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?

Brussels Sprouts

Love them or loathe them they are one of the most popular components to a British Christmas meal. Full of goodness, the green chlorophyll helps to cleanse the liver from all the over work during the festive season, rich in fibre and vitamins they are a wonderful addition to the meal.

Here are a few alternative ways to present or cook them for added interest for kids...

• Line up onto a kebab stick for older children with homemade BBQ sauce (see previous posts for details).
• Saute onions until soft and sweet and add halved Brussels Sprouts.
• Brussels Sprouts sauteed with cooked peeled chestnuts.
• Boiled 4 minutes and served with tangy orange dressing (orange zest and juice, tahini, white miso and apple juice concentrate).

Let us know how your kids respond!

Red Lentil Slice With Vegetables

 

 

Who said red lentils need to be solely for soups? By cooking red lentils with chopped celery, onion, carrots, little miso to season and herbs we can create a thick lentil mix. Place this into a non stick frying pan and fry for 3 minutes and then place under the grill until the top is golden brown. Once cooled this becomes a perfect lentil slice, a wonderful alternative to Spanish tortilla for those who don't eat eggs or simply wish to have something different.

 

 

This mix can also be placed into cupcake moulds and baked, making wonderful mini lentil bakes for children. They will love the taste, love the novelty factor and most importantly they will be getting some of their 5 a day! 

Pumpkins

How was everybody´s Halloween and Firework Night celebrations? Wondering what to do with all those pumpkins?

 

There are many varieties of pumpkins out there, often the pumpkins for carving are less sweet than most. For more information about pumpkin varieties click here

 

Pumpkins are a great source of natural sweetness, perfect for relaxing and warming the little ones after a long day at school. Great in soups, roasted, mashed, in stews, steamed, tempura battered and fried, in quiches etc.

 

More pumpkin recipes coming soon!

November Vegetable: Red Cabbage

Red cabbage both beautiful in colour and delicious to eat. This recipe with the sweet and sour flavours is perfect for introducing red cabbage to children as well as a great seasonal side dish for all the family.

 

Try sauteing sliced red cabbage and onions with a little olive oil and a small pinch of sea salt until soft and tender. Delicious with added ground cinnamon, 1-2 tablespoons of apple juice concentrate, a few raisins and couple of drops of umeboshi vinegar to taste.

 

Let me know how your children respond!

 

Halloween

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween this weekend!

Superfood - Broccoli

Broccoli is great, full of chlorophyll (if lightly boiled for 3-4minutes) and vitamin C, bringing a wonderful freshness to help cleanse the liver. Especially useful to include in daily meals if you find your kids are grumpy in the mornings (can sometimes be a sign of a liver trying hard to process too much fatty, salty foods).

Children love the sweet and sour taste too so if you are struggling to get them to eat broccoli, try serving it with the following dressing...

• 1 teaspoon of umeboshi paste, few drops of toasted sesame oil, 1-2 teaspoons of rice syrup, a little water and some orange or lemon zest.

Broccoli can also be added to minestrone soups (add in the last 3 minutes before serving so to retain the green colour, ie the vitamins).

Enjoy!

Top Tips

Top tips on helping children to try a new food… 
 

1) Stay calm and relaxed: Children can be very sensitive to what is going on around them and they will sense when there is pressure and tension around them about eating fruits and vegetables. Trying something new can be daunting and scary; in a relaxed atmosphere this can be easier.

2) Introduce new foods gently & consistently: Avoid pressuring, bribing, demanding…instead introduce a new vegetable in small amounts repeatedly with their favourite meals until they are willing to try it.

3) Make food appealing and fun: How can you present it in a fun, interesting way for your children? Pay attention to colour, cutting styles, flavour and texture.

4) Get them involved: Getting children involved with the prep work will make them more interested in eating it. They can help mix, cut (with a child safe knife), wash, peel fruits and vegetables.

5) Cut down on junk food snacks and fizzy drinks, especially in between meals: Not only is this harmful to children’s health, it can also affect their appetite for main meals.

6) Be Flexible and think outside the box: Just because your child doesn’t like carrots sliced and boiled doesn’t mean they won’t like grated carrot in a salad or carrot soup. Be inventive, creative and persevere.

Share your successes here...do you have any top tips that have worked for you and your family?

Weaning off the Junk Food...

I have had many requests regarding this topic, how to wean children off junk food. It can be daunting at first to make the change however in the long run that change can be invaluable to the health and well being of all the family.

