Making a meal out of Junk Food

Instant Noodles with chicken broth - For chicken broth recipe you can follow this link:

                                                                                              Chicken Broth Recipe

I know, I know... Junk food is not good for health and kids should not be allowed to make a habit out of it. But what about instant noodles? I have seen even the most organic of all moms making an exception in this case, mostly due to the immense pressure kids have the ability to create on their moms' nerves! I have to admit the truth here... all kids LOVE instant noodles! Even the most fussy ones. So why not use this opportunity and use the noodles to camouflage the healthy  nutrients which the kids are adept at turning away?

Here are some of the tried and tested techniques and recipes which give me some peace of mind that my little one had had a healthy meal after all!

1. Create a base sauce:
There is a huge variety of healthy sauces that you can make to which you can add noodles to create a square meal. Ayaan's favorites includes a basic white (Bechamel) sauce and Alfredo Sauce. To make white sauce, simply take 2 TBS of butter, add about 2 tsp of semolina (instead of allpurpose flour to add more fiber), cook till it is fragrant and add about a cup of milk, bring to a boil and add a slice of cheddar cheese. Add boiled noodles. A hearty healthy meal is ready!

2. Top it!
Make the noodles as per the packet instructions (I just put them in the microwave with a cup of water for 5 minutes and let them stand for another 3 minutes and they are super soft and yummy!). Add a shredded slice of cheddar or mozeralla or a TBS of cream cheese, stir and voila! calcium rich noodles are ready in minutes.

3. Substitute water
Use milk or chicken broth instead! A tip regarding chicken broth, if using the broth boil noodles separately, strain and then add a cup of broth and bring to a boil. Due to high fat content of broth, the noodle might not get fully soft to a consistency appropriate for a baby.

4. Hidden Treasures
Add boiled carrots, peas, beans, chick peas, shredded chicken, pulses (yellow split lentil is best for kids; Daal Moong), oats, rice, chunks of toasted bread and whatever your child may fancy. If the child is fussy or too young, puree the above before adding to the noodles (Tip: keep the noodles a bit soupy so that they can absorb these ingredients). Roast the grains a bit before boiling them to add more flavor. Also when boiling pulses, add whole spices, minced garilc and a pinch of turmeric to make them extra tasty.

5. Change the game
Take the noodles to another level by turning them into a tasty chowmein with chicken and chopped vegetables. Marinate some chicken with a TBS of soy sauce, lemon  juice, black pepper, white pepper and salt. Stir fry the chicken, boiled noodles and chopped vegetables in some butter (each ingredients separately) and combine them to create a tasty and hearty meal. You can also boil some noodles, put them in a baking try, add half cup of milk, shredded cheeses, mix together and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 C till the mixture is bubbly and golden.

These are some the ways Ayaan takes his noodles... If you have more creative ways to make instant noodles healthy and nutritious do share! Bon appetit!

Time Out!

"No, no, no, noooooo....", evidently it was too late anyway, my beloved plum shaded lip gloss was all over Ayaan's new yellow T-Shirt. Believe me, for a second or two I was quite furious. But then immediately sanity prevailed. After all it was my fault in the first place that I left my purse within his range and what was the point of yelling or scolding him now anyway; the T-shirt and the lip gloss were both total loss and any expression of anger would have been futile to say the least. Besides, any outburst would  have been more detrimental than the loss of a little gloss or a T-Shirt considering the impact of yelling on his tiny ear drums and well I know where I can buy more gloss or a new T-shirt from.

Now that we are on this topic, this brings back some memories from further back. I remember that when Ayaan was a little newborn baby he used to burp and throw up a lot and the primary target of all the activity would be mine or Babbar's shirts. We did have a few diaper disasters as well (who doesn't!). But the most critical, important and meaningful advice that I have received came from my husband, "It is just a little boo boo, nothing is more important than our little bundle of joy. Shirts can be washed or even thrown and replaced by  new. He is worth everything and more!". Then he would lovingly cuddle Ayaan and whisper to him, "Go ahead my munchkin, that's what Baba's shirts are for anyway!". After that, I don't remember grimacing even when Ayaan would do a projectile vomit, if anything, doesn't he needs love and comfort the most at the very time? Masha Allah, Ayaan is one of those babies who do not start yelling at the top of their lungs at the slightest bump. I would give the entire credit to the timely advice by my husband.

Why am I telling you all this... Well to be honest I have seen my share of people literally jerking babies away from their precious clothing or even more precious selves the minute they hear a burp or suspect a wet diaper. Telling off the innocent baby, expression of anger at the additional task of washing up extra clothes/carpets etc is not unheard of, at least in this part of the world. What we all need to keep on top of our mind is, nothing is more important than our precious children. They are truly a gift to us from Allah SWT, and we need to make sure that we do our best to take care of His blessing.

