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Good For ME!                                                                                       Help Children Learn Healthy Eating - They're Worth It!!

10/21/2013

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Healthy eating should be a way of living that will promote health, growth and well-being.  As adults, many of us have turned to healthy eating to cure our ills, whether that's extra weight or lack of fitness - and it's great that we have.  But we can't wait until our children are adults to have them learn about nutrition and fitness; we need to instill values and practices now that they can apply in their own lives.  We can't push that responsibility onto them, and we shouldn't assume they'll pick it up in school or through government initiatives.  Children can learn about healthy eating through school and campaigns, but we need to help them put it into practice in our homes and families.  
Safefood in Ireland launches a campaign to fight childhood obesity today.  Here are the facts:  1 in 4 children is overweight or obese. Obese children are likely to become obese adults.  Many parents don't recognize when their child is overweight.  4 out of 5 children aren't getting enough physical activity.  Safefood is also highlighting some of the short term effects: problems with bone health, breathing difficulties and psychological/social effects. And long term effects: cancer, heart disease and diabetes.   
The statistics are grim, but statistics don't show us how to change our habits.  Safefood is attempting to highlight the problem, but we need to create solutions.    
Having spoken to children about healthy eating in classroom and group settings, there are a few ideas I want to share.  We tell kids they'll get vitamins and minerals from food, but we don't tell them what that means.  They learn the words but not the value or the practice.  We tell them sugar is bad but we don't make it relatable.  They're not understanding what has sugar, how much it has and how much is too much.  We tell them to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but we might not be giving them 5 portions per day!  
I developed a few tools I think can help - please, download them and use them in your home or classroom. 
 
To help children understand vitamins and minerals - what they are, what they do, how much we need, and what foods they're in - I've written 2 sheets that clearly explain what vitamins and minerals are and in what fruits and vegetables we find them.  

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To put into practice the healthy habit of eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, I created 2 printables.   The first is a teddy bear dot-to-dot.  It has 33 dots to connect plus 2 eyes.  Kids color in a dot each time they eat a fruit or vegetable - if they color all 35 they'll have eaten 5 portions for the 7 days that week.  The second is a Good For Me Sunflower.  Again, they can color in a section each time they have a fruit or vegetable - there are 35 all together - 5 a day for 7 days.  These not only help the kids see how many portions they're eating, it encourages us as parents and caregivers to actually serve or provide enough!  Encourage kids to use the color of the fruit or vegetable they've eaten when coloring in - this way they can see how much (or how little) variety they're consuming.  
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Those are positive messages for kids.  Don't be afraid to share some of the alarming truths so they can understand the importance of healthy eating and why we need to be concerned about it.  Here's what I tell kids: 
Nutrition means getting the food we need for health and growth.  Why do you need to aware of it?  Diet related illnesses for people my age have reached "epidemic" proportions.  We're not doing a great 
job for ourselves.  And we're feeding you guys almost twice as much sugar as we had when we were kids.  You can blame us when you're older and not feeling great, but that won't make you better.  You need to learn why it's important to look after yourself.

Let's talk about what you don't want:  sugar.  I know you think you want it!  And sugar is what our body burns for fuel - but we can get the sugar we need from natural food sources - when we have too much sugar, our body turns it into fat and stores it.  Consuming too much sugar increases our risk for heart disease - even for young people!  If we become obese, we increase our risk for a variety of cancers, diabetes, weak bones, breathing problems and more.  Obesity is an epidemic in Ireland and globally.  (Epidemic means it's a problem for a great number of people.) The World Health Organization says that body weight is now the most common childhood disease.  In Ireland, more adults are facing obesity than smoke - and we know how bad smoking is.  So, this is serious!  And we need to change what we're eating and we can't wait.  

