baby led weaning finger foods Archives

Ragi Pancakes: Ragi Recipes For Babies And Toddlers

Ophira10 CommentsJuly 2, 2024September 27, 2018

Read time: 4 minutes

Ragi Pancakes - Baby led weaning Indian food recipes

Ragi (Finger Millet) is a revered first food for babies in India. Our food culture has many ragi recipes for babies. From ragi porridge to ragi malt-based drinks, this nutritious millet can be incorporated in a variety of ways into the baby’s diet. Among the many ragi flour recipes for babies are these ragi pancakes.

Even if you follow baby-led weaning you can still include the goodness of ragi nutrition through pancakes. These pancakes are easy baby-led weaning finger foods that can be made for breakfast or packed for travel.

CAN RAGI BE GIVEN TO BABIES DAILY?

Ragi (finger millet) is ideally suited for babies because it is easy to digest, and rich in iron and calcium.

Yes, you can give ragi to baby daily, even so, it is best to avoid too much of one food and instead create exposures to a wide variety of foods early on and ensure that the child is getting nutrients from varied sources of foods.

You can include ragi based first foods 2-3 times a week in varied dishes like porridge, dosa, idli, pancake and other times include other nutritious foods.

Related reading:

Baby-led weaning breakfast ideas

Why millets are good for baby

RAGI PANCAKES: RAGI RECIPE FOR BABY

I love experimenting with ragi flour recipes, be it in different types of ragi porridges or quick meals like pancakes.

Recently I paired ragi flour with jav flour (barley flour) to make these delicious pancakes. This ragi pancake combination is rich in both iron and calcium and super healthy for growing children.

When serving these ragi pancakes to babies under 1, steer clear of adding any maple syrup or other sweetening agents like honey and jaggery.

Additionally, I serve with some type of natural nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter to boost the healthy fats on the child’s plate.

This ragi pancake is ideal as:

Breakfast

Snack

Travel-friendly snack for toddlers

Baby-led weaning finger food

It is extremely easy to build pancakes using whole grain flours and children love them too.

In my new ebook – The Easy Toddler Snack Book I show you how to build pancakes using ragi flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour, and amaranth flour.

The ebook contains these pancake recipes plus many more easy and healthy snacks like energy bars, energy balls, puddings, smoothies, and patties.

These are recipes we enjoy together with our son as a family and have helped us shift to a more Whole Foods focussed diet at home.

Ragi Pancake - baby led weaning finger foods

RAGI PANCAKES: BABY LED WEANING INDIAN RECIPES

This pancake is one of the more easily accepted ragi recipes for kids. Young or old most kids won’t notice any difference in the taste and enjoy the combination of the wholesome pancake teamed with honey and creamy nut butter.

If you are wondering how to make ragi pancakes for babies, read on.

Ragi Pancake

Ragi pancake recipe without egg. Vegan

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Ingredients

4 tbsp Ragi flour
2 tbsp Jav (barley) flour
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1 tbsp Almond flour
1 tsp Flaxseed powder

Instructions

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the coconut milk (just enough to cover the ingredients)
Mix well to remove all lumps.
Set the batter aside for 20 minutes. (The flaxseed powder works as an egg replacement and helps the pancake rise.)
On a hot pan add oil evenly to cover the surface. Then scoop out small circle shaped batter on the pan and let each side cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup and cashew butter.

Notes

Substitutions:

You can replace the barley flour with wheat or oat flour.
Use any milk you like. We liked the flavor of these pancakes with coconut milk and almond milk the best.
You can pair the pancakes with any nut butter you have on hand – peanut butter, almond butter, or homemade Nutella.

Keyword baby led weaning foods, baby led weaning snacks, first foods, toddler snack ideas

Have you tried adding ragi flour to a pancake mix?

Do you have other interesting ragi flour recipes of your own? Do leave us a comment below with your ragi recipes for kids. All of us can learn and try something new.

For more ragi recipes for babies, follow me on Instagram where I post about healthy meals for kids and family regularly. Until next time, Ciao!