If we just dig a little deeper, we would realize that we over-react not because the baby is at fault, but because of our own fatigue, frustration or anger at something else. What we fail to realize that we might vent out on the tiny soul and will end up scarring the little mind for life. So whenever we do feel the urge to burst up on our little ones, take TIME-OUT. Don't give it to the little one, take it yourself. Calm down, breath deeply, wash your face, freshen up that smile and then talk to your baby if needed (if the baby is old enough to be disciplined). And when it comes to disciplining, do not ORDER the child to do something or not. Explain to the child WHY you wish an action to be performed and how you would appreciate cooperation. Children will comply to your rules much better if they internalize the reasoning behind it.

Another important distinction that needs to be made is between a "Premeditated Destructive Act" vs. an "Accident". PDA might need intervention but an accident only requires assurance. Consider the fact that your child must be more terrified and baffled than you are angry or upset. Give them a little hug and tell them it is ok and if at all, tell them to be careful for their own safety (and not because you think they are costing you something/anything!).

Throwing a tantrum? Again, the child is trying to communicate. When we get frustrated we also vent. The research shows that there are two parts of a tantrum; Anger and Sadness. What we need to do is, first of all "Do not react!" Asking questions, scolding or even talking will only prolong their anger. Just let them vent out a little and get over their anger. Once they are a bit calm (and only sad), distract them to something they love to do, be it outdoors, books, toys or rhymes.

Always remember that material things are there to be used up, to be broken, to be replaced and people in our life are there to be loved and cared for, and on the top of the list are our little ones.

Play and Learn

Ayaan is Masha Allah growing up so fast! He is a perfect gentleman with enviable manners and polite demeanor. He is developing a super energetic and outdoorsy personality. His recent interests are Cricket and Hockey and he is actually quiet good at his ball deliveries and hockey dribbles. Makes me so proud every day. Watching the baby play and learn is just as enriching and rejuvenating for the parents as it is for the kid. It is a beautiful opportunity given to us by Allah SWT to revel in the delights of our young ones. Such are the simple joys of life; keeping you grounded and real.

Today, lets discuss a few of the lessons that I have grabbed along the way when it comes to play-n-learn.

Conducive Environment:

Remember how we used to feel frustrated and distracted during our exams if the TV or radio were to be too loud? Same rule for babies. They have very short attention spans. In order to build up their attention span and keep their interest in a particular toy or activity, ensure that they are comfortably seated on the ground, on a play mat or a play pan. Turn off noisy appliances (this includes TV, Radio and other household appliances). Above all, take some time out and make yourself 100% available for the baby, both physically and mentally.

Demonstrate:

Do not expect a young baby to grasp the technicalities of a wooden shape sorter or a stack all by themselves through mere experimentation. Kids learn by observations. In fact, observation is just as good a mode of learning as is first hand experience at this age (that is how they learn their manners, language and culture).

Talk and Giggle:

Engage the baby during the play. Explain the colors, shapes, the activity itself (Lets build a tower). Keep it short and sweet, use short crisp sentences and smile a lot. Giggle and make fun noises to keep the interest of your baby up.

Age Appropriate Toys:

It goes without saying that all toys should be age-appropriate and safe for your baby. Choose bright colors, assorted fabrics and textures. Wooden blocks are excellent for stacking and building towers and to hone those motor skills. Ayaan enjoys wooden puzzles (shapes, animals, transport) a lot. Play dough, lacing, lego, stacking cups, tolo car, tricycle, soft-bat and ball, water doodle, musical instruments and talking phones are fascinating for a 19 month old. At this age remote control cars and pinball tables can wait!

Books:

Lets not forget the books! They are just as good as the toys when it comes to spending some quality time with your baby. Make them as fun as possible and you will raise a reader for life! Ayaan started reading/browsing books when he was only 10 months old. His favorite were the soft cloth activity books (the ones with a zipper, lace, Velcro material etc) and the touch, feel and learn books. When buying books for this age, invest only in board books so that there is no fear of wear and tear. Ensure that each page has only one or two images at most as too busy a page will only confuse a little baby and slow down the learning process. Get a couple of fairy tales and nursery rhymes in board books and make them a bed time routine.

Repetition:

Repeat often; be it play with toys or reading a book. At this stage, repetition is the key to learning. Only proceed to new subjects once you are sure that the baby has grasped the concept. For example, if you are teaching "A is for Apple", repeat the same word at least 10 times to the baby not only verbally, but also show images, the actual fruit, videos, books and toys that have anything to do with an apple. This reinforcing is essential for long-term learning.

Above all, always keep yourself available for your child; his queries, his babbles and his smiles. Have lots of fun, takes lots of pictures, lots of kisses and hugs!