One way to lower the amount of sugar you have is to cut out - or at least limit - sugary drinks.  The World Health Organization recommends that you have no more than 45 grams of added sugar per day.  Did you know that 1 can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar?  A bottle of Lucozade has 64 grams!  Even 1 cup of unsweetened apple juice has 24 grams of sugar.  Make sure you're thinking of sugary drinks as treats - they're not what you should be drinking when you're thirsty.  Water is really the best for that.  And while we're on the subject of treats, let's remember the definition of that word:  "an event or item that is out of the ordinary..."  That means it's not something you have every day!  Enjoy your treats, but keep them for special occasions. 

Let's talk about what you do want: Eat 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day - and eat a variety of them so you get lots of different vitamins and minerals.  Eat protein, which helps to build and care for all of the material your body is made of: muscles, blood, organs, every cell.  Protein also helps move those vitamins and minerals around your body so they can get to where they need to go.  You get protein by eating meat, seafood, eggs, beans, peas, nuts and seeds.  Eat grains, they give your body vitamins and minerals, too.  They're also important for your digestive system (the way your body absorbs nutrition and moves it around your body). Some examples of
 grains are oats, rice, whole wheat flour, bread, pasta.  
Eat/Drink dairy to help you develop strong bones and teeth.  You can get dairy from milk, yogurt, cheese.  And you also want to be active - that's the easy part: play, run, walk - get moving.  


I hope this helps you to help the children in your life!  They're worth it.


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Chicken and something...

12/6/2012

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Often, the choice we make for a mid-week meal has more to do with timing and satisfaction and less to do with variety and nutrition.  When my own family ask me what's for dinner, they're routinely told, "chicken and something."  But I do try to mix it up - for taste and for the nutrition that comes from eating a variety of vegetables*.  We get bored with the same old thing, but most nights we don't have time for fancy and can be afraid to try something new when pressed for time.   We need easy and we need inspiration.  Try making one of your vegetables a little "inspired" and keep one easy.  Here are 2 menus for those afternoons when there is chicken in your fridge, you have a half hour and you need to figure out what that "chicken and something" is going to become. 

(All use items that are usually available in my kitchen - don't be afraid to substitute!  If no oranges, marinate with lemons, e.g.)

*Also - by regularly serving diverse vegetables in a variety of ways, you're encouraging your children to try/endure/enjoy a wider range of tastes.  We have a rule in my house that has been working for the past few years - much longer than most "rules"!  Each child can choose one vegetable, that if served, they don't have to eat; everything else must be swallowed.  The test of time has shown me that they have gone from pinching their noses and gulping quickly to tolerance to actually enjoying more vegetables and welcoming  more flavours.  

ORANGE MARINATED CHICKEN  with ROAST SWEET POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY AND PARMESAN (and STEAMED BROCCOLI)

Chicken: put a glug (tablespoon +) of olive oil in a bowl and squeeze the juice of one orange in (or pour in 2-3 tablespoons o.j.).  Add some dried herbs - oregano, basil - and a pinch of sea salt and 2 twists of pepper.  Whisk.  Flatten chicken: put between 2 sheets of cling film and hit with kitchen mallet or use the bottom of a sturdy mug.  Marinate chicken for 5 - 15 minutes, then pop under the grill to cook.  

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Sweet potatoes:  peel and slice 2 sweet potatoes into thin strips, like matchsticks.  In a medium/large bowl, toss with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.  Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer (will take 2 baking sheets) and bake at 200ºC for approximately 20 minutes.  In the meantime, chop some fresh rosemary (so easy to grow, I have a huge bush in my garden with no effort) and grate some lemon zest & parmesan cheese.  Check after 20 minutes, and if sweet potatoes look close to done, toss/flip on the baking sheet and then sprinkle with rosemary/lemon/parmesan and add a twist or 2 of black pepper.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
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Broccoli:  easy - wash & steam.  Although I'd highly recommend a steamer, if you don't have a one, boil some water and blanche the broccoli quickly - don't leave in the water too long as it will leech nutrients from your veg.   

