A health and life investment for children

 

The beginning of the academic year always starts ambitiously with most of us preparing larger-than-life healthy meals on a daily basis. As the year progresses, however, the fatigue that comes with the lengthy preparation process and the lack of ideas gets the better of us and at that point we may cave in to the easy—and not always healthy—option of preparing a toast. For this reason, I want to share some tips, drawn from my many years of experience as a mom, that guarantee to make your life easier in the kitchen.

 

An investment for children’s health and well-being

Children eat half the meals of the day at school. Thus, there is no greater challenge for a mother than to be able to prepare nutritional, healthy and tasty school meals for her children. It is by no doubt a significant investment in their health and well-being.

Since the foundations of a healthy diet are laid at an early age, it is important to train children early on in the most "difficult flavours" of vegetables and fruits, which will contribute to the proper development of the body and spirit, help them maintain a normal body weight and build the habit of opting for healthy choices in their adult life. It is advisable to avoid processed and packaged foods, which are full of salt, sugar, artificial flavours and preservatives, without being too pushy though, so as not to provoke the opposite reaction. And of course we must not forget that the good example should be set by us, so we make sure that we practice what we preach!

 

Time-Management Tips

• We prepare school meals from the night before, in order to save a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning or quality time with the children over breakfast.
• We choose a day when we have more free time to wash and chop fruits and vegetables, which we can then store in the fridge. Similarly, we can boil and store in the refrigerator chicken, corn or any other ingredient that is useful for our recipes, so that we do not go through the same motions every day.
• For younger children, go for finger food, which does not require the use of cutlery, and avoid very juicy foods with sauces, which stain clothes and bags.
• Go for meals that can be consumed comfortably at room temperature.
• If the children are older, you can engage them in the preparation process, as this will significantly reduce the possibility of their returning the lunch box… untouched, since they are aware of its contents and have taken part in its preparation.
• We make sure there is a variety of flavours throughout the week, because children are easily bored.
• Add a tender or funny note to their lunch box as little surprises never fail to raise a smile.
• Try to make fruits and vegetables more attractive to children since healthy food should never be boring. Feel free to use your imagination! For example, you can create a skewer with fresh and dried fruits, if the children are at an age that they can handle it safely, while in the same vein we can create a salad skewer with cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

 

Easy and nutritious recipes

You will find a wide variety of recipes for healthy school snacks on the Internet. You can find below some that I often prepare for my children, depending on the occasion.

 

Snack Recipe: Homemade nut bar

Ingredients

160 g. stoneless plums or dates

120 g. unsalted hazelnuts roasted at 100 degrees °C fan for 30 mins so that they peel easily

50 g. oats

3-4 tbsps agave or maple syrup

20 g. raw cocoa

2 tbsps water or almond milk

25-30 g. ground roasted hazelnuts

 

Directions: Process all the ingredients in a food processor. Once homogenized, shape into small balls and put them in the freezer for half an hour. Then sprinkle them with the grated hazelnuts. They can be stored up to 3 out of the refrigerator, 3 weeks in the refrigerator, 3 months in the freezer. Extra tip: Add the ingredients in the processor in small quantities, as they tend to stick and the processor may struggle.

 

Vegetarian main course recipe: Omelette

Ingredients

1 bio tortilla

4 egg whites

Any vegetables of your choice chopped

 

Directions: In a non-stick frying pan, add the beaten egg whites and let them rest for about 1 minute. Then put the tortilla on the eggs and add the vegetables of your choice, such as peas, carrots or cherry tomatoes. Bake for 30 seconds and flip over in the pan.

 

Main course with white protein: Roasted chicken nuggets

Ingredients

1 organic chicken breast

1 egg

Grated organic breadcrumbs or crushed cereal

 

Directions: Cut the fillet into cubes, season with salt and sprinkle with beaten egg and grated breadcrumbs or crushed cereals. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 180 degrees °C for about 60 minutes. In the end, if you want, put the chicken nuggets in a skewer alternating with cherry tomatoes for more colour!

 

More ideas and tips for healthy and delicious school meals can be found in the related video on my GoodLife by Gina YouTube channel!