsp red chili, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder & pinch of hing Lemon & curry leaves 2 green chili’s & Coriander for garnish
Procedure
Kadhi
Take gram flour in a big bowl and add 100 ml water slowly, keep whisking to avoid any lumps. It will form a paste like consistency. Now take 300 ml luke warm water and add it in gram flour paste and mix properly.
Put all the mixture in a big pan and bring it to boil, keep stirring while it comes to boil. When it start boiling, slow the flame to low speed. Let it cook on low flame for half an hour, don’t forget to stir in between few times.
Cook for 10 min and now add salt and tadka. Garnish with coriander leaves. Consistency should be thick, so if you feel it’s thick add more water.
Take two tbsp oil in a small pan and heat it. Add hing, rai, jeera & kari leaves and put off the flame. Now add red chili powder and keep it on one side. Add one lemon to your boiling gram flour kadi and keep stirring.
Filling For filling take soaked moong dal and blend it coarsely with green chili and ginger. Now take two Tbsp oil/ghee in a pan and add asafoetida (hing) . Add coarsely blend Dal and cook it on low flame, keep it steering continuously as it can stick to pan if left unattended. Add all spices and keep stirring. Now keep it aside and let it cool.
Kachori First make your dough, take flour in a bowl, add salt and ghee. Now mix properly and knead it with adding cold water slowly. Make a soft Dough not a tight one. Keep it for rest, meanwhile get your filling and kadi ready.
Make small balls out of dough and keep in covered. Take one ball and roll into small puri size. Take it in your hand in the way shown in picture. Now add two spoon filling to it and close slowly with the help of fingers, check picture for reference.
Steps to prepare kachori
After closing, press gently with side of palm and flatten it (Check picture for reference).
Heat oil in kadai for frying. To check if the oil is hot, put a small ball of dough in it.
If it comes up instantly means oil is ready. Now put your flame on medium and add kachori slowly.
Two or three at a time as per size of your kadai. After five ten minutes, flip the kachori and low your gas flame. Cooking on low to medium will ensure proper frying.
Let it cook till golden brown and then take out. Crispy kachori are ready to serve with hot kadi and green chatni.
After starting my diet plan I ordered some gluten free cookies from Amazon. Their taste was ok, but I don’t like the choice of ingredients. So thought of baking some gluten free cookies at home.
Here is my version of gluten free cookies sweetened with jaggery, made with love and yes approved by all family members eldest and the youngest!
Ingredients
190gm Oats Flour
90gm Almonds flour
30gms milk powder
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar
1/4tsp baking soda
50gm gram flour
1/2 tbsp cardamom powder
Two pinch salt
200gms jaggery ( take less or more 240 gms as per your sweetness requirements )
150gms Ghee ( clarified butter ) It can be reduced to 120gms too.
Tip – 1/2 cup desiccated coconut ( I have made half mix with coconut flavour by adding 1/2 cup coconut in half the mixture, take out two tbsp for coating before bake )
-Add some small pieces of jaggery too it tastes really nice in cookies, it doesn’t melt while baking!
Procedure
Shift all the dry ingredients ( Oats Flour, almonds flour, milk powder, Cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, gram flour) in a bowl and mix properly.
In another bowl add clarified butter ( Ghee ) and grated jaggery.
Now whisk ghee and jaggery to make it fluffy and creamy.
Add and mix dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in parts. ( Do not add all in a go ).
Make small balls from your dough and keep in baking tray.
Now keep it in fridge for 10 minutes, meanwhile pre-heat your oven 170c. ( You can store your dough in Fridge if you don’t want to bake at the same time )
Bake your cookies for 12min on 170C ( Keep an eye as temperature settings may be different in all oven )
Take our the cookies and let them cool on rack, do not touch until they are cool as they are super soft at this stage.
Once properly cooler store them in aur tight container.
These days I keep on trying the healthier version of all recipes. So thought of making pizza with keto flour.
This flour is a mix of many flour that includes nuts and seeds making it more nutritious. It is nutritionally balanced to deliver the right proportion of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals – essential nutrients that a normal diet usually lacks.
