Oats- Banana blender waffles (Gluten, Sugar & Dairy free)

Category: Kids Breakfast

Preparation Time: 5 mins 

Cooking Time: 10 - 15 mins

Servings: 3

Hey there! I’ve got another healthy waffle recipe for you. 

These days, I’m a big fan of blender waffles and pancakes. You just throw everything in the blender, blend it up, and voila! Waffles or pancakes are ready. It’s so easy, right?

Well, I was on the hunt for some easy but healthy protein-rich breakfast recipes, and I stumbled upon this one. I’ve tried it a bunch of times now, and I’ve tweaked it a bit to suit our taste preferences. It’s become one of our favorites!  

And guess what? We don’t add any dairy here - no milk, yogurt, or even dairy-free milk. And the best part? No added sugar or sweetener either and also using gluten free oats. These banana oat waffles are packed with nutrients and can even be packed for kids’ lunches or snack boxes. They’ll keep you full until your next meal!

I’m always on the hunt for yummy, quick, and healthy breakfast ideas to kickstart our days. It’s like a culinary adventure! 

Foxtail millet-Wheat Coin Pancakes

Category: Kids Breakfast

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Servings: 2

Foxtail millet coin pancakes

Foxtail millet is a powerhouse of nutrients! It’s packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins. These nutrients are essential for a child’s growth and development. Plus, it’s easy for young children to digest, making it a great choice for their meals.

And guess what? It’s especially rich in iron, which helps prevent anemia in kids. Plus, the calcium in foxtail millet helps build strong bones and teeth. So, if you’re looking for a healthy and nutritious option for your child’s diet, foxtail millet is the way to go!

Foxtail Millet

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• Foxtail millet flour - 1/4 cup
• Whole wheat flour - 1/4 cup (I used white whole wheat flour /whole wheat pastry flour)
• Cane sugar - 1-2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
• Salt- a pinch

Wet Ingredients:

• Milk -1/2 cup
• Butter, melted - 1.5 tsp
• Water - as needed (depends on the consistency)
• Vanilla Extract - 1/4 tsp

Yummy Coin pancakes with blueberries :)

Method:

• Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients one by one.
• Gently mix everything together until you have a smooth batter.
• If the batter is too thick, add a little water.
• Heat a dosa tawa (griddle) over medium heat.
• Pour the batter onto the pan in the shape of a coin.

• Flip the pancakes over when the top starts to bubble.

• Cook the other side until it’s also golden brown.

• Remove the pancakes from the pan and repeat the process with the remaining batter.

• Serve the pancakes warm with butter and your favorite toppings, like honey or maple syrup.

Enjoy the coin pancakes with fresh fruits!

PB & J Pancake Bites / Whole wheat Strawberry Jam filled mini muffins with Peanut Butter spread

Category:  Breakfast / Kids Recipes
Preparation Time: 10 mins + 10 mins waiting time 
Cooking Time: 9-11 mins
Servings: yields around 15 mini muffins 

PB & J Pancake Bites

Peanut Butter and Jelly, or PB&J, is a classic combo that’s loved by many, especially kids in the US. On weekends, I like to switch things up and make pancakes, waffles, or muffins for breakfast. I’ve already shared some of my favorite pancake recipes with you, like these whole wheat pancake mini muffins and pancake doughnuts.

Whole wheat pancake mini muffins 

Pancake Doughnuts.

I’m experimenting with a new recipe for pancake muffins filled with fruit preserves or jam. It’s a tasty twist on the classic pancake! To make it even healthier, we can use homemade unsweetened peanut butter and fruit jam made with less sugar. What do you think?

These PB&J Pancake bites are made with whole wheat flour stuffed with strawberry preserves and topped with peanut butter spread. They’re absolutely delicious, super soft, and a hit with everyone!

Since we’re using fruit preserves, I’ve reduced the amount of sugar in the pancake batter, and we can even skip the sugar altogether!

For the eggless version, we can use the batter as in the pancake donuts recipe: Pancake Doughnuts

Super soft!!!!

