Skip to main content

Healthy meal for your toddler - OPOS way

Who wouldn't agree- A mom who spends minimum time in the kitchen yet has a plate full of healthy and tasty food cooked is the one who is really efficient and smart! To be frank I used to get totally freaked out when it came to cooking for kids, or cooking those 'traditional and authentic' dishes, but not anymore!

Ever since I have adopted the OPOS way of cooking (One pot one shot) I look forward to cook different dishes, as I don't really sweat or stress in the kitchen and cooking is fun! Today Ill share with you the three recipes which were an instant hit with my kids. All these are OPOS recipes and I am sure you will enjoy cooking these :) Are you ready to experience the OPOS magic ;)

 Today's menu consists of a soup, a main course and a dessert. What to expect after cooking these: a tummy full happy kid :)
1. Caramelised Carrot Soup
2. Mac n Cheese
3. Beetroot Halwa (Beetroot fudge)

You will need the below equipments:
1. 2 Litre Pressure Cooker
2. Measuring cups
3. Measuring spoons
4. Blender
5. Others: Peeler, Grater, Knife, Laddle

Heat Source: Before you proceed ensure you get a loud and clear whistle between 1 to 2 min with 1/4 cup water in the pressure cooker 
(This process is termed as standardisation. Basically all the recipes that are OPOS validated will work well only if you use a standardised heat source.)

1. Caramelised Carrot Soup


After blending!
Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups chopped carrots
  • water
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 1 Tsp chopped ginger
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
Procedure:

On opening the lid..
Load your cooker in the below order
  • 2 Tbs water
  • Butter
  • ginger + cumin seeds
  • Chopped carrots
  • Milk

Cook on high for 7 minutes (ignore the number of whistles). Release pressure, add some milk and blend. Serve hot!
Substitutes:
Coconut milk with milk to arrive at the desired consistency


2. Mac n Cheese
This surely is the fastest pasta I have ever cooked! So easy and flavourful! Once you are confident making this, you can cook up several versions of this by including veggies/ eggs/ meat etc!

You can see my 2 year old kids relishing it!

Ingredients:

Measuring raw pasta
  • 1 Cup soaked and drained Raw pasta (soaking is not required in case of local wholewheat pasta eg Bambino)
  • water
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • Grated Cheese 
  • Seasoning of your choice
Procedure:

Load your cooker in the below order
  • Butter
  • Pasta
  • 1 Cup water
Cook on high for 2 whistles, release pressure. Add grated cheese and seasonings of your choice. We usually prefer salt, pepper, oregano and chili flakes!

Substitutes:
You can use milk or stock instead of water. If you are replacing water with milk, don't add salt while cooking to avoid curdling of milk.


3. Beetroot halwa (Fudge)
I was struggling to find out ways to feed my kids beetroot and this one dish was something they enjoyed and kept asking for more!

Ingredients:

Loaded cooker
  • 1 Cup grated beetroot
  • 1/2 cup jaggery (You can vary as per your liking)
  • water
  • 3 Tsp ghee
Procedure:

Load your cooker in the below order
  • 3 Tsp water
  • beetroot
  • jaggery
  • Ready to be served!
  • ghee
Cook on high for 8 minutes (ignore whist;es). Release pressure, mix well and enjoy!

Substitutes: Sugar with jaggery

Optional Flavour enhancers: Nut powder, cardamom powder, milk powder 


Do try out and let me know how you liked it! If you have any questions please comment below I would be happy to answer :) Happy OPOSing! 

Comments

  1. Great post :) Am still not a mom but will surely follow once am ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust me ul love these as much :) try it out!

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are awesome suggestions. I'm always looking for healthy options! Thanks for sharing ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post prachi !! Keep doling out more healthy opos options for kids.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are some great healthy options I will have to try!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds yummy good.. will try someday.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great receipes.. never heard of beetroot halwa.. Will try cooking that for sure 👍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tanushree. Do try out and share how you liked it :)

      Delete
  8. Hi, Prachi! These look like some great recipes! Is the OPOS similar to an instant pot? I have never heard of it, but recently got an instant pot and love it. I'd like to make the carrot soup, can you specify how much milk to use? And do you think almond milk or broth is a good substitution? Thanks, mama! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caitlin, No you will need a pressure cooker, the instant pot wont work unfotunately for these recipes. However you can use these recipes, tweak them based on the equipment you want to use, they will taste good, just that will take longer. You can use substitutes for the soup. The quantity will differ based on the consistency you prefer. Hope this helps!

      Delete
  9. finally the OPOS reviped are here ! thnx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  10. sounds like a great plan to me. I love the menu you have planned.
    come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I loved reading the post. The picture is family perfect. Thanks for writing and creating awarenedd about baby wearing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. This looks amazing. Feeding my family is so complicated because of different dietary needs, so anything I can do to save time and effort here and there is great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes you easily can- check this link, should help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj32XwYgfKI

      Delete
  13. These look awesome! I love exposing my children to new cuisines. I have heard so many wonderful things about the pressure cooker… I guess I should get one!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mind the mind! My Vipassana experience..

 It was pure curiosity that nudged me to sign up for the Vipassana meditation course. Had heard a lot of good things about it from acquaintances and decided to take the step!  But there are so many centers! Which one to choose? That's when I came across  Saee Bapat 's recommendation for the Tiruvannamalai Vipassana Center . And I decided to apply here.  Frankly, near and dear ones had a lot of reservations about this course, and rightly so, as we had very little information about it. Questions came up like: - It is religious? - You will be a changed person - These things are to be done during old age - Householders cannot sustain themselves here - What if something bad happens? Talking, phone access is not allowed even. But I am glad I listened to my heart and went ahead, this was one of the best things I have gifted myself! Now here's a short day-wise recollection of how the 10 days unfolded for me: Day 0: Arrived at the center just in time. The female coordinator told me

Snugbub Babywearing 101- Your Guide to baby slings, ergonomic carriers

Introduction This is a story of a typical woman who is expecting a child- abundant sleep (yes as per the concept of relativity), eating whatever and whenever she desires, lots and lots of shopping, catching up with friends, movies, maternity shoots, super supportive family members…… and then the day arrives when the much awaited baby(ies) pops out!! A moment of joy- absolutely! But what happens to the mother? Lack of rest, lack of sleep, constant pressure of ‘feeding right – feeding enough’, recovering physically, too many things to sort out which none of the pre natal classes taught her! And this is the phase when babywearing could become her best friend! So mums/ primary caregivers lets learn more how to make this happen- What is babywearing? Babywearing (BW) is keeping the baby close you, with the help of the modern BW carriers or a sadi or sturdy cotton dupatta. Here you will come across two terms- ergonomic carriers/ non ergonomic carriers. Ergonomic carriers are those,

Rajasthan Roadtrip 2023: All those things that helped

 I had just finished my exam and already was facing severe withdrawal symptoms! Tejas luckily had not so tight work schedule (he was still working on the go). Kids unschooling had the flexibility to plan their days. We thought this would be just the right time for a roadtrip!  At this point, we all reflected- what does each one of us seek from this adventure? It varied from fun to seeing new places, change, being together, etc.  And like always we worked as a team rather than child vs. parents, to help meet everyone's needs. Where to?  Rajasthan, a state none of us had explored earlier. We had already heard a lot of good things about the state from friends and family. And decided- "We will explore Rajasthan".  How: Yes, we did explore other modes of travel like train and flight, but then choosing these meant losing the flexibility we would get in our own vehicle. At the same time, car travel that far would translate to a longer duration as well. For us the pros of a roadt