Ingredients
2 cups keto flour ( I have used NutriActive keto flour )
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast or 1 tbsp sourdough discard
1 tsp sugar
Water 100 ml or more as per dough
1 tbsp olive oil
Pizza sause ingredients and procedures you can find here in my previous blog.
Procedure
Add flour in the bowl and add salt in it.
Now add yeast and sugar or you can activate your yeast seperately in water with sugar to make sure yeast is active. (Proper process is mentioned here)
Add water slowly and knead the dough for atleast 10-12 minutes using strech fold method.
Being a vegetarian and following particular diet, paneer & soya plays a very important role. I find it difficult to eat the chunks so was trying different versions to make it more appealing . Let’s see the recipe and it’s ingredients.
Nutrition facts for the recipe
Carbs:22gm Protien : 47 gm Fat -11gm
Macros change according to brand, above mentioned macro nutrients information are for Nutrela brand
Ingredients
60 gms soya chunks (Nutrela)
100gms paneer
10 gm olive oil/Ghee
Chopped Coriander
One onion finely chopped
2-3 green chilies finely chopped
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp Red chili flakes
Finely chopped/grated vegetables of your choice ( Capsicum, Carrot, cabbage, green chilli, zucchini, red yellow Bell pepper, cucumber)
Procedure
Instead of soaking soya we will directly grind it and make aata(fine powder)
Make sure there are no big pcs left
Add finely chopped onions, green chili, coriander, salt, red chili, ginger garlic paste.
Add finely chopped capsicum, carrot.
Mix properly until it’s combined to form a dough.
Make small equal sized balls and with the help of your palm flaten the top and bottom to form tikki.
Take a flat base big pan or tawa and spread one spoon oil on it.
Heat it on medium to low flame and put tikki gently on it.
Let it cook from one side, it will take around 5 to 10 minutes on low flame.
You can now cook without oil too with the help of frying pan foil by Asahi kasei.
Flip the tikkis gently and cook the other side.
Tikkis are ready to serve with coriander or tomato chatni.
Being a vegetarian and following particular diet, soya plays a very important role. It’s one of the main and cheapest source of protein for vegetarians. I was not able to eat it in chuncks forms so thought if trying this version. Let’s see the recipe and it’s ingredients .
Nutrition facts for the recipe
Carbs:22gm Protien : 47 gm Fat -11gm
Macros change according to brand, above mentioned macronutrients information are for Nutrela brand
Ingredients
90gms soya chunks (Nutrela)
10gm olive oil/Ghee
15gm corn flour/soya flour/ rice flour (optional)
5gm ginger garlic paste
Chopped Coriander
One onion finely chopped
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp Red chilli flakes
2 tbsp grated and squeezed bottle gaurd ( optional )
Procedure
Soak soya chunks for 4 to 5 hours or soak in hot water for at least 15minutes.
Squeeze all the water from soya chunks.
Add the chunks to mixer and blend into thin paste like consistency.
Add finely chopped onions, green chilli, coriander, salt, red chilli, ginger garlic paste and corn flour.
Mix properly until it’s combined to form a dough.
Make small equal sized balls and with the help of your palm flaten the top and bottom to form tikki.
Take a flat base big pan or tawa and spread one spoon oil on it.
Heat it on medium to low flame and put tikki gently on it.
Let it cook from one side, it will take around 5 to 10 minutes on low flame.
Flip the tikkis gently and cook the other side.
Tikkis are ready to serve with coriander or tomato chatni.
Their is no comparison when you can get preservative free homemade burger buns to make your favorite burgers. You would love to have soft and fluffy fresh baked buns.
It’s been a long time when we have gone out to have burgers. So finally decided to take out my baking equipment’s and bake some fresh and healthy buns.