So often I have been in restaurants to be amazed at the difference between the children and adult menus. Whilst the main menu is filled with fresh produce, homemade dishes full of variety and colour, the children’s menu is usually a monotonous brown full of oily, breaded and overly seasoned produce – the majority of which has only travelled from the freezer to the deep fat fryer.

 

Is this really what we want our children to grown up with?

Will this provide them with the nutritional benefits that they need at this important stage in their lives?

 

If children have never been given junk food on a regular basis, they will not have anything to compare freshly prepared meals to. They will therefore be more willing to try new fruits and vegetables and consume a varied, healthy diet.

Starting children off from the beginning is easy, however once children have acquired the taste for junk foods it can be a little bit more difficult to make the switch – that is not to say it isn’t possible. As Audrey Hepburn once said, ‘Nothing is impossible, even the word says I’m Possible’. With kind perseverance, creativity and communication you can make that shift for the highest good of all the family.

 

So how do we go from chicken nuggets to freshly prepared home cooked meals?

 

Communicate: Talking to children about the importance of good food can help them to understand why rather than them reacting to the ‘because I said so’. Explain why a particular food is good for them in a way that they can relate. For example…whole grains can give you lots of energy and strengthen your brain power when you are at school. Notice how that will provoke a different reaction compared to ‘eat your porridge because I said so’.

Slowly Does It: Start to create home cooked versions of the junk food favourites. Not only will you reduce the salt and sugar intake, you can be in control, slowly making the junk food versions less childlike and introducing children to home cooked meals that can be enjoyed by all the family. Making your own fish fingers can be quicker than you think. Simply cut some skinned and boned Cod or Haddock into long strips and coat with a beaten egg and bread crumbs. This can be placed on a greased baking tray and cooked until crispy and golden brown. A great way to serve this can be with sweet potato wedges and peas or in wraps with salad and avocado dip (see Recipe section of blog for dip recipe).

Get them Involved: There is no greater way to get children interested in food than with getting them involved with the preparation process. Make it a fun game, for example you may pretend to all be sailors on a ship making your own fish and chips as the pirates have stolen all the fish fingers. Think outside the box and be creative. If it doesn’t work be flexible and try something else! This also helps children to become aware of where food comes from and how it is prepared which can prove invaluable when they are old enough to cook for themselves.

Experiment, have fun and get them involved. Notice what changes and keep persevering. If they don’t like it one day it doesn’t mean they will never like it for the rest of their lives. Continue without bribery or force whilst remaining kind to yourself in the process. It is never too late to make a change and sooner or later you will see results.

Hot Hot Hot!

How is everyones summer starting off so far? Enjoying the sunshine and all that summer has to offer?

So what is summer all about for you and your family? More outdoor time, camping, walks, swimming, reducing the amount of TV or simply having the opportunity to have some quality family time a after a busy year working or at school?

Whatever summer may represent for you and your family, it can also be a time to enjoy the fresh seasonal produce that is now available. Sugar snap peas, golden corn on the cob, fresh beetroot, green runner beans, crisp radishes and not forgetting sweet, juicy strawberries. Summer is a great time to incorporate a few smoothies, juices, salads and fruit to balance the warmth that the sunshine brings.

When children arrive home after a long day at school, feeling hot and bothered and often irritable as they are hungry, a small juice or smoothie can be great whilst dinner is being prepared. This needn't be a XL super sized juice as obviously that will affect their appetite. However a small juice can keep them going until dinner, helping them to cool down after a hot day.

Juice and smoothie recipe ideas to follow...

Good Vibrations Barcelona

If you haven't done so already check out the previous posts with the Hug Game Explained video. Great fun! For more fun, positive ideas, videos, news and activities have a look on the Good Vibrations Barcelona page on facebook...

Good Vibrations Barcelona - Facebook

Peter Sharp has organised some wonderful events to spread happiness and love socially, experimenting with new ideas, concepts, seeing what really makes humans tick, and the noticing how even though we can be complex individuals, deep down many are are seeking a similar and very simple thing...to feel happy, loved and accepted.

Whilst food plays a very important role in children's health, thoughts, emotions, lifestyle etc also play huge part. All areas need to be acknowledged and balanced in order for them to be able to grow up feeling happy, confident and healthy.

Try the Hug Game today and notice what difference it makes to your children's attitude and behaviour.