HERBED CHICKEN and SQUASH ROUNDS WITH THYME & PECANS (and MUSHROOMS & ASPARAGUS)

Chicken: In a large frying pan with a lid, add a small (1/2 tablespoon) amount of olive oil and some herbs - whatever you have handy.  Fresh, dried or both - tarragon, basil, oregano... Place chicken breasts into pan over a high heat, cover and leave to cook.  Flip once - doesn't take very long - maybe 10-12 minutes in total.  

Squash rounds: Peel and slice the top part of a butternut squash into rounds about 1 centimeter thick.  Put on a lightly oiled baking tray.  Sprinkle with some fresh thyme,  small bit of sea salt and pepper.  Roast in oven (about 200ºC) for approximately 20 minutes.  In the meantime, chop some pecans.  Flip squash and toss the pecans over the top along with a small pinch of red chili flakes (you might leave the chili off the ones for the kids).  Roast for another 5-10 minutes, until edges are a small bit browned and pecans are a little toasted.  

Mushrooms & asparagus: easy: wash and chop both (asparagus into inch or so chunks).  Saute in a frying pan - no need to use butter (a tiny bit of sesame oil if you want)  - as they start to heat, add a small splash of water to help steam them in the pan.  You can put these in the same pan at the same time - by the time the mushrooms are ready, the asparagus will have softened a bit, but will retain some bite.  

(*Sorry - gobbled down this dinner and forgot to take photos!  Will add when I make again.)

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School lunch

9/27/2012

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It's 7 a.m., I have no bread, no rolls, hard cheese, some crackers... can't do peanut butter...  It's the curse of the school lunch.  So, I Google - the savior - "school lunches ideas."  The site I click on has a list of 50 lunch box ideas.  The first idea is "An I Love You note from Mom or Dad, or both."  Thanks.  My kids will love that.  They'll feel the love ... and the hunger.  
Ok, so I have to get to work:  Find: lasagne noodles, frozen spinach, some cream cheese and some pasta sauce.   Um - worth a try!  Boil the noodles until al dente, quick dip the spinach into the hot water to defrost - drain and squeeze the extra water out.  Mix up a dollop of cream cheese with some spinach and some pasta sauce.  Add a dash of dried basil & oregano.  
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Lay out the noodle, spoon some of the mixture on and roll up, trimming any excess noodle.  Pop into the oven for about 7 or 8 minutes.  
Because these are going in a lunch box, I won't top with any sauce or cheese.  If it were an at home lunch, I might add a bit.  Wrap in aluminum foil to keep them warm and - wa laa!  
No time for notes - but kids, I love you.  Here's your lunch.  
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Fish Fingers to feel good about

9/24/2012

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Let's be honest.  We've all found recipes that promise to be healthy and "kid-friendly."  I have followed the instructions of cooks who said their kids all gobbled up flax crusted okra like it was candy.  And I'm left dumping plates full of soggy green goop in the bin while making grilled cheese sandwiches.  So - full disclosure:  2 kids loved these, really.  1 wouldn't touch them because they looked different.  But, as the song goes, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.  

Breadcrumbs: 

1/4 cup wholewheat flour
1 slice McCambridges brown bread
lemon zest - just under a teaspoon
small handful of cornflakes
fresh parsley - about a tablespoon (heaping teaspoon if you use dried)
big pinch sea salt, 2 twists black pepper
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Whizz above in a food processor. (You can get a small cheap one if you don't want the big investment.)
And toast:  put into dry pan and toast over medium-high heat.  Stir, so the bottom doesn't burn.



Put some baking paper on a tray - lightly oil it - use about a teaspoon of olive oil and use a pastry brush to spread it around. 
Beat 1 egg in a small bowl.  Cut fish (I used Hake that was on sale - and asked the guy to skin it for me) into long chunks.  Dip in egg, roll in breadcrumbs, lay on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
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My kids like theirs with ketchup, so I didn't force a tangy greek yogurt dip on them.  Anyway, I was too busy making grilled cheese for the 1.
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