Going Green: Dairy Free Pesto Recipe

Pasta with Pesto is one of those classic combinations. Quick, simple and utterly gorgeous both in colour and taste. 

Here is a great dairy free recipe by Montse Bradford as we delve into the archives this June...

http://myfruitandvegetablefriends.blogspot.com.es/p/recipes.html

Also delicious as a dressing for salads, over fresh fish or even as a pizza sauce - perfect for the whole family and not just for those with dairy food intolerance's.

Enjoy!

Gluten, Egg & Lactose Free Pancakes With This One Simple Ingredient...

Here we are with another Archive Gem from this blog for you and your family to try! And whats even better this one is GLUTEN FREE, EGG FREE, & LACTOSE FREE for those little ones with allergies as well as everyone else who wishes to enjoy some delicious, healthy pancakes!

Perfect for relaxed, family weekend breakfast or a dessert. Children will love to create their own toppings. Anything from fresh fruit, rice syrup, lemon and cinnamon, banana and melted carob, cashew cream and  strawberries...or perhaps some savoury avocado and salmon or scrambled tofu with sweetcorn.

100% Wholegrain & 100% Delicious 

What toppings will you and your family choose?

Fruity Pancake Recipe

When Children Try New Foods...Top Tips!

Welcome to spring! :-) 

How I love this time of year, the sense of awakening, opening, freshness and colour that starts to creep out across the land. And not forgetting the wonderful warm sunshine! 

Talking about 'opening up to new things', I thought this would be perfect for another of our archive gems to get you excited! 

This Month we are looking at 6 Tips that can help children open up to trying fruits and vegetables. 

Have meal times become a battle zone trying to get your children to eat their greens? 

Do you struggle introducing new foods to them, only to have them demand chips and ketchup instead?

Wouldn't it be great to eliminate these struggles once and for all? Notice how great that would feel!

Click here to find out what the 6 Tips are...

http://myfruitandvegetablefriends.blogspot.com.es/2013/08/top-tips.html

And I invite you too, to post in the messages below what tips do you find work for your and your children? 

Green Loveliness

Happy 3 year anniversary everyone! 

Wow how time flies! 

Continuing with our Archive Gems, here is another gorgeous recipe by Montse Bradford...a wonderfully creamy, delicious avocado pate packed with monounsaturated fats that help with healthy development in children.

Avocado Pate by Montse Bradford

Perfect with vegetable sticks and delicious with pan fried asparagus, beetroot or as a dressing for salads, fish etc when diluted with a small amount of water.

• Remove the skin and stones from 2 large ripe avocados and blend with 1tsp of Umeboshi Paste (see below recipes for information) and 1 tbsp of White Miso (see below recipes for information), 1tbsp of cold pressed olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.

Enjoy! 

Power of Words

For February's archive gem here we discover the power of language and how that can have a huge impact on children's diet...take a look at the top tips here and notice what changes when you apply the tips!

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen

Most Popular Post To Date? Here it is...

This year I will be delving into the archives, pulling out a few gems from this blog and discovering what we have covered so far. 

It has been a wonderful journey creating this blog and since May 2010 when I started this project. We have touched on many different topics that can help children enjoy fruit and vegetables. 

So this month we start with the most viewed post of all time from this blog (at the time of writing this!) with over 870 people around the world learning how to include vegetables in Children's lunch boxes in a fun and appealing way.

Enjoy!

Lunch Box Vegetables

Making Vegetables Fun

Alfalfa Experiment: Marvelling The Difference

First of all Happy New Year! May 2015 be the best year yet for you and your family!

Secondly, following on from last months post, here is a little experiment I carried out a few years ago showing the power of intention, love and energy on food that we grow. Such a simple experiment which can be great for children to get involved in. This idea has also been used with cooked white rice - you can see many results on google here. 

In 2011, I carried out this experiment 3 times, and each time resulting in the exact same results. I measured the exact quantity of alfalfa sprout seeds, and water each time using scales, the dishes were identical apart from a slight chip on one of the rims and the dishes were kept in the same place. The only thing that changed was that one of the dishes of seeds I sent Reiki to each day for 2-5 minutes. 

Can you guess which dish of seeds received the loving thoughts and energy? 

Though don't take my word for it...I encourage you to try this at home and discover as a family how positive thought and energy can have an effect on what we eat. You don't need to be a Reiki Practitioner...anyone can do this experiment.

You will need...