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients: 

• White Whole Wheat flour / Whole Wheat Pastry flour / Atta  - 1 cup
• Baking powder -  1/2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Wet Ingredients:  

• Egg - 1 no (at room temperature)
• Butter milk - 1 cup (I used 3/4 cup thick yogurt + 1/4 cup water)
• Sugar - 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp (I used Organic unrefined sugar)
• Unsalted Butter - 2 Tbsp, Melted 

Mixed Vegetable Paratha / Mixed Veggies Whole wheat Flatbread

Category: Chapathi / Paratha   
Preparation Time: 15 mins    
Cooking Time: 20 mins    
Servings: 3 - 4 servings

Mixed Vegetable Paratha

Mixed vegetable paratha is an easy breakfast recipe for toddlers and kids. This can also be packed in kids lunch box along with some raita or simple yogurt. This is a great way to include veggies in our kids diet :)

This is very simple, just steam cook the available veggies, mash them, knead it with the dough and make parathas. This is not a stuffed paratha so it s perfect for busy mornings too.

Choice of veggies is up to us, but adding sweet potato or potato will yield softer paratha  so try to include one of them. 

Also we can include greens along with the veggies. We can add finely chopped spinach, methi leaves, coriander leaves or even spring onions. No need to cook the greens, we can just add them while making the dough. If needed we can steam cook the spinach for couple of mins and mash it along with the veggies.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat flour / Atta -2 to 3 cups (use as required)

• Mixed vegetables* -About 3 cups (I used 1 medium sized sweet potato, 1 carrot, 1/2 cup frozen green peas, 10 green beans)

• Ginger, grated - 1/2 Tbsp

• Ajwain / Omam - 1/2 tsp

• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, finely chopped 

• Garam Masala ** - 1/2 to 1 tsp

• Red chilly powder -  to taste

• Salt- to taste

• Oil / Ghee - as required

* We can use the following vegetables for making this paratha 

• Sweet Potato

Oatmeal Nutella Smoothie (using home made Nutella)

Category: Breakfast/ Oats 
Preparation Time: 5 mins  
Cooking Time: 5 mins  
Servings: 1-2 servings

Oatmeal Nutella Smoothie

Oatmeal Nutella smoothie is a quick and easy on the go breakfast / after school snack for the kids. 

Store-brought Nutella is loaded with refined sugars and palm oil, so I never buy it. This is made with home made Nutella and you can find the recipe here: Home made Nutella.

Home made Nutella with Almonds

Ingredients:

• Oatmeal (Quick cooking or old-fashioned) - 1/2 cup
• Milk / Non-dairy milk -  1 and 1/2 cups (Use as needed)
• Home made Nutella - 1-2 Tbsp (Use as needed)

Optional Add-ins:

• Dates 
• Soaked Chia seeds
• Apple 

Mixed Veg Paniyaram

Category: Kids Recipes
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2 servings

Crispy & Yummy

Kids love to have bite sized foods. Paniyaram is always a hit among the kids. We can serve these for breakfast or even as an evening snack.

Mixed Veg Paniyaram

I had already posted Chola Paniyaram recipe in my blog. And this one is using left over Idli dosa batter and to make it more healthy we can add mixed veggies.

Crispy paniyarams😋

Ingredients:

• Idli/Dosa batter - 2 cups
• Big Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Carrot - 1 big, finely chopped
• Green beans - 10, finely chopped
• Green chilly, split - as needed
• Salt - to taste
• Cooking oil - as needed
• Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
• Split Urad dal - 1 tsp

Mapillai Samba Rice Idiyappam (Red rice string hopper)

Category: Idiyappam / Breakfast recipes
Preparation Time: 15 mins  
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 3-4 servings

Mapillai Samba Rice Idiyappam

Mapillai Samba Arisi or “Bride Groom Rice” is a traditional and native variety of rice, which is red in colour and is grown predominantly in Tamil Nadu. In ancient period, the newlywed bridegroom would be asked to lift the rock in front of everyone to display his mental & physical strength and bravery. To improve the physical and mental power, they would be  served this rice which is high in nutritional value. Mappillai samba is one such native rice which has got a high nutritional value that will help them to stay focused while lifting the rock as well as give them the power to lift. Hence, this red thick rice got its name as “Mappillai Samba” and was often cooked and served to newlywed bridegrooms. 

