Perfect for summer (or anytime of year made with other sesonal fruit) is this delicious berry cake made using polenta. 100% sugar free, wheat free, gluten free, lactose free but 100% full of flavour.
Cut into squares for birthday parties, serve for special afternoon teas, decorate with strawberries, raspberries and other berries, use a special treat with packed lunches, etc etc
See recipe section of this blog for the full recipe
YUM!
20 July 2012
9 July 2012
Lets Get Creative
Here's an idea...its quick, easy, simple to do and will bring a little fun to dinner time! Lets make vegetable sand-castles made with Polenta!
Polenta is derived from corn and is so simple to use and very versitle (the recipe for this will follow shortly on the recipe page of this blog).
All you need to do is pour the cooked vegetable/polenta mix into individual bowls and allow to cool. Once cooled turn upside down and pop on the plate along with the rest of your chosen dinner.
Polenta is derived from corn and is so simple to use and very versitle (the recipe for this will follow shortly on the recipe page of this blog).
All you need to do is pour the cooked vegetable/polenta mix into individual bowls and allow to cool. Once cooled turn upside down and pop on the plate along with the rest of your chosen dinner.
29 June 2012
Talk Their Language
We all know how children love junk food, fast food and other oily, salty or sugary foods. The most important thing with children is to provide them with nutritional, healthy meals and snacks crammed full of fresh fruit and vegetables however presented in a way that will appeal to them. Talk their language!
Children (especially when they are at school) want to fit in with their peers, therefore it is essential that they can have healthy versions of well known foods so they can feel more accepted. Pizza is loved by almost everyone and especially children and teenagers.
By making your own pizza at home you are then in control of what toppings you put on top. This needn't be a laborious affair as there are many good quality ready made pizza bases available (all good Helath Food shops sell quality wholewheat/spelt pizza bases). Add a little tomato or even better beetroot sauce (see recipe section of this blog for beetroot pasta sauce - also great for pizza) and then top to your hearts content with chopped vegetables such as the following...Sweetcorn, Onion, Courgette, Mushroom, Asparagus, Artichoke etc etc etc.
To involve your children, choose and chop some vegetables together and then they can create their own pizza. Remember as children are growing fast always include plenty of protein too on the pizza or seperately with the same meal.
Children (especially when they are at school) want to fit in with their peers, therefore it is essential that they can have healthy versions of well known foods so they can feel more accepted. Pizza is loved by almost everyone and especially children and teenagers.
By making your own pizza at home you are then in control of what toppings you put on top. This needn't be a laborious affair as there are many good quality ready made pizza bases available (all good Helath Food shops sell quality wholewheat/spelt pizza bases). Add a little tomato or even better beetroot sauce (see recipe section of this blog for beetroot pasta sauce - also great for pizza) and then top to your hearts content with chopped vegetables such as the following...Sweetcorn, Onion, Courgette, Mushroom, Asparagus, Artichoke etc etc etc.
To involve your children, choose and chop some vegetables together and then they can create their own pizza. Remember as children are growing fast always include plenty of protein too on the pizza or seperately with the same meal.
Carrots Carrots Carrots
What are the health benefits of carrots?
Carrots are very high in Beta Carotene which the body then converts into retinol (a type of Vitamin A). Vitamin A is essential for good quality skin, hair and especially eyes...thats where the well known phrase comes from 'carrots help you see in the dark'. Whilst they may not give you ultra night vision abilities, they do help promote good eye health so very important for growing children.
Quite fitting don't you think how the centre of carrot slices look like the iris of the eye?
Carrots are very high in Beta Carotene which the body then converts into retinol (a type of Vitamin A). Vitamin A is essential for good quality skin, hair and especially eyes...thats where the well known phrase comes from 'carrots help you see in the dark'. Whilst they may not give you ultra night vision abilities, they do help promote good eye health so very important for growing children.
Quite fitting don't you think how the centre of carrot slices look like the iris of the eye?
Make Vegetables Fun!
There are many ways to make vegetables more fun and one way is by varying the cutting styles. At first, it may look like too much work or time, however it needn't be. The following image with carrot slices in flower shapes literally took me a couple of minutes and it is so effective.
Perfect for special occasions to add some vegetables to a birthday party spread or even just as something different for a normal everyday meal. If your children don't like carrots or cucumber try the following shapes, along with some pate or a dip and see what happens!
