It’s that time of the year when all the kids and parents go through anxiety, stress levels and also insomnia. Exams often drain away all the mental and physical energy which affects the overall growth of the kids.
As the school year is about to get over a plethora of emotions bother all of us like kid’s performance and the intake of food. There is always a struggle in each and every house to find out the smart and healthy way to enhance kid’s moods to study. Food surely plays the most crucial role here as it is directly connected with their performance.
Well, I am no expert here but being a mom to 11 and 14 years old daughters and based on my experiences I am listing down few food items that will not only satiate their hunger pangs but also will keep them in happy mood.
Food surely plays an important role in coping up with all stress and tantrums. I really have to struggle on a daily basis to feed my girls as they both have different taste buds and my elder one being the fussiest and picky of all.
I am listing down some ideas, recipes and few suggestions solely based on my experiences.
I also strongly believe that the whole meal idea has to be a combination of healthy, innovative, nutritious and fun. Serving the same food, again and again, will bore the kids and the same time they will avoid eating and end up in opening the snacks jars.
1) So let us begin with some breakfast ideas.
We all know breakfast is the most important meal, yet we all sometimes fail to give because of time constraints and tight schedules. A combination of Oats, fruits, nuts, milk, and yogurt will do the magic. churn a quick milkshake, make a quick smoothie or just whip a beautiful smoothie bowl. Trust me food that appeals to the eyes first, does the magic. So always go a little extra mile to garnish your food and make it more appealing to the eyes.
Sharing some amazing recipes from my blog for quick breakfast ideas.
2) Moving to Snacks.
Most of the kids love this part of their food. Mainly because of the timings. At this time they are a little more relaxed and show genuine interest in food. So here we moms have to be very smart and feed them interesting, basically a combination of healthy, dry snacks, biscuits and nuts. I will recommend homemade granola bars with nuts, chocolates, and dry fruits combinations, cheese slices, nuts, raisins, gol papdi, makhanas, chakli, methi puri, and always add 1 or 2 biscuits as it gives them the energy to perform for the whole day.
Sharing some easy peasy snack recipes from my blog.
3) Lunchtime
Lunchtime is the most crucial as most of the kids don’t really look forward to this meal, mainly because they have had enough food by now. But lunch is an important meal of the day and the most convenient and smart wat is to give them something that is easy to carry, eat and fuss-free. Some of the lunch ideas that I usually give to my gals are Methi theplas, Aloo Parathas, Palak Cheese parathas, Frankie, Veg cheese rolls, Quesadillas, Tawa pulao, Pasta, idlis, and sandwiches. The whole idea is to feed them healthy at the same time filling and nutritious.
Sharing some recipes from my blog
Sharing lunch items from my blog
4) After school snacks
Well, this is the most awaited time as kids come home from a tiring day and look forward to relishing some interesting good food. I usually feed Nutella and banana toast, sandwiches, cheese sandwich, peanut butter sandwich, Avocado on toast, Maggi, banana, corn cheese balls, melons, Oreo milkshake, chocolate pancakes, bhel, butter corn, hummus with lavash, cheese dip with crackers dhoklas. etc. You can also prepare some healthy desserts, cakes, cupcakes, and tarts that will not only enhance their mood but you will have enhance to sneak in some healthy ingredients like dates, jaggery, peanuts, etc. After all, even kids love small treats once in a while and I personally make sure to feed them something they love as a reward and to see that happy smile on their faces.
Sharing some recipes here
Vegan Bruschetta with Alfalfa Sprouts and Stir Fry Vegetables
5) Dinner time.
This is the time when you all sit down for a meal. The most important thing here is to discuss, communicate, and connect. Please avoid questioning and nagging kids during dinner time and make it a pleasant experience. My suggestions for dinner ideas will be roti, subzi, and dal, paneer subzi with parathas, dal makhani with jeera rice, mix vegetables with Rotis, usal pav, pav bhaji, pizzas, soup with garlic bread, noodles with Manchurian. In short, the whole idea is to cook something that everyone likes and can peacefully enjoy dinner time.
Sharing some recipes here
https://hetalkamdar.com/cauliflower-and-garlic-soup-from-brrrr-to-hmmmm/
https://hetalkamdar.com/empanadas-cottage-cheese-capsicum/
Most importantly, it is to keep kids hydrated all the time. If their water and liquid intake are not enough, it will lead to headaches, laziness, and lack of concentration. So give them a small water bottle while they are studying so they can sip on it often. Also give them coconut water, Glucon D, Rose sherbet, fresh fruit juices, and milk and avoid all artificial colors drinks and colas. Once in while do go easy on them and let them indulge in colas, ice creams, and cakes. But not a lot during exams.
Remember these few points to deal with the stress during the exams,
Sleep on time, wake up early as that is the best time to study and memorize.
Always check their postures while studying as wrong postures may lead to backaches.
Maintain a decent time table to follow.
Combine study with some physical activity and always give them 30 minutes break time during exams and allow them to indulge in what they want to do as this will recharge them to perform much better.
And most important factor during exams is to keep a tab on their screentime as this can end up wasting a lot of time. So be smart, plan and act accordingly. Happy studies to all the kids and I hope this post will help all the parents to keep their sanity intact.
I hope you all find this post useful, also do comment if you have any other ideas, suggestions, and feedback.
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