INGREDIENTS
260gms whole wheat flour
100 gms all purpose flour
Half tsp – instant yeast
Salt 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
1 Tbsp Butter/ olive oil
Water+ Milk 300 ml or as per flour absorption
One tbsp Sourdough starter discard(optional)
Milk for brushing
Sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
PROCESS
Add sugar in luke warm water + milk (70 ml) in a glass bowl or cup and then add yeast and mix gently. (Check temperature of water by putting your pinky finger, if your are able to resist heat for sometime it’s good to go)
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Cover it and keep it in warm place for 12-15 minutes to activate the yeast
Check if get good bubbles in yeast water, as shown in picture
If you can’t see bubbles rise then discard and start again
Shift Flour, salt, sourdough discard in a separate bowl and start adding activated yeast slowly, don’t add liquid in one go
Keep mixing the flour with liquid until it combines properly
Dough should be sticky, if it feels dry add more liquid
KNEADING
Clean your kitchen counter properly and remove unwanted items
Now dust your kitchen counter with some flour or some butter
Take out dough on kitchen counter and start kneading it
You need to knead in stretch and fold method as shown in video
Keep kneading for at least 10-15 minutes or until dough get easy to handle
Add butter while kneading in parts as the dough starts coming together, it helps in kneading
To check when your dough is ready press one finger & it should bounce back slowly, or do the window panel test(Mentioned)
Take a small ball of dough and stretch it in front of window, dough should stretch easily and light can be visible
Now tuck in the dough and keep it in well greased Bowl
Cover it properly with cling film or wet towel.
Keep the bowl in warm place for first rise at-least 45 minutes or until it doubles
Take out the dough an punch it out, knead again for few minutes
SHAPING
Take a square or rectangular baking pan, lined with parchment paper
Take the punched dough and divide it into 100 gm or 150gms balls( as per the size you want to make).
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Apply some oil/butter on hand if your dough is sticky, knead each ball a little and start cupping it in tight ball with help of your palm and fingers
Placed the well tucked ball in baking trays with some gap in between. ( If you have steel rings for baking burger you can use it, I have done with hand)
Brush with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds.
Keep it for 25-30 minutes minimum covered with cloth for second rise
BAKING
Pre-heat oven at 180°c
Brush the buns again with milk.
Placed the baking tray on rack and bake it for 20-25 minutes. Or until you get a golden top( if you are not getting golden top after 22 minutes, take out the pan and brush again with milk and bake for few more minutes)
Take our pan and remove buns from it and keep it for cooling on rack. ( It will be hard at this time)
Let it cool completely, once it cool down pav becomes soft.
Enjoy burger buns with aloo or paneer Patties and veggies.
When you have made soft fluffy homemade Ladi-pav, it’s compulsory to make vada pav or pav bhaji!
So here is authentic Mumbai special Vada pav recipe by my cousin Jitesh Jain.
Time
Preparation time – 30min
Cooking time – 30
Ingredients
This measurement will give you around 8-9 medium size vada.
1/2 kg Potato
3-4 Green chilli (grind instead of paste)
1-2 pcs Whole garlic (peeled & Grind instead of paste)
8-10 Curry leaves
Turmeric powder, salt as per taste, coriander powder(1/4tsp), black mustard seeds, coriander Leaves
1/2 tsp Udad dal
Besan (Gram Flour) 300gms
Water for making paste
Oil for frying
Procedure
Boil potato and mash it with hands (shouldn’t be completely mash) keep it aside and let it cool
Grind green chilli and garlic together don’t make paste it should be coarsely
Take frying pan and keep on medium flame, put 2 tbsp oil to fry the ingredients
Put mustard seeds, fry it till it turns splutter, put curry leaves and fry for 3-5 seconds. Put chilli and garlic and fry for 10-15 seconds
Put coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt fry for 5-10 seconds and then turn off the gas.
Remove the pan from gas. Now mix the masala with mashed potatoes. Taste a little to confirm the spice and salt
Then mix chopped coriander leaves.and keep it aside
Besan Paste-take a bowl, pour besan into it and add water and salt to it to make a paste as given in video
Now apply some oil in your palm (by applying oil Masala will not stick into your hands) to make patty as shown in image below
Keep Frying Pan on gas and light the gas on high flame. Pour sufficient oil to fry the Vada
After a few minutes pour 1-2 drops of besan to ensure that oil is sufficiently hot to fry the vada. Now take patty and apply the paste and drop into the frying pan
Use frying spoon once the vada comes on top of the pan, turn it so that both sides can fry properly once the vada’s colour turns golden brown
Remove from the pan. Follow the same with all the patties
Enjoy hot and Yummy Homemade Vada pav. Do share your feedback and pictures when make it by adding hastag #forbabynmommy.