2 identical dishes

Water

1 packet of alfalfa seeds

Kitchen scales

• Step 1: Measure with the scales the same amount of seeds for each dish (enough seeds to loosely cover 50% of the dishes surface).

• Step 2: Add the same amount of water to each dish so that the seeds are sitting in about 1-2mm of water. 

• Step 3: Decide which dish is going to be the lucky receivers of some positive thoughts (make sure its the same dish for the whole of this experiment).

• Step 4: Send the LOVE! You can write a positive phrase such as 'I LOVE YOU' or a word such as 'GRATITUDE' on the chosen dish and the opposite phrase or word for the other dish (see the link above for the rice experiment examples). Or you and your children can simply send the love, simply visualising loving energy going to that one chosen dish. This could be in the form of imagining light or pink loving hearts going to that dish...whatever symbolises love for you and your kids you can imagine that going to the chosen seeds. 

• Step 5: Repeat step 4 for 2-5 minutes with the same chosen dish every day. Also add the same amount of measured water for both dishes every day until the seeds grow into 1-2 inch sprouts. And then marvel at the results! 

Its quite amazing to see what happens and children will love excitement and wonder of this exercise too. 

Happy Sprouting!

Adding Whole Lotta' Love...

There is one hugely overlooked yet fundamental ingredient when preparing delicious and nutritious food for our family. 

We can buy the best ingredients, read the labels and be careful about what foods children consume...however our energy, our emotional well being and thoughts whilst we prepare these foods for others can have an affect.  

Children are very in tune with their surroundings...just as animals are too. I remember many times seeing my cat running around the house at full speed whenever we packed up to go on holiday...the change in energy, the excitement that we had internally was being reflected in his behaviour. Just as whenever if was someones birthday or somebody was upset...he would be sensitive to this a respond accordingly.

It has been well documented that babies can young children can pick up on distress from the parents...if we prepare meals with anger, hatred and stress...not only might we not be fully present to cook the meal with care and may burn something or leave out seasonings...we can also transfer that energy to the food. 

By cooking with LOVE and feeling gratitude for the wonderful meal ahead we can create a remarkable difference. Not only can the meal taste better, it can help to improve absorption and energy levels of those consuming it (provided their own thoughts and feelings as they eat don't counteract this). 

Yes we are what we eat...however this phrase can be understood at a much deeper level. As Quantum Physicists have proved over and over again for many years...everything is made of of energy, every cell, particle, atom, being, object, liquid, gas is all energy. And our thoughts, emotions and intention can have an affect. Just as Masaru Emoto has shown in his many water studies. 

Next month we will have the opportunity to carry out a few home experiments that children can get involved in...helping them to understand the importance of good food and also the positive influence we can have. 

In the meantime I invite you to bring in even more LOVE to the kitchen when you prepare meals...notice what happens and whether your children notice any difference. 

Enjoy! :-) 

Art, Food & A Lot Of Fun...

Creative activities can be a great way to educate children about different topics. When using the topic of food it can also help bring awareness about all the different types of fruits and vegetables out there, helping to expand awareness whilst having great fun in the process. 

I came across these websites the other day and thought I would share the link here for everyone to enjoy - simple creative ideas that children can be involved with...and good fun for those creative loving adults too ;-) 

Creative Food Related Activities

Vegetable Art Printing

Feel free to share pictures of your families creations here!

Green Little Fingers

When I saw the new campaign by a leading UK supermarket I felt like jumping for joy...no it wasn't a free supermarket trolley dash (though I have always wanted to do that!)...it was because of a topic very close to my heart. Something beneficial to help the future of our next generation understand more about food and nutrition. A way for families to develop their 'green fingers' together.

Things have changed remarkably in the last 10 years, I remember when I was at school, many years ago and vegetables and salad weren't even an option...factory made doughnuts, toxic blue fizzy drinks and every monosodium glutamate flavoured crisps you could think of ruled the canteens. 

Thanks to pioneers such as Jamie Oliver, awareness surrounding children's health has taken off and each day more and more emphasis is being placed on freshly prepared foods containing the good stuff...fresh fruit and vegetables. This is not to say the battle is over, the continued awareness, campaigns and education through schools, blogs and media help to create a fresh start for all children. I believe they deserve it.

Below are links to a great campaign, encouraging children to develop their green fingers, get into the garden or create a window box...educating them where food really comes from, creating a strong and healthy foundation in life. 

What would you like to see? 

