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

Pickles, Pickles and more Pickles

Happy 1st of April everyone! Those of you in the UK, happy April fools! 

Recently I was helping out at 'La Escuela de Cocina Natural y Energetica' in Barcelona in the practical class. A great bunch of new students eager to learn, full of enthusiasm and 'ganas' as they say here to try new recipes. In that class we demonstrated how to make homemade pickles. 

There are many pickles around the world from gherkins (originally from West Africa, later West Indies and then central Europe), to sauerkraut (which has been documented in ancient Korean and Roman texts, later becoming a regular in German and Eastern European countries), and much later Branston pickle in the UK which is like a chutney. Originally pickles such as sauerkraut were created using a natural fermentation process. Simply by adding salt and water to shredded cabbage and allowing it to take on a process called lacto-fermentation, a natural pickle is formed full of healthy bacteria goodness. 

The thing to note nowadays is that many shop bought pickles do not contain healthy bacteria. Manufacturers have sped up the process by simply adding vinegar, sugar and salt to create the sour flavour. This does the complete opposite to the natural version. Instead of promoting a healthy digestive system, the vinegar can irritate the bowels and create excess acidity, depleting important minerals from the body.

The great thing with natural pickles is that not only are you helping you and your kids to have a healthy digestive system, they can also stimulate appetite for kids who have lost their appetite. 

NOTE: Pickles are advised to be eaten in very small amounts for young children as they contain salt.

Simply empty a clean jam jar, fill with sliced carrots (or another vegetable), and add salt water (one large 500g jar takes 1 large heaped tablespoon of salt). Leave the jar in a cool dry place (lid off!) covered with a cheese cloth for 3 days to start the fermentation process. After 3 days you can put the lid on and place in the fridge. Ready to eat in 10 days!

TIPS: If you find they are too salty, simply exchange some of the brine for fresh water and leave for another 24hrs in the fridge before eating. 

Try this with your children and involve them in the process. They will love the salty, sour taste of these pickles!

The Truth About Junk Food

Junk food that doesn't even decompose after 1 year?! Is this really what we want our kids to eat on a regular basis? 

One mother in Canada kept a burger and fries for one year and published the results in the press. Here are the before and after photos from the Daily Mail newspaper along with ingredients present in regular fast food burger buns and fries. The fresher the food the quicker it spoils, the more natural the produce the quicker it rots. Do we really want to feed children something that has added colourants and preservatives so that the food maintains its look even after 1 year? 

"If you don't recognise and understand the words in the list of ingredients, then you probably shouldn't be eating it." 

Jamie Oliver 

Arepas

I recently tried Arepas for the first time whilst attending a friends birthday party. So delicious and what a great idea! 

Arepas are maize patties, originating from Venezuela and Colombia. Traditionally made from pre-cooked white maize flour which is mixed with water and a pinch of salt and then baked or pan fried until golden. Normally quite thick, almost similar to an English Crumpet in size and sliced halfway down the middle like pita bread so to place the filling inside.

Whilst maize doesn't have much nutritional value, they make a great alternative for those kids who are gluten intolerant as an occasional snack. The filling is where you can place all the goodness. 

Cheese is used quite a lot in traditional Arepa fillings however as you know my blog is dairy free. You see the previous post The White Stuff for details. 

Here are some alternative Arepa fillings...

• Stir fried vegetables with braised tofu
• Stir fried vegetables with prawns
• Caramelised onions with pan fried Tempeh 
• Avocado and smoked salmon
• Tuna pate, grated carrot and avocado
• Aduki bean pate with lettuce and gherkins 
• Hummus with lettuce and alfalfa sprouts

Basically any sandwich filling can be used for Arepas as well as hot versions such as the stir fried veg above. Experiment including different proteins and vegetables. Allowing kids to fill their own Arepas providing a mix of nutritious pates and proteins along with salad leaves and vegetables at the table is another great way to get them involved with food. 

Enjoy!

New Beginings

Happy New Year! 

How are those healthy eating resolutions coming along? 

Sometimes at this time of year motivation for doing new years resolutions can start to wear off, the initial novelty can fade once we get back into the day to day routine of school and work. 

We may set new healthy eating goals to loose weight and improve our health as well as our families after Christmas. We may also want to give our children nutritious foods so that they can grow strong and healthy with focus whilst they study at school. 

Anything is easier when we come together as a family, helping each other through the transition. Become role models for children helping them to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as improving the rest of the families diets at the same time. We cant expect to feed children more broccoli if we avoid it ourselves. 

Achieving goals is something I work with a lot in NLP coaching, helping others to achieve to achieve their desired outcomes. You can find a free download of Self Motivation tips on my therapy website here. 

• What will you and your children gain by eating healthily? 
• What will you and your children loose by eating more fruits and vegetables? 
• What do you and your children gain by continuing the same way? 
• What do you and your children loose by not improving eating habits? 

Spreading The Love This Christmas!

Christmas is a time for giving, receiving and playing games so why not tie it all in together and spread a little love this Christmas with the hug game! Something for all the family to enjoy.

 

Here are Good Vibrations Barcelona Matthew and Peter explaining the instructions...

Hug Game

Enjoy!!

Happy Christmas

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, full of laughter, fun, and great memories to be treasured with the family!

 

What does Christmas mean to you and your family?

What message about Christmas are you giving to your children?

 

May this be a wonderful end to 2013 to pave the way for a fabulous year to come in 2014!

 

Happy Christmas everyone :-)

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!

Healthy Christmas Treats

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year, celebrations with the family for whatever the season may mean to you, delicious food, snug evenings in around the fire place playing games as well as a little bit of magic for the little ones too.

Christmas can however cause a lot of unnecessary stress especially when doing the supermarket runs. We seem to be bombarded with junk food and sugary treats at every aisle, mainly aimed at children. Not only do these foods on a regular basis harm the health of growing children, they can also increase stress levels as the body fights the toxins, saturated fats and refined sugars.

This is not to say we cant enjoy some chocolate, sweets or other festive goodies out there. However just notice the wide range of variety of more wholesome brands available. If you are counting the pennies, wonderful homemade treats can be great fun to make involving the children too.

A few healthier Christmas snack options (some of which can also be used as stocking fillers)...

• Tangerines, Satsumas, Mandarins...what a better way to bring in one of their 5 a day!
• Homemade carob treats (simply melt a bar, mix with dried fruit and nuts and leave to cool before cutting into chunks). This can be wrapped in little bags as a tasty stocking filler.

• The same mixture can be made with added orange rind and rolled into a ball shape when cool enough to handle. Wrap in foil and add to stockings as a tasty chocolate snowball.
• Use the previous carob mixture and mix with a little desiccated coconut, rolling into small truffle shape balls and coating with more coconut. Mini snowballs!
• Check out your local health food shop for tasty sweets free from sugar, gelatin, artificial colours and preservatives...and yes they taste great!
• Melt a carob bar into a lovely rich thick sauce and allow kids to dip their tangerine segments  or nuts into the sauce.
• Dried fruit and nuts in mini bags.
• Mini packets of raisins.
• Fruit leathers, fruit snack bars.
• Homemade popcorn with a few drops of umeboshi seasoning...kids will love this!
• Vegetable sticks and tortilla chips with dips (avocado, hummus, beetroot...)
• Kids non alcoholic mulled wine: red grape juice, orange juice and a few mulled wine spices.
• Roasted chestnuts in the oven.
• Sweet potato wedges
• Sweet potato and apple cake. The touch of cinnamon makes this cake a perfect festive treat.