Perfect for special occasions to add some vegetables to a birthday party spread or even just as something different for a normal everyday meal. If your children don't like carrots or cucumber try the following shapes, along with some pate or a dip and see what happens!
Carrot Flowers: Wash, peel (especially if not organic) and top and tail the carrots. With a knife cut long slithers length ways down the carrot and repeat all around every 0.5 or 1cm, removing a little of the carrot slither. Slice into rounds as usual and voila! (Can be served raw or cooked).
Cucumber Rings: Wash well and slice the cucumber as usual into rounds and use an apple corer to remove the centre of the cucumber slices (you can stack 4 or 5 slices ontop of one another to speed up the process).
28 June 2012
Healthy Snacks
With an increasing number of junk foods on the market, children are bombarded left, right, and centre with goods crammed full of refined sugars, phosphoric acid (cola drinks), excessive amounts of salt, monosodium glutamate (flavoured crisps), artificial sweetners and colourings - its no wonder that children today have many health issues and hyperactivity disorders.
Children are a true mirror to what we feed them. They will reflect back the quality of what food they have been given without fail - this is where the saying 'you are what you eat' really takes on its true meaning!
So what snacks are good? Obviously we do not want to remove their appetite for a good dinner however children have fast metabolisms and may need a few snacks inbetween meals to keep them going.
You can try any of the following and see whic work best with your children...
Happy snacking!
Children are a true mirror to what we feed them. They will reflect back the quality of what food they have been given without fail - this is where the saying 'you are what you eat' really takes on its true meaning!
So what snacks are good? Obviously we do not want to remove their appetite for a good dinner however children have fast metabolisms and may need a few snacks inbetween meals to keep them going.
You can try any of the following and see whic work best with your children...
- Chopped fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Dried fruit
- Vegetable sticks and dips (see recipe section of this blog)
- Lightly salted corn chips and dips
- Fruit smoothies
- Fruit and vegetable juices
- Oatcakes and pate
- Naturally sweetened sweets, carob bars and other childrens snacks from Health Food shops
- Rice/Corn cakes with peanut butter and jam and/or sliced bananas
- Fruit kebabs with Peanut butter toffee sauce
- Homemade dried fruit and nut cereral bars
- Homemade Polenta summer berry cake (recipe coming soon!)
- Homemade fruit jelly using agar agar
- Sourdough toast with tahini and sugar free fruit jam
Happy snacking!
Food Shopping!
Next time you are doing your weekly food shop in the local supermarket/market why not ask your children to pick one new type of vegetable or fruit to try as a treat? They can choose from the array of different colours, shapes, textures and whilst you can explain a little about where some of them come from.
They will be much more willling to try new fruit and vegetables if they are given a choice.
Who said education was boring?!!
They will be much more willling to try new fruit and vegetables if they are given a choice.
Who said education was boring?!!
27 June 2012
Top Tip
Another tip to get your children involved with fruit and vegetables is to have them to contribute to meal preparations. Not only can they help washing and cutting soft vegetables or fruit with a child safe knife, they can also have their say about what they may prefer for dinner. Now I dont mean asking 'What do you want for dinner?' as this may usually bring the response of 'Pizza! Chips!'. However give them a choice between vegetables.
You may have the meal planned already or need to use certain vegetables before they spoil, however by giving your children a choice between 2 vegetables that will form part of the meal not only will help them and you identify what vegetables they like, it will also give them a chance to contribute to the meal. For example you could ask... 'Do you want broccoli or green beans with your dinner tonight?'
When they then see the chosen vegetable on the table at dinner time, knowing that they helped in someway to contribute to the meal they will be more likely to eat it, rather than being forced to eat a plate of food that is placed infront of them which they had no involvement with.
You may have the meal planned already or need to use certain vegetables before they spoil, however by giving your children a choice between 2 vegetables that will form part of the meal not only will help them and you identify what vegetables they like, it will also give them a chance to contribute to the meal. For example you could ask... 'Do you want broccoli or green beans with your dinner tonight?'
When they then see the chosen vegetable on the table at dinner time, knowing that they helped in someway to contribute to the meal they will be more likely to eat it, rather than being forced to eat a plate of food that is placed infront of them which they had no involvement with.
21 May 2012
Always Amazing...
I picked the first carrot of the year today whilst visiting family. Such a joy and something so simple to harvest your own vegetables!!