A child thinking food comes from a plastic packet, that food needs to come in fluorescent colours and cooking is popping something in the microwave...

or 

A child growing up with nutritional awareness, confidence in the kitchen and passion for fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Lets help spread the word together...

Campaign: http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/money-matters/strawberry-window-garden.shtml

In depth Guide: http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/library/default/resources/crafty-garden-ideas.pdf

Supermarket Power

How do you decide which to buy when selecting fruit and vegetables for your family? 

Do you go by look? Size? Value for money?...

I posted a while ago a picture of weird but wonderful carrots found in the garden (see below)...this video shows a French supermarket that takes it to a whole new level. Brilliant stuff and yes I agree this would be wonderful if brought to all supermarkets worldwide to reduce food waste.

Whilst its important we don't buy mouldy, rotten foods for our kids, some would say we have been conditioned too much in our society to only select those carrots that are completely straight or the perfect round apple with no lumps. 

Quite often these odd looking vegetables can be a huge source of entertainment for children, which in turn helps them to enjoy more fruit and vegetables. 

What do you think?

Pasta Pasta Pasta

Getting kids to eat vegetables can be easier than originally thought sometimes. We just need to use a little creativity and present food attractively with tasty flavours. Virtually all kids LOVE pasta and by incorporating vegetables with pasta can be a great step forward. 

Usually by adding vegetables to a tomato style pasta sauce can be a great start. Here is another way to add in the vegetables. This pasta dish is with sauteed diced onions and grated carrot, courgette cooked until tender...simple and delicious. Simply add a little olive oil, toasted sesame oil, soya sauce and a pinch of some dried herbs.

What ways have you found helps?

The Truth About Fizzy Coke...

I saw this video a week ago and was horrified. Is this really what we want to feed our children on a regular basis? 

A Russian scientist boils down one 1 500ml bottle of fizzy coke and this was the result...

Not only is it packed full of sugar (or artificial sweeteners in the case of zero or light drinks) it also contains phosphoric acid. Something useful to clean coins and blocked drain pipes...maybe not so great for a sensitive child's digestive system. 

What do you think?

Food and Emotions

Can food affect us emotionally? 

How can we create more harmony within us and society? 

Montse Bradford answers questions here in this exclusive interview with Lilou Mace. 

Watch here

Interested in learning great recipes for you and your family? Montse is running an exclusive 2 day intensive course this June in English. 

More details can be found below or email recepcion@montsebradford.es 

http://montsebradford.es/en/montse-bradford-b/summer-school-seminar/

Start this summer with increased vitality and harmony for you and your family! 

Metaphors: Encouraging Fussy Eaters

I came across an interesting article on PositivleyPositive.com the other day. A great read on how to help children talk about their feelings. A simple story of a mother and child sharing a moment of honesty to help resolve an argument (you can read the article using the link below).  

Metaphors are also a great way to teach children. Metaphors (a story with a parable) are used in NLP to help the unconscious mind unlock solutions and answers within which can help any given situation. The receiver becomes so wrapped up in the story that they don't realise there is a meaning and solution hidden in there. All is not lost though, the unconscious mind is paying attention and challenging situations and unhelpful habits can quickly be resolved. Here is a great one to use with children for healthy eating...

Here's a little story about Sue...Sue loves music. Everyone has certain types of music they like to listen to and Sue is the same. There is music to relax to, music to dance to, and music to cheer you up. Sue has just the right piece of music already for each of these things. 

She thought to herself one day, "It's funny how my brain knows without even thinking what my ears need to hear to make me feel a certain way". Sue then thought of a time when she heard a piece of music which she knew she didn’t want to listen to. It may have been a great piece of music by a fantastic singer, but it just didn’t settle well with her. She can often tell these tunes just by skimming through a music collection menu when deciding what to listen to. Sue trusts her senses and hears what they are saying. 

Sue now happily lives a healthy life enjoying a wide variety of music, knowing that her ears are receiving many different types of wonderful sounds. Sue also listens to new, unknown music every now and again, feeling excited at what wonderful things she may learn and experience. Some of her favourite songs today that she loves were once a new, unknown song for her in the past. Sue is very happy to have tried listening something new as she now dances to her new favourite song.

You needn't explain the metaphor, just notice what shifts may occur in your child being more open to trying new things and listening to what their body needs. They are a lot smarter than we give them credit for sometimes!

Article - Communication Tools To Help Kids Talk About Their Feelings