Mapillai Samba Rice

Even though the name of the rice is “Bride Groom's Rice”, it is meant for all who wants to get good energy and strength.

Idiyappam with Mixed Veg Curry

Mappillai samba rice has great amount of iron and zinc. Iron protects the production of myoglobin and haemoglobin. They carry the oxygen to tissues and muscles which keeps the energy level high of the body. It also consists pro-anthocyanins which assist in reduction of the cholesterol level and hyper glycemia. Good for diabetics since it is has a low Glycemic Index. Children will achieve better growth.

Here I used home made Mapillai Samba rice flour. Wash and soak rice for about 2 hours; then drain the rice and spread it on a clean cloth; let it dry in shade until it gets completely dried. Then grind it to a fine flour in the flour mill. If making in small quantities, we can grind it in batches in the mixie.

Ingredients:

• Mapillai Samba Rice flour - 1 1/2 cups
• White rice / Idiyappam flour - 1/2 cup (optional and can be replaced with Mapillai samba rice flour)
• Water - 2 cups (Adjust as needed)
• Salt - to taste
• Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp

Mixed Vegetable Dosa Waffles

Category: Kids Recipes
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2 servings

Dosa Waffle Sticks

As a south Indian, we always stock up Idli Dosa batter. But kids often got bored with the regular foods. We need to find ways to make our regular foods look fun and fascinating for the little ones 😅

Mixed Veg Dosa Waffles

So how about making our dosa more interesting and attractive by adding colorful veggies and cook it in the waffle maker 👍 

These dosa waffles are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. With the addition of veggies, Doesn't it look tastier?

Dosa sticks or Dosa squares?

While serving for toddlers and small kids, we can cut them up into strips or even squares.

Bite sized foods are always liked by the kids, so lets be creative 😊

Ingredients:

• Idli/Dosa batter - 2 cups
• Idli Podi - 1 Tbsp (adjust as needed)
• Big Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Carrot - 1 big, finely chopped
• Green beans - 10, finely chopped
• Green chilly, split - as needed

Ragi Poori

 Category: Kids Recipes
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings 

 

Ragi Mini pooris

Ragi is one of the healthiest grain and also easily available. Mostly it will be the first food given to the babies when they are ready to start with their solids. Ragi can be given to kids in various forms like Porridge, Idli, Dosa, Pakoda, etc. 

We can add Ragi flour along with wheat flour for making Ragi pooris :) Since I used store bought Organic ragi flour this time, the colour of the pooris are on little darker side.

Mini Ragi Pooris  served with Mixed Veg Kurma

Ragi pooris taste great with Channa masala, Potato Masala, Veg Kurma :)

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour - 1/2 cup

• Wheat flour / Atta - 1/2 cup

• Rava, fine variety - 1 tsp 

• Salt - to taste

• Ghee - 1/2 tsp

• Oil - for deep fry
• Water - as needed

Vegetable stuffed Idli

Category: Kids Recipes
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings 

Vegetable stuffed Mini Idlis

Idli is one of the popular and healthiest Indian dish. In South Indian homes, we usually stock up Idli and Dosa batter in our refrigerator. To make it more interesting for the kids, I usually stuff vegetables and make these Stuffed Idlies.

So soft and Yummy!

These are tasty, easy and more healthy with the added veggies. Kids too love these Idlis and it can be a great finger food for them.

If we are making mini stuffed idlis, we can even toss them up in idli podi and serve with skewers :)

Veg Stuffed Mini Idlis

Ingredients:

• Idli batter - 3 cups
• Big Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1 big, pureed
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 1/2 Tbsp
• Carrot - 1 big, finely chopped
• Green beans - 10, finely chopped
• Green peas (I used frozen peas) - 1/3 cup
• Sambar powder - 1/2 Tbsp (adjust to taste)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - as required (Optional)