Easy Tiffin Recipes Your Kids won't say 'No' to

And when I say these recipes are easy, believe me they are. I'm way below than being a lousy cook... and to top it all Zoe is a Picky Eater to say the least. So I'm an on a constant look out for recipes that involve less cooking and are good to eat. On most days fruits are my best friends, but when Zoe wants to eat something interesting other than fruits and the regular egg, poha, upma, french toast etc. I try these and they have worked. Make sure to serve this as a snack or in tiffin, try to avoid giving them as the main meal.

Home-Made Chicken Nuggets - Recipe Credit - Donna George 

For those of you with kids shouting KFC or McDonalds everyday. You can either fry them or bake them in the oven.

Ingredients:

• 600 Grams Chicken Breasts; Cut Into Pieces
• 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Cups Breadcrumbs; To Coat
• Salt & Freshly Milled Pepper
• Refined Oil; For Deep Frying
• Chili Sauce Or Tomato Ketchup; To Serve

Method:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lightly coat them with flour. Keep aside.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Coat the chicken pieces with egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs and press down well.
• Heat oil (enough for deep frying) in a wok and fry the chicken pieces for about 3 to 4 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through and turns a lovely golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
• Serve hot with chili sauce or tomato ketchup.

Notes:

• Do not use pungent oils like mustard or sesame oils.
• You can also bake these nuggets in the oven. Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Bast enough oil on both sides of the chicken pieces and flip them in between.
  

Cheese and Herb Potato Fries (baked)-

Recipe Credit Tarla Dalal  Tiffin Treats for Kids. This is a cheesy version of your kid's favorite Fries. It is also more flavorsome as it is a 'herbed' version. 

Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes , cut into french fries (with the skin)
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons cornflour
• 1 Teaspoon grated garlic (lehsun) - optional
• 1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper powder
• salt to taste
• 4 Tablespoons grated processed cheese
• 1/4 Teaspoon butter for greasing

Method:

• Combine the butter, olive oil, cornflour, garlic, oregano, rosemary, pepper and salt in a bowl.
• Add the potatoes, toss well till they are coated from all the sides and keep aside to marinate for at least 10 to 12 minutes.
• Place the potatoes in a greased baking tray in a single layer and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°c (400°f) for 20 to 25 minutes or till the potatoes are cooked and crisp, turning once in between.
• Sprinkle the processed cheese evenly on top, toss well using a spoon and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Cheese and Broccoli Tikkis Recipe Credit - Tarla Dalal

Growing Kids Cook Book. Broccoli is loaded with nutrition but kids usually don't like it. So hide Broccoli in kid's favorite cheese. Use olive oil to cook these tikkis as it is rich in vitamin E. 

Ingredients

• 1 Teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 Teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 Teaspoon finely chopped green chillies (optional)
• 1/2 Teaspoon finely chopped broccoli 
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup boiled and grated potatoes
• 2 Tablespoon grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs for coating
• 2 Teaspoon olive oil for cooking

Method

• Heat the 2 teaspoon oil in a non-stick pan, add the onions, ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and sauté for 2 minutes while stirring continuously.
• Add the broccoli and salt and sauté on a slow flame for another 5 to 7 minutes or till the broccoli is almost cooked.
• Remove from the flame, add the potatoes and cheese and mix well. Keep aside to cool.
• Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into flat tikkis. Alternatively make tikkis of desired shapes using different cookie cutters
• Roll each tikki in the bread crumbs and keep aside.
• Heat a non-stick pan and cook each tikki using 1 teaspoon of oil till it turns golden brown on both the sides.
• Serve hot.

The last recipe is my recipe which I shared few months back and it was a hit. So here it is. 

Veggie Veg Pancake Recipe Credit: Momsters.

My daughter loves Pancakes and so do I, I mean who doesn't like a light fluffy pancake with maple syrup and butter. Besides the fact they taste good, the best thing about Pancakes is they are really quick and easy to make. Zoe has to have pancakes especially on weekends with dad. This is a modified version (savory vegetable pancakes) which have become our absolute family favorite. We call them Veggie-Veg Pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup grated Carrot
• 1/4 cup peas boiled and mashed
• 1/4 cup mashed Paneer
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can use all purpose flour as well)
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
• salt to taste
• Oil/Butter

Method:

• Mix all the vegetables in a bowl
• In a separate bowl, whisk in the egg in milk. Add vegetables and mix it.
• In another bowl add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix it in the vegetable mixture.
• In a saucepan heat oil and spread it.
• Pour the batter on the pan cook on both the sides for 3 minutes each

Do try them and tell Momsters how you liked them. Do you have any secret recipe? Do share with us.