Baby Led Weaning Finger Foods On The Go

Ophira2 CommentsJuly 2, 2024June 13, 2018

Read time: 6 minutes

When you first start baby led weaning it’s a huge learning curve for the baby and you. There is so much to be figured out in terms of meal timings, meal ideas, and nutrition for baby. Going out with a baby is tricky in those early baby led weaning days. Here is a list of baby led weaning finger foods for when you are on the go.

Hopefully, these ideas will help you navigate the initial months of baby led weaning when your baby is still learning how to eat.

BABY LED WEANING MEAL SCHEDULE (6-12 months)

This is what we did;

1 meal a day at 6 months,

2 meals at 7 – 8 months

3 meals at 9-10 months

4 meals at 11 months

and finally 5 meals a day at 12 months (3 meals and 2 snacks)

Now, there are families that jump right into 3 meals a day at 6 months and add meals every month at a faster pace compared to the route we followed. Feel free to choose a schedule you are most comfortable with.

The WHO recommends breastfeeding on demand for 2 years and beyond along with;

2–3 meals per day for infants 6–8 months of age

3–4 meals per day for infants 9–23 months of age plus 1–2 additional snacks as required;

The entire idea is to add complementary solid foods gradually alongside breastmilk/formula.

BABY LED WEANING GEAR WE USED ON THE GO

In case you are wondering, how do we serve homemade baby food on the go? read on.

We always travel with a booster seat in the car. You can read more here about why I selected these baby led weaning essentials.

In my diaper bag, I pack lots of;

wet wipes
organic cotton cloth napkins
crumb catching bibs
ziplock bag (to collect all the food messes neatly in the bag once he is done eating)
sippy cup

These essentials help me easily offer finger food to baby on the go. For more on how to pack a diaper bag, read here.

BABY LED WEANING FINGER FOODS IDEAS (6-9 months)

When we first started complementary feeding, I planned my time outside the house around meal times. We would make it a point that we feed baby solids before stepping out so that outside the house it was convenient to simply breastfeed.

However, there were situations when we needed to be out for longer than 2- 4 hours. For such trips I carried the following finger foods for baby;

Steamed veggies like broccoli or cauliflower
Boiled/Baked sweet potato
Baked potato fries
Patty made with potatoes and veggies cut into rectangular pieces packed in an airtight container. Here are quick lentil patty recipe for babies, chicken patty for babies, and chickpea patties for babies.
Food pouches – these reusable pouches can be used to carry homemade oat porridge or dal khichdi on the go.
Oat Pancakes
Ragi Pancakes
Theplas
Parathas – Keep the ratio of potatoes more compared to the wheat flour for younger babies to be able to easily bite into.
Fruit – steamed apples, pears, oranges, sweet lime, bananas, and watermelon are all travel-friendly. Prep them before leaving and pack them in an airtight container.
Avocado slices – to make the avocado slices non-slippery, dip them in shredded coconut or roasted ground flaxseed powder.

BABY LED WEANING FINGER FOODS IDEAS (9-12 months)

With the development of the pincer grasp and advanced chewing skills, you can now carry more food options for baby when you hit the road. Include all the above-recommended ideas plus the following finger food for babies 9-12 months old;

12. Homemade cottage cheese. – Sauteed and cut into finger-length pieces. If you have a family history of dairy allergies talk with your doctor before you start baby on cheese.

13. Pasta

14. Boiled or Baked taro/sweet potato

15. Wheat and ragi pancakes

16. Protein pancakes for babies

17. Quinoa egg fingers – cook an egg omelet and add cooked quinoa to it. Stir and mix quinoa into the egg mix as it cooks. Place a lid on the pan so that the egg cooks completely. When the omelet is ready, cut it into finger-shaped strips.