This is not just for a select few - even if you don't have much room in the garden or even no garden you can grow alfalfa sprouts, cress, herbs or salad leave in your kitchen - something that is great for children to be involved with. For them to know where their food comes from and how their food has arrived to their plate should be one of the most important factors in their education and not just from their school lessons...I am sure many would agree that education starts at home.
So lets start the fun! Details on how to grow alfalfa sprouts are under the March 2012 posts on this blog.
This is not just for a select few - even if you don't have much room in the garden or even no garden you can grow alfalfa sprouts, cress, herbs or salad leave in your kitchen - something that is great for children to be involved with. For them to know where their food comes from and how their food has arrived to their plate should be one of the most important factors in their education and not just from their school lessons...I am sure many would agree that education starts at home.
So lets start the fun! Details on how to grow alfalfa sprouts are under the March 2012 posts on this blog.
13 May 2012
More Beetroot Loveliness...
Hello lovely people!
Check the recipe section for a delicious pasta sauce recipe made with Beetroots - lots of vegetables crammed in this sauce to compliment pasta which makes it perfect for children. Due the nature of Beetroot this sauce is very good for creating healthy blood unlike regular consumption of many acidic ingredients found in usual pasta suaces - tomato, vinegar, sugar etc.
Do let me know how your children respond :)
Check the recipe section for a delicious pasta sauce recipe made with Beetroots - lots of vegetables crammed in this sauce to compliment pasta which makes it perfect for children. Due the nature of Beetroot this sauce is very good for creating healthy blood unlike regular consumption of many acidic ingredients found in usual pasta suaces - tomato, vinegar, sugar etc.
Do let me know how your children respond :)
9 May 2012
Fruit Kebabs
Delicious, attractive and healthy too!
Simply chop some fruit and slide onto kebab sticks - depending on their age your children can help with peeling bananas, and chopping soft fruit with a child safe knife. Check the recipe section of this blog for the recipe of the peanut butter toffee sauce - completely sugar free but sooo good!
Simply chop some fruit and slide onto kebab sticks - depending on their age your children can help with peeling bananas, and chopping soft fruit with a child safe knife. Check the recipe section of this blog for the recipe of the peanut butter toffee sauce - completely sugar free but sooo good!
Please note: Be sure to always supervise while your children eat fruit off the kebab sticks.
1 May 2012
It's Trade Fair Week!
I am so looking forward to this week as I am off to the well known Eco trade fair this week in Barcelona, and will be able to have a good old nose at all the new products on the market...I will keep you posted of any exciting news/tips and recipes.
25 April 2012
Lovely Colourful Beetroot
There some people who have been put off by Beetroot over the years after trying it with excessive amounts of vinegar in salads. This is a shame as it is probably one of the most versatile vegetables there are. I have added a Beetroot pate recipe in the recipe section of this blog for you to try - perfect way to introduce Beetroot to your children along with a few (lightly) salted corn chips. Great for parties and not just childrens parties!
So what is so good about Beetroot anyway?! It is thought due to its levels of potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6, C and along with antioxidant properties, it is great for improving stamina, assisting the muscles as well as helping the body to produce good quality blood. All essential for growing children.
There will be more beetroot recipes coming your way soon including a fabulous pasta sauce.
Mmmm!
So what is so good about Beetroot anyway?! It is thought due to its levels of potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6, C and along with antioxidant properties, it is great for improving stamina, assisting the muscles as well as helping the body to produce good quality blood. All essential for growing children.
There will be more beetroot recipes coming your way soon including a fabulous pasta sauce.
Mmmm!
11 April 2012
New Recipe Posted
Check out the recipe page for details how to make a delicious avocado pate - great with vegetable sticks as well as the usual corn chips. Also delicious with pan fried vegetables such as asparagus, as a salad dressing or even to accompany fish - something for everyone!
Avocados are well known to be very rich in monounsaturated fats which is believed to help lower cholesterol and keep the heart healthy. Therefore they are a great, healthy fat and oil source, without the accumulating and blocking effect that saturated animal foods can have on the body.
Good stuff eh?!
2 April 2012
Yum Yum Yum
Add some fun in the kitchen and get your children involved!
Why not melt a few spoons of carob spread with a little water and your children can dip strawberries or other fruit into the delicious sauce. Carob spread (naturally sweetened versions available) can be found in health food shops and is great if you find your children become hyper with regular chocolate, as unlike chocolate it does not contain any stimulants.
YUM!
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