Health Is Wealth- World Food Day 2022

Health is Wealth
Health is Wealth
Health is Wealth - World Food Day by Rekha Mittal Gupta

Gone are the days when our moms used to say, “Eat whatever is cooked,” and we, innocent kids, though reluctantly, would abide by our mothers’ words.

We, as mothers, can’t think of saying the same to our kids. They would be more than pleased to go on a hunger strike rather than eat what they don’t want to eat.

Isn’t it, mothers?

Health is Wealth

We run from pillar to post to make our kids have their three basic meals of the day, whereas our smart moms, just by the use of their gigantic eyes, would make us eat our meals on our own.

These days, all meal plans are according to the choices of our little bundles of joy: what they like, what they eat happily, what they don’t like to eat, etc., etc., etc.

Health is Wealth
Health is Wealth

Have our moms ever done this?
Naaaa, I strongly doubt it.

The situation aggravates when the child gets ill. Today’s moms, first of all, don’t feel like doing anything when their child is not well. It’s not that their child’s illness is their escape route from work. But, in reality, their limbs go weak and their heart aches to see their child suffer. Our moms indeed had brave hearts and strong personalities. They managed the entire household chores along with the sick child without becoming weak. We, indeed, don’t stand anywhere near their strength.

Anyways, coming back to mom’s these days.

When the child is sick, she does not force him to eat, but when the child is recovering, she does everything she can to restore the taste buds that the antibiotics have destroyed.

The meal plans during those days incorporate only those things that a child loves to eat, with no compromise at all.

I too am a mother of a twelve-year-old, and my goal in life since his birth has been to satiate his hunger in the best possible way.

Every time, I am experimenting with something or other to create a fusion recipe, compromising neither health nor taste.

gentle pancakes with syrup and fresh banana on top
Banana Walnut Pancake

His favourite is a banana walnut pancake, and to make a healthier version, I replace refined flour with wheat flour. 

Ingredients

  1. Banana – 1
  2. Whole wheat flour – 1/2 cup
  3. Milk – 1/2 cup
  4. Walnut – 4 to 5(optional)
  5. Sugar – 2 tbsp
  6. Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
  7. Baking soda – a pinch
  8. Salt – a pinch
  9. Vanilla essence/ elaichi powder – 1/2 tsp.
  10. Oil – 1/2 tsp
  11. Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp

Now, let’s see the method of preparing this sumptuous recipe.

  • Put banana, milk, sugar, walnut, and vanilla essence/elaichi powder in a mixie jar and blend to make a fine paste.
  • Sieve Whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
  • Now, pour the blended mixture of bananas into this sieved mixture
  • Mix well and the resultant mixture should be of pouring consistency. If not, then add milk to make it of pouring consistency. Also, add oil/butter and lemon juice.
  • Heat a nonstick pan. Grease it with oil.
  • Take one ladle of pancake mixture and spread it on Tawa.
  • Cook from both sides till brown.
  • Serve hot with butter and honey.

Enjoy these delectable pancakes.

The same is true for the pizza base: instead of refined flour, I use multigrain flour or wheat flour, and voilà, he gets what he wants while my heart calms down because I am giving him what I want.

In all the recipes where refined flour is used, I substitute it with wheat flour.

The second most demanded item by kids is the jam. Instead of buying preservative-laden jam from the market, I prepare jam at home. Here’s the recipe.

clear glass mason jars
Jam

Ingredients

Apple – half kg
Powdered sugar or sugar crystals – 250gm( if your child has a sweet tooth, you can add more sugar)
Salt – a pinch
Lemon juice 4-5 drops.

That’s it, you just need these ingredients.

Let’s check out the method now

1. Cut the apple into small pieces, don’t peel them because all the nutrition is in the peel only.

2. Take a pan, add these apple pieces to the pan. Add powdered sugar or sugar crystals. Turn on the flame.

3. Cook for 2-3 minutes and keep stirring.

4. Thereafter, cook covered till apple are tender.

5. Now, turn off the flame and after it cools, grind the apple with the help of a hand grinder or in a mixie.

6. As we didn’t peel the apples initially and kids may not like small pieces of peel that may come, so it’s better to sieve the mixture.

7. Now, put the sieved puree again in the pan, add salt and lemon drops. Cook for 2 more minutes.

8. Your homemade apple jam is ready.

9. Let it cool, store in a glass jar or steel jar and refrigerate it.

10. Use it for a week.

The sweet and not-so-sour apple jam is purely homemade with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

This World Food Day, let us all take the pledge to eat healthy and nutritious food.

-Rekha Mittal Gupta

Health is Wealth

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