18. Idli (Steamed rice cakes)

19. Uttapam

20. Dosa

21. Thalipeeth – Make a thalipeeth flour for baby sans the spices, only using coriander powder

22. Homemade Muffins

23. Gram flour (besan) pancakes

24. Boiled peas – always smush the peas and serve

25. Fruits like blueberries and raspberries that are cut appropriately for babies.

26. Chappati with ghee or nut butter

27. Homemade hummus with falafel balls

28. Homemade baby friendly cookies

29. Homemade waffles with nut butter – carry the waffle and nut butter in separate containers.

30. Boiled egg – If an egg is tolerated well, you can start carrying boiled eggs on trips outside the house. Talk to your doctor about when and how to start eggs for babies.

For more baby led weaning snacks ideas and recipes you can buy The Easy Toddler Snack Book. The book contains our favorite snack recipes for 6 months to 99 years.

These recipes are built using Whole Foods ingredients, you can modify them for baby led weaning by skipping the salt and honey.

I made sure to include healthy wholesome ingredients that can fill in the nutritional gaps as children enter the picky eating toddler years.

baby led weaning finger foods- baby led weaning food ideas

For the first year, it is best to stick to homemade and natural foods, without processed ingredients and added sugars.

There is a lifetime for your baby to try restaurant foods and packaged snacks. Focus on introducing wholesome and home-cooked meals in the first year. Thereafter, gradually you can introduce other family favorite foods to the baby.

Always keep in mind young babies need a lot of vital nutrients for their proper growth and development.

Use this phase as a chance for your family to eat healthier and share in the joy of healthy meals.

Masala Dosa Wrap Using Slurrp Farm Millet Dosa Mix

Ophira9 CommentsDecember 22, 2018February 9, 2018

Read time: 6 minutes

What to pack in the lunch box for kids? This is a question every mother faces on a daily basis. We want to provide healthy nutritious meals along with variety to keep our kids interested. Masala dosas are a healthy option for the lunch box and making something like a masala dosa wrap makes this simple Indian dish look interesting to the little ones.

This post is sponsored by Slurrp farm. However, all opinions and views expressed are my own.

Our grandmothers made a variety of dosas using nutritious combinations of grains that gave each bite that much needed boost. However, with our modern lives, we have moved away from many of these traditional recipes.

Enter Slurrp farm run by two young mothers that is now a leading Indian health food brand for children and families. It is their mission to provide a 100% natural alternative to junk food. All their recipes are high in nutrition from whole grain flours, millets, good fats like butter, real fruit and vegetables. They work hard to be low on refined sugar, flours and have no trans-fats at all. Their intention is to revive traditional superfoods like the vast variety of millets available in India.

Their current product range contains Baby Cereals made with organic ingredients; and Cookies with all-natural ingredients, whole grains, and no transfat. Recently they launched a range of Millet Pancakes and Millet Dosas which are made with lots of traditional super grains.

What is so special about millets?

Millets are grains that are rich in calcium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants. Along with this, they contain protein and fiber. In fact, traditional Indian recipes used a lot of millets as a source of vegetarian protein. Millets are a forgotten food in this day and age since we have all moved on to using food products that are processed and easy to cook for lack of time. But if you look at the benefits of including millets in your and baby’s diet it becomes important to revive these traditional recipes. Millets are versatile grains to cook with. You can use them in pilafs, soups, porridge, and salads.

Brands like Slurrp farm are bringing millet back to the table in their baby cereals, dosa, and pancake mix so that the modern mom can still whip up these traditional recipes in half the time required to prepare them.

I was sent some of their dosa and pancake mixes to try. These are so delicious and easy to make. You can feel the love that has gone into designing each recipe.

I have made many pancake mixes with different types of millet flours as a quick healthy snack option for home but rarely do I get the flavor profile just right. That is why I appreciate the perfect blend of spices used in these Slurrp farm mixes.

We tried the Slurrp farm millet dosa mix with spinach. It contains:

Foxtail millet (Navane/Thinnai/Kangni),
Moong Daal (Green Dal),
Toor Dal (Red Gram),
Chana Dal (Bengal Gram),
Urad Dal (Black Gram),
Spinach,
Dehydrated Onion, and a blend of spices.

