Vegetable Skewers



Vegetables skewers are always a fun way of presenting vegetables to  children*, being perfect for barbecues, parties as well as adding some fun to normal mealtimes. Vegetables can be roasted in the pan, on the barbecue or the oven and served with some delicious homemade barbecue sauce - guaranteed to go down a treat!

BBQ Sauce

Mix 1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour with 1/2 a cup of water in a saucepan. Add a generous teaspoon of Mugi or Genmai Miso, 1 tablespoon of juice from grated ginger and 1 tablespoon of apple juice concentrate. Mix well and bring to the boil and simmer allowing the sauce to thicken (continue stirring well throughout to minimise any lumps).

This works well with vegetables and fish...and not just for the little ones!

Enjoy :-)

*provided that they are old enough not to harm themselves with the sticks!

Tip #3:

So heres the 3rd tip for this months NLP theme on improving childrens diets...

Role Models

If you want to achieve a goal one of the best ways is to find a role model that has already achieved what you want to achieve and to notice what they did to achieve it. Model their behaviour.

How does this fit in with improving children's diets?

Find another friend or relative that has improved their children's diets and find out what they did...how did they behave, think, believe and feel in order to achieve their goal? What practical steps did they take? Do they have any useful tips and advice for you and your family?

Be curious, experiment with new ideas and enjoy seeing the healthy eating improvements unfold!

This also works the other way - children use adults as role models and if they are surrounded by a healthy eating family who enjoy good, home cooked food, and are able to explain the importance of good food in a fun and creative way them then they are likely to follow in their footsteps.

Children will have a very hard time believing that vegetables are good for them if the rest of the family is eating microwaved junk food and fizzy drinks!

Be that role model for your children.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi

Pasta

Children LOVE pasta and whilst emphasis on whole grains is preferable for daily, long lasting energy and to strengthen the nervous system, pasta can also be a great way to integrate vegetables. Try using wholemeal pasta for a healthier alternative.

You can add vegetables to pasta in the following ways...

• STIR FRIED: Stir fried vegetables mixed with noodles or pasta work well. Try adding a few walnut chunks for older children -added nourishment! 
• PASTA AND PESTO: Delicious pesto recipe coming soon!
• PASTA BAKE: Saute some onions, grated carrot, mushrooms and herbs with some tuna/smoked tofu/lentils or chopped seitan. You can add some cauliflower bechamel sauce on top with some almond powder and bake until golden.
• LASAGNE: Same recipe as above but using lasagne pasta sheets and you can always add a little beetroot sauce to the mix too - see Recipe section of blog for sauce recipe.
• PASTA SALAD: Add chopped lightly boiled vegetables such as diced carrots, courgettes, sweetcorn, and cherry tomatoes. You can always add some chunks of smoked tofu, pitted olives, fresh herbs etc.
• NOODLES AND BROTH: This is great for older children and teenagers - a simple nourishing broth can made adding a strip of Kombu sea vegetable to boiling water, sliced onions and carrots, soya sauce and apple juice concentrate to season, a slice of fresh ginger and even a few leaves of coriander or chopped spring onion before serving. Smoked tofu chunks or prawns work well with this.
• BEETROOT PASTA SAUCE: (See Recipe section of blog) Contains plenty of vegetables and you can always add some chunks of courgettes and mushrooms to add more vegetables.
• PASTA IN SOUP: Pasta shapes such as shells, letters, stars etc are great for adding to vegetable soups. They add interest, fun and help children to eat the veggies! See the Recipe section of this blog for details on ABC vegetable soup.

Enjoy!

Mmm Pancakes!

Pancake day on Tuesday!
Here are a few healthy and delicious ideas to try...pancakes are so versitle and a great way to get children involved with fruit and vegetables.

Savoury Pancake Fillings:

• Stir fried vegetables
• Stir fried vegetables with walnuts
• Stir fried vegetables with prawns
• Stir fried vegetables with braised tofu
• Scrambled tofu and sweetcorn
• Scrambled tofu, leeks and smoked salmon
• Pan fried asparagus and bechamel sauce (see earlier posts for cauliflower bechamel recipe)
• etc...

Sweet Pancake Fillings:

• Rice syrup and lemon juice (just like the traditional sugar and lemon but a healthier version without bringing hyperactivity to your kids!)
• Rice syrup, lemon juice and cinnamon
• Apple compote and caramelised nuts
• Rice Syrup and caramelised nuts
• Strawberries and rice syrup
• Mixed berries and rice syrup
• Banana and carob sauce (Carobella spread found in health food shops works great as a chocolate alternative without sugar and caffiene)
• Banana and caramelised nuts
• Pan fried banana and cinnamon
• Pan fried sliced apples, cinnamon and raisins
• etc...

The lists are endless...

Enjoy!