Smoothies And Juices

Why not try a few of these out this summer? All you need appliance wise is either a hand held blender for the smoothies or a smaller juicer for the juices.

 

You may notice that I don't use ice in juices and smoothies, not only does this water down the flavour, it can also put more strain on the body (especially the kidneys) if excessive amounts of ice cold drinks are consumed. A freshly made juice or smoothie is perfect and the sooner it is drunk once made, the more vitamins you and your family will be able to absorb. Also see a previous post on this blog called ´The White Stuff´ for more information about dairy foods.

 

Smoothie Ideas

Using banana and rice milk as a base you can create very creamy 100% dairy free smoothies. Rice Milk is preferred to soya as it is easier for the body to digest as raw soya products can cause inflammation and bloating. By adding a  few grains of sea salt you can also bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit and help balance the acidity thus making it easier to digest.

• Banana, Rice Milk, Strawberry
• Banana and Rice Milk with Almonds
• Banana, Rice Milk and Blackberries
• Kiwi, Apple, Banana and Orange
• Banana, Rice Milk and Pineapple
• Banana, Rice Milk and Peach
• Fruit Salad: Banana, Kiwi, Orange, Strawberry and Rice Milk
• Peach, Orange and Apple Juice
• Banana, Rice Milk and Cinnamon
• ?? (Experiment and enjoy creating your own flavours!)

 

Juice Ideas

MMmm fresh carrot juice! If you haven’t tried it, add it to your to do list this summer. Children will love the natural sweetness.

• Carrot and Apple
• Carrot and Pear
• Celery, Apple and Mint
• Pear and Apple
• Carrot, Orange, Apple and Beetroot
• Carrot, Apple and Celery
• Apple, Orange, Cucumber and Mint
• Apple, Cherry, Orange
• ?? (Experiment and enjoy creating your own flavours!)

 

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!

Sweet Vegetable Bake

Ok so this is not for dessert but as part of the main meal, however by bringing into the meal sweet vegetables such as carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin you can reduce chocolate and sweet cravings afterwards.

Naturally sweet vegetables are great for nourishing the spleen and pancreas, and help children to relax after a long day at school - as well as the parents after a long days work!

• First of all finely slice plenty of onions (5-6) and saute with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for about 20-25 minutes until very soft and sweet. 
• Whilst this is cooking, peel and finely slice carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips and pumpkin and start to fill a greased oven proof dish with a layer of vegetables.
• Scoop on top a little of the onion mix and then place more vegetables on top.
• Continue in this way, as if you were making a lasagne. If you wish to brush the layers of vegetables with a soya sauce, toasted sesame oil dressing as you go along you may.
• Bake in the oven until soft inside and golden and crispy on top.

Children will love this!

ABC Soup

Recipe for this soup can be found on the recipes page - perfect way to get children involved with vegetables and warm them up this winter!

Mmmm!

Flavours to try...

Creamy soups (Blend to create creamy consistency at end with a hand held blender)...

• Carrot and Orange (add some orange zest when cooking carrots with the sauteed onions)
• Pumpkin and cinnamon (add a touch of cinnamon powder when cooking the pumpkin with the sauteed onions)
• Pumpkin and chestnut (add some cooked, peeled chestnuts to the pumpkin and sauteed onions)
• Lentil and Fennel (add red lentils and chopped fennel to the sauteed onions)
• Cauliflower (Add a few bay leaves or a little nutmeg along with the cauliflower and sauteed onions - This makes a perfect alternative to bechamel as well)
• Courgette and leek (Add courgette and leeks to the sauteed onions. Wakame sea vegetable works very well with this soup)

The list is endless...


Just experiment! Remember the sauteed onions are key and also watch how much water is added. Keep the soup nice and thick and creamy, bringing lots of nourishment for the little ones!

Dips Dips Dips!

Vegetable sticks and dips!

Children are growing FAST and one of the things they need as well as fresh fruit and vegetables is a constant source of excellent quality protein. So why not combine the two and make some of the delicious pates (see recipe section on this blog) to go with some fresh vegetables cut into sticks?

For example carrot sticks and hummous or cucumber sticks and Tofu and walnut pate? All great for growing children.

More pates will be added shortly...