What changes?

How do they respond differently towards you and others after the game?

Feedback is always welcomed, do leave your comments on this blog and let us know how your family respond!

Hug Game

Ok so this is not really to do with fruit and vegetables however it fits in nicely with the bigger picture behind this blog, helping children to become the healthy and happy individuals they came here to be.

Spreading positivity and joy is always something of immense value, especially nowadays where there can be so much fear present. Children are no exception as many grow up surrounded by fear, lacking love and affection, and as adults, I believe it is our duty to encourage them to look for the positive things in life,  and experience the joy of connectingng with others in a positive way and this game works perfectly in doing so.

The idea is based on the famous rock, paper scissors game, however using hugs instead. Great video, great concept and works well for all ages. Below is a link for the video demonstration of the Hug Game by Peter Sharp and Matthew Watson Jones from Good Vibrations Barcelona (more information to follow).

Hug Game Explained by Good Vibrations Barcelona

Have a try with the family, notice how your children respond and most of all enjoy the positivity and feelings of love and connection that this game brings.

Happy hugging!

Great Offer!!!

Do you want to learn delicious, healthy recipes for you and your family?

Do you want to improve your family´s helath and vitality as well as your own?

I would like to invite you to a very special Natural Nutrition Course in English at the heart of Barcelona. Learn to cook tasty and healthy meals for you and your family as well as begin to learn the comprehensive study of the energetics of food and how we can use it to our advantage to create vitality and great health.

This course will include...

The 7 levels of Cooking

Our body’s needs. Why, what, how and how much

The modern way of eating and its effects

The move towards a healthier way of eating

Transitional steps. Changing for the better

Quick cooking for busy people

The inner journey of digestion – achieving its maximum potential

Creating good quality blood

Activating our body’s natural ability to detoxify

Breakfast – start a day with harmony and vitality

Introduction to the Energetics of our daily foods

Simple menu planning for daily use -theory & practise

Mastering the art of daily balance

Cooking for individual energetic needs

Learn about our Constitution

Self-diagnosis and its practical application in daily cooking

The wheel of life: our needs at different stages of life

Reclaiming our natural weight – general guidelines to achieve it

Seasonal cooking – how to achieve balance in each season

This course (In English) is an exclusive for 2013 at La Escuela de Montse Bradford, spaces are limited so book now!

For more information and bookings please email recepcion@montsebradford.es


Begin this summer with increased energy, health and wellbeing!

Happy Belated Birthday!

My fruit and vegetable friends has been online for just over a year now...a big thank you to all the viewers, google+ followers, Mumsnet, Bloglovin and twitter followers (@FruitVegFriends) for helping to spread the word about My Fruit And Vegetable Friends and make a difference to children's diets.

Thank you :)

More great stuff to come...!

There Is No Failure - Only Feedback

Tip #2: Congratulate yourself for persevering and learning something new from every situation. If you don't receive the results that you were hoping for, try something else.

Children are great examples of this, they will try all sorts of methods to influence you to buy that new toy or chocolate bar!

...asking politely, demanding it, having a tantrum, saying that their friends have it etc...

Flexibility and creativity are key

Be Flexible: Try a different method and see what happens, if they didn't like carrots cut into stick shapes, try them cut in flower shapes (see vegetable shapes post)

Be Creative: You know your children better than anyone so use that to your advantage, be creative in presenting vegetables in a way that will be appealing for them.

"If you always do what you've done, you'll always get what you've got"

Henry Ford

NLP - What is it and how can it help?

What is NLP?

NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming, and I often describe NLP by saying that it is a tool...a tool to understand any unhelpful patterns we may be creating unconsciously in our lives, and to enhance or alter our patterns of thought, behaviour and emotion so to become the best version of ourselves.

So what does NLP have to do with Fruit and Vegetables?

I wanted to share some NLP skills on this blog that can help improve situations with getting children to eat fruit and vegetables - NLP can be used in any situation, for anyone - not just in coaching sessions!

Not only will you be equipped with great recipes and food ideas, you will also know how to positively influence your children through the use of body language and words!

So here is the first tip...

Tip #1: Building Rapport

You cannot lead and positively influence your child if you do not have rapport with them. Rapport is a sense of trust, a common ground, a connection which can be increased by a few simple steps.

