Hey There.
Do you know Makhana? In my place very few people are aware of what a makhana is. Makhana, also known as Fox Nuts or Lotus seeds are very healthy seeds that is very good for all. In north India is it commonly known as fasting food. It is also high in fibre and hence aids in weight loss. Do read up on the advantages of Makhana and try to incorporate it in your diet. If you follow my Instagram or Facebook stories, you would know that I eat Caramelized Makhana as my snack in office.
Makhana is bland in taste. It does not have a taste of its own. You also need to roast the makhanas for it to become crisp. Kids will love it and consider it as popcorn. Go on. Do try Caramelized Makhana recipe and let me know if you liked it.

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CARAMELIZED FOX NUTS/ LOTUS SEEDS/ MAKHANA - A TASTY WAY TO EAT HEALTHY
I believe if you are prepared then you won't eat unhealthy. Only if you carefully plan and prepare for what you have to eat only then you can avoid junk or binge eating. When you plan well you know what to eat and then you buy and prepare accordingly. Today's post is just that. Healthy eating. This ingredient is commonly used in north India especially during fasting. Caramelized Makhana is just like caramelized popcorn. So the kids will love it too. It is sweet and crispy. Makhana is usually found in all major hypermarket or in nuts and dry fruits store.
Instructions
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Roast it on low flame for around 2-3 minutes.
Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
Keep roasting. Take a makhana and crush it between your fingers. If it crushes and gets powdered then it is roasted completely. If not then continue till this happens.
If roasted add 1 tblspn sugar and mix.
After a minute mix again. You will notice that the sugar when comes in contact with the hot pan dissolved and forms a brown caramelization.
Add another tblspn sugar and mix again. Repeat the process till the sugar is finished or till your desired amount of caramelization is reached. I added very little sugar because I don't like much sweet.
Switch off the flame and let it cool. Store it in airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- Only after makhanas have roasted completely, start adding the sugar.
- Do not touch the caramelized makhana when hot. You may burn your fingers. Wait till it cools down.
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Are you struggling with kid’s tiffin box recipes? Especially if your kid is just starting schooling, I know what kind of emotions a mother goes through. Especially food related. Try this Mini Jam Pancakes and you have a regular kids favorite recipe now.
You can either use home made jam or store bought jam.
Try other pancake recipes from this blog.
Mulberry Pancake
Beetroot Pancake
Banana Pancake
Custard Pancake
Choco Wheat Eggless Pancake
Basic Pancake

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MINI JAM PANCAKES - PERFECT KID'S TIFFIN BOX RECIPE
Kids love pancakes. And kids love jams. Why not mix both. Till now I have only served jam with pancakes.But this is different. This is jam flavored pancakes. Do give this Mini Jam Pancakes a try and let me know if your kids love it.
Instructions
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Take a bowl and add egg, sugar, milk and melted butter and beat till it is slightly fluffy.
Add in flour, salt and baking powder and mix so no lumps form.
Take jam in a small bowl and cream it by whisking it with a whisk. Add it to the batter and mix well.
Heat a tawa/griddle and once hot grease it with butter. (if using non-stick then no need)
Take a little batter in ladle and pour on tawa. Make small pancakes. No need to spread as we do for dosa.
Cook on medium and when bubbles form on top flip the pancake to cook on other side.
After a minute remove from griddle and repeat the same process to make more pancakes.
Serve the pancakes with syrup, jam, butter, fruits or honey.
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Hey There. How is life going on? Well here it is raining crazy. It is good since from last few years we are having rains only on alternate years. Having said that many areas are suffering the side effects of rain. Rain also brings lots of diseases. We must be extra cautious about the conditions we live in and what we put in our mouth. Especially since schools have begun it is expected that out kids should be taken special care of. Today’s recipe is not only super healthy but also delicious. It is Beetroot Aloo Paratha – goodness of beetroot and carbs from potato. The beetroot also renders nice pinkish colour the stuffing that peeks at places also increases the curiosity of kids. See the pic below. Again I made 2 parathas in shapes that kids love.
Do check out other parathas from this blog-
Sweet potato paratha
Radish/ Mooli Paratha
Zucchini Paratha
Matar Paratha
Gobhi Paratha
Paneer Paratha

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Beetroot Aloo Paratha
Since I am trying meal planning now, it becomes easier for me to pack healthy tiffin without any hurry. Just keep some beetroot and potatoes boiled on your meal planning day and use it on a busy weekday. It is that simple.
Instructions
Take the peel off the beetroot, chop it and blend it smooth with very little water.
Take the beetroot paste in a bowl and add salt and wheat flour.
Bring it together as you would knead a dough. Use water and flour as you need it.
Take grated boiled potato in a bowl.
Add in cumin, chilly, chat masala powders, salt and coriander leaves and mix well.
Make small balls of the dough. Stuff the balls with potato masala.
Roll it out thinly or thickly as you prefer.
If you want to shapes then cut the desired shapes using any type of cutter you have.
Roast them in pan with some ghee. When both sides have golden brown spots remove it on a plate and serve.
I served with Cumin flavored curd.
Recipe Notes
- You can add some ajwai/carom seeds in the dough for flavor.
- I don't like biting green chilly hence I prefer using red chilly powder instead of green chilly.
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So I had to take an unintentional short break again. Schools have started and like every mother I too was freaking out. One of the concerns I had was tiffin box. I wanted to give him healthy yet tasty food. The kind kids would like. Also, since he’s is small he is still unaccustomed to feed himself properly without spilling. Expecting a 3 year old to break rotis, take some curry and feed himself is high expectations. So I had to made sure that I give him finger food or something that he can manage with spoon. DALIYA OATS IDLIS are a result of this need of a mother. I made these idlis in a flat plate and I have made use of cookie cutters to give these idlis kids lovable shapes. Also check out carrot idli, oats idli and stuffed idli for other variations of idlis especially for kids.

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DALIYA OATS IDLIS
So this recipe came up when I had a packet of broken wheat almost reaching expiry date. Also, I am doing meal planning and prepping for the week. Check my insta/FB stories every weekend as I share my plan there. And it has helped me to make use of my ingredients well and finish them on time. DALIYA OATS IDLIS is a good way to eat healthy yet it is a different dish. Pair it up with a good chutney and you are sorted. Go on and try this recipe. Don't forget to read the recipe notes.
Instructions
Take Broken Wheat Powder and Oats in a bowl..
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Add salt and curd and whisk well.
Keep is aside for half an hour. If using immediately then add baking soda and mix well.
In a tadka pan, heat oil.
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Add finely chopped green chilly.
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Pour this over broken wheat/oats batter and mix well. Add water to adjust the consistency, It should be thick like idly batter.
Grease a idli plate and heat up the idli stemer. If you want to give shapes then use a flat plate or dhokla plate to pour the batter in.
Steam for 5-8 minutes or until done.
Let it cool down for a bit. De-mould. If you needs shapes then shape the idli using cookie cutter.
Serve them with chutney of your choice. I served it with peanut tomato chutney.
Recipe Notes
- You can skip baking soda all together. I did not use soda at all. The idlis won't be very fluffy but is good enough.
- Add more veggies of your choice.
- You can skip green chilly.
- If you do not have cookie cutter then use a knife to cut into desired shape - diamond, square,etc.
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