After our visit to Statue of Unity we planned to explore Baroda or say Vadodara. It was a leisure day excursion, so basically we want to visit few places but don’t want to cover the full list mentioned on many websites.
We stayed in Eastine Residences. Will share the detailed review in my next blog.
Our day didn’t start early :), we left for sightseeing at around 11 AM.
We didn’t plan much to see, 2 main places that we want to cover were Zoo and Palace. Both had there reasons over any other place and those were we want to show animals to our little one and the Place looks really beautiful in the pics and had a lot of 5* reviews.
We started with Sayaji Baug Zoo, it’s quite big garden with a Zoo, a train and big garden inside. Ticket cost is Rs 20 pp. There is a museum as well in the same campus not sure abut the ticket price as we didn’t visit.
Renovation work was going on when we visited, I think they are building new and bigger cages for the wild animals and might bring more animals as well. I didn’t see any proper parking place outside the Garden.
Whole place is nicely maintained other then few old and small bird cages for small birds, many of bird cages were even empty. There are a lot of different varieties of birds.
The zoo is divided into different sections like one for birds, one for other animals like Rhino, Leopards, monkeys etc. and one for the King of the Jungle.
Our daughter really enjoyed here, you can even take stroller as the area is quite big and kids might create fuss after sometime.
Another attraction here was the train, yes you read it right. There is a toy train which runs inside the park and shows you different parts or the park.
You can take the ride at the start to check what all sections are there or afterwards to relax a bit. We took it afterwards. There is condition of minimum number of passengers then only it will play. The ticket price is Rs 50.
Do not forgot to take your shades and water bottles and if it’s bright sunny day then suns cream.
So, after all the strolling we were hungry and want some good Gujarati food. After searching and reading lot of review we went to Sasumaa Gujarati Thali.
I think it is the most famous place to have Gujarati thali and they do have branches in other cities in Gujarat as well. The thali was big as usual like other thalis with many items.
Taste wise it was good, they did prepared some Jain dishes fresh on request as my mom do not eat onion, garlic and many other things 🙂
This place was walking distance form our hotel, after lunch we went to see the Palace.
Laxmi Vilas Palace is huge palace and hug garden cum golf course. The palace is beautiful from outside as from inside there is not much to see, as the decedents of Maharajah Sayajirao Gaekwad III lives there.
We were really disappointed with this place, we have visited so many palaces much more beautiful then this that to w/o any restrictions.
Garden plus Golf course
They don’t even allow to take pic of palace from outside with a SLR or digital camera, only mobile is allowed outside and inside no pics at all.
Entry after ticket check
This place has so many restrictions and after paying a lot for tickets what you see is just 2-3 rooms and one big empty hall. One room is armory and other has old broken crap of there family.
I really mean crap as it was in worst condition and even for that they want us to remove our shoes outside. The hall has some paintings and some sculptures that’s it.
For all this you need to pay a whopping Rs 225. Before this palace recently we have visited City Palace of Udaipur it’s ticket is also costly i.e. Rs 300 but as compared to this that was huge and a lot to see and much more beautiful then this.
They do give audio guide and it has voice of current owners of the Palace. There are issues with the guide and after sometime we turned it off due to the issues. The person is explaining a lot about his personal life in the palace which makes it slow is not useful.
Due to this it takes more then an hour to complete the visit otherwise as I said there is nothing to see.
Forgot to mention above there is one more restriction i.e. you have to keep your mobile on silent.
I won’t recommend anyone to visit this place, you will find a lot of 5* reviews for this place on Google and TripAdvisor but after visiting this I won’t give it anything more then 1*.
We gave the same review to a family who were thinking to purchase the ticket.
This completed our Baroda’s sightseeing. Stay tuned for next blog which will be about our stay in Baroda.