First, a few things to take into consideration when building rapport are…

Be genuine – If you’re not genuine they will pick up on it

Be curious – Ask them questions, find out who they really are and how their brain works

Step into their shoes - Aim to see the world from their point of view

Body Language - adopt an open posture, subtly matching and mirroring your child's body language.

This means if you want to talk to them about the importance of vegetables, get down to their level physically so you can communicate at eye level to gain better results. You will come accross as more welcoming, friendly and less threatening.

Notice how differently your child will react if you stand over them with your arms crossed compared to talking to them at eye level with a friendly expression and posture.

Voice And Language - adopt a friendly way of speaking, subtly matching and mirroring your child's voice and language.

This means if you want to talk to them about the importance of vegetables, use language that they understand and also deliver it in a way that they understand.

Notice how differently your child will react if you shout and demand that they eat their vegetables compared to using a similar pace, tone and words to what they use?

PACE: Start by aiming to see the world from their point of view

RAPPORT: Build rapport between you

LEAD: Now you have the opportunity to positively influence them

One more thing to mention is your state. You cannot positively influence your children if you are in a negative state, and by state I mean feeling unhappy, sad, angry or irritable.

93% of communication is non-verbal!

Notice how differently the each of following two examples play out...

a) Parent is feeling angry and irritable, because of this they may stand over their child and demand that they eat their vegetables, they may have also adopted a crossed arms posture or tapping their foot, a harsh tone of voice and stern words...how willing do you think the child is to cooperate in this situation?

b) Parent is feeling optimistic and motivated, because of this they may to get down to the child's eye level and explain why eating their vegetables are important, they also may choose to use words that the child understands, a friendly expression and acknowledge the child's feelings...how willing do you think the child is to cooperate in this situation?

Your thoughts→  Your behaviour/physiology→ Communicated to other

Whatever you think will be communicated to others on some level. By thinking positive thoughts you will start to feel more positive. By feeling more positive you will start to behave in a positive way through your choice of words and body language, therefore gaining a more positive reception from others.

Try it and see what happens!

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & How To Listen So Kids Will Talk

'How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & How To Listen So Kids Will Talk'

by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish has to be one of the best books I have read. Practical, useful, eye opening and entertaining with great tips on how to communicate with children.

This books helps to bring peace and harmony to the home with tips and ideas on how help children gain confidence, responsibility, initiative and most importantly knowing how to acknowledge their emotions so they can grow to be happy and healthy individuals.

A few tips that can help with children eating vegetables...

Give Information: Explain WHY vegetables are important - children are smarter than we give them credit for and if we explain the facts in a way that is easy to understand they will be less likely to react and refuse than if we say "because I said so"

"Vegetables are important to eat because they help your body to work well so you have energy to play and study at school"

Write A Note: For older kids you can leave a fun post-it note near the fruit bowl or by some healthy snacks saying

"please eat me if you want a snack :) "

However the best way to reduce junk food consumption is not to have it in the house in the first place!

Give Choices And Show Respect: Give children a choice allowing them to choose what vegetables are cooked for dinner...

"do you want green beans or broccoli with your dinner?"

If a child is struggling with a vegetable then acknowledge their feelings and show respect...

"It can be weird trying new things at first...what would be better eating it with your eyes open or closed?"

Describe What You See: When a child is trying to eat vegetables describe what you see...

"I see_(name of child)_trying some vegetables"

Describe What You Feel: After describing what you see, add in some feelings...

"Its a pleasure to see the vegetables being eaten"

Sum It Up: After the two previous descriptions, sum it up in a word so they can also expand their vocabulary...

"That's what I call perseverance!"

Try these tips and notice what changes!

A Different Approach

As you may already know, one of my other passions is NLP. During the week I coach people to realise their goals, help to remove limiting beliefs so they can begin achieving the life they have always dreamt of.

So how does this fit in with My Fruit And Vegetable Friends?

Over the month of April I will be posting tips and ideas on how to improve children's diets through the use of language, NLP skills and other valuable tips that I have picked up along the way.

So watch this space!

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Jamie Oliver! He has been such a great inspiration to many people around the world, campaigning for better education about food and improving school meals around the world.

Another great Ted Talk, well worth watching!

However you needn't be a public figure to make a difference, this change is down to everyone. We can all help, we can all make a difference no matter how big or small. Even a small change such as changing that chocolate bar in your children's packed lunches a few days a week for some dried fruit or fresh fruit slices will start to get the ball rolling...

Notice how great it will be to see children grow up to be strong, healthy and happy!