Healthy Minds Think Alike

The battle begins rather early on. From the time you cradle your newborn to the time you pack his or her tiffin.

Fat-free papri chaat to low-calorie carrot cake,home-made veggie pizza to an apple bake…moms today are experimenting at home to keep junk food at bay

The battle begins rather early on. From the time you cradle your newborn to the time you pack his or her tiffin. Its not easy getting kids to have a meal,a nutritious one at that. And no one knows meal time blues better than a mother. She might have slogged the better part of the day putting together lunch,but itll take a child a second to push the plate away,turn up the nose and spell out his/her displeasure. But thats never the case with junk food. Place cheese-laden pizzas,cookies and chips or mayo-filled burgers on the table and just watch the kids enthusiastically wolf it all down. Precisely why a mother,most often than not also the familys designated cook,has a tough job on her hands. But we women are smart and when we are mothers,we go a notch up. From fat-free papri chaat to low-calorie carrot cake,home-made veggie pizzas to apple bakes…moms today are innovating recipes at home to keep junk food at bay. We bumped into these sharp moms at a cookery contest organised by LG this Sunday morning at Hotel Shivalik View. The contest – LGs Mallika-e-Kitchen – is on a hunt for a top home chef and the second round saw ten contestants from the Punjab,Haryana and Himachal Pradesh zone compete for the two top spots. So out came curries and pastes coupled with a zeal to impress. Despite coming from different backgrounds,all the moms had a common streak,innovating with recipes to create healthy,nutritious and most importantly tasty food.

My ten-year-old is extremely fussy about food but I decided to deal with that problem with innovative dishes that didnt compromise on nutrition, mentioned Ritu Malhotra who came in from Jammu with her baked cheese,corn,spinach and rice dish. Shaped and styled like a pizza,my son happily digs into this and I am satisfied that hes eaten well, the mom smiles to say. Over the years,Malhotra has managed to churn out yummy salads and even burgers that are low on calories but high on taste.

Speaking of calorie counts,Ludhianas Pooja Kandhari impressed with her baked chaat complete with baked fat-free dahi bhallas and papri shes made using the microwave. In todays times its really important to be conscious about weight and nutrition. My everyday cooking makes for very less oil and more baking in the microwave, mentioned Pooja who won the second prize. While her two-year-old son is yet to pull a face at meals,Reena Singla from Ambala has faced umpteen meal-time dilemmas. The kids just love junk. Theres no point in offering an alternative. Instead I make burgers,pizzas all at home using a variety of vegetables and even homemade cheese, Singla mentioned.

Elsewhere,first prize winner Taru Peshawaria from Amritsar tells us shes made less-oil cooking a routine activity. I am 45 years of age and my husband is aged 48. Its important we eat wise and over the years I have innovated with recipes to make them more nutritious, mentioned Taru. Topping that list is her Carrot Walnut and Date cake made in the microwave which not only packs in the goodness of dry fruits and carrots but is low on calories too! Its a misconception that healthy food is not tasty, she added.

The ladies and their dishes were judged by citys well-known Chef Sanjiv Verma,also Principal of Chitkara Institute of Hotel Management and Mrs Walia,a culinary expert. Its nice to see women,who spearhead culinary activities at home,consciously make an attempt to prepare healthy meals, remarked Verma. We couldnt agree more.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
chandigarh