To add a fun twist, rather than using this mix for a regular masala dosa, I tried a masala dosa wrap with a broccoli and potato filling. Such a masala dosa wrap can be a breakfast, snack or lunch box option. It’s yummy and filling.

Masala dosa wrap with broccoli and potato filling

Masala Dosa Wrap

Ophira

Yummy millet and spinach dosa with a broccoli and potato filling.

4.50 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 4

Ingredients

For Filling

2 potatoes boiled
1 head broccoli florets steamed
1 onion chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 garlic pods
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp groundnut oil

For Dosa

1 packet Slurrp farm millet dosa mix
1 cup water
1 egg

Instructions

1. Add a cup of water to the dosa mix and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime heat oil in a pan and add tadka elements (curry leaves, mustard seeds, and jeera) let the seeds splutter.
3. Then add garlic, and onion and cook until the onion is golden brown.
4. Add the boiled and chopped potato and broccoli pieces. Mix well.
5. Add salt and turmeric and cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetable filling for the dosa is ready.
6. Now moving on to preparing the dosa for the wrap. On a hot pan pour out your batter in a nice round shape. Let this cook for about 5 minutes until you start seeing tiny aeration holes on the dosa.
7. Break an egg on the dosa and evenly spread it around the dosa. Let this cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Once you feel the egg and dosa are cooked thoroughly add in your potato broccoli filling.
9. Wrap it up and serve in 2 halves. Yummy Slurrpfarm Spinach Dosa Wrap ready!

Pictures of recipe in progress

Masala Dosa- sautee the onions — Masala Dosa Wrap- sautee the onions

Masala Dosa Wrap – broccoli potato filling

Masala Dosa Wrap – cook the Slurrp farm millet dosa

Masala Dosa Wrap – spread an egg evenly on the dosa

My son devoured his masala dosa wrap in 5 minutes. He loves broccoli and potatoes so the vegetable surprise inside the dosa was exciting for him.

If you want to pack this masala dosa wrap in your child’s lunchbox cut the wrap in half and cover each individual piece in aluminum foil. There is no need for any dipping sauce or chutney in my opinion since the dosa mix itself is flavored with spices. But if you like something extra you can add a coconut chutney and peanut powder as sides with the dosa.

Best uses for the Slurrp farm dosa and pancake mixes

These mixes are a great option for fussy eaters in order to meet their nutritional gaps.
To have on hand at home on days you are busy and don’t have time to whip up a snack from scratch for your little ones. In fact, Slurrp farm dosas are a great snack option to cut out the unwanted sugary snacks.
We practiced baby-led weaning, and if you read my post on traveling with a baby led weaning child you know how much preparation I go through before we leave for our trip just to ensure nutritious foods are available for my son to eat as we travel long distances in the car. This dosa mix is a great option to have on hand when you are going on a journey and want to carry homemade and hygienic food for your little ones. And it’s a bonus that these include healthy super grains.
Millets are gluten free, so these can be enjoyed by people suffering from celiac disease, or gluten allergies too. Clean eating was never so easy.

You can find Slurrp farm products on:

Amazon

Baby Chakra

First Cry

Did you like this masala dosa wrap idea? Leave me your thoughts in the comments below.

This post is sponsored by Slurrp farm. However, all opinions and views expressed are my own.

CAN RAGI BE GIVEN TO BABIES DAILY?

RAGI PANCAKES: RAGI RECIPE FOR BABY

RAGI PANCAKES: BABY LED WEANING INDIAN RECIPES

Ragi Pancake

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

BABY LED WEANING MEAL SCHEDULE (6-12 months)

BABY LED WEANING GEAR WE USED ON THE GO

BABY LED WEANING FINGER FOODS IDEAS (6-9 months)

BABY LED WEANING FINGER FOODS IDEAS (9-12 months)

RELATED POSTS ON BABY LED WEANING

What is so special about millets?

Masala dosa wrap with broccoli and potato filling

Masala Dosa Wrap

Ingredients

For Filling

For Dosa

Instructions

Best uses for the Slurrp farm dosa and pancake mixes