TOP TIPS FROM LESLEY WATERS
• Get the kids interested in preparing and cooking meals with you from as young as possible. It can be something as simple as cracking an egg, washing fruit and veggies or making a quick, tasty pizza and letting them choose what they want to sprinkle on it. They’ll be more likely to eat it if they’ve helped to make it. Even if you cook with your kids once a fortnight, that’s a great start. Remember eating habits are formed in childhood so set a good example to your kids.
• Sandwich Savvy – Kids love them and made with super tasty Best of Both and a well-balanced filling they’ll have a lot of nutritional value too. Favourite fillings in our house are grated cheddar and apple, houmous, grated carrot, Marmite, lettuce and tomato, peanut butter and cucumber and salmon smash (tinned red salmon and mayo) with mustard and cress.
• Make sure you all try and sit down once or twice a week as a family and eat together. Setting the table, eating together and chatting about your day are such important social skills. Rather than dish everybody’s food up, let them help themselves – this will make them feel so grown up. Maybe serve up a large bowl of pasta, salad and some garlic bread. Try inviting a more adventurous foodie friend round for tea to eat with your child – peer pressure really works!
• Getting them to eat something they really don’t want! As parents I think we all go through this phase of trying to get them to eat more veggies. One of the simplest ways is to disguise as many veggies as you can in a tasty sauce made with chopped onions, garlic, courgettes, mushrooms, carrots, celery and tomatoes. Simply cook in a little olive oil until softened, add a little vegetable stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Whiz in the processor until smooth and mix with their favourite pasta, noodles or use as a base on pizzas.
• Make it home-made if possible and make them mini sized. Make minced beef, pork, lamb or chicken burgers and add finely grated carrot, courgettes, or finely chopped spring onion to the mixture and season to taste. Shape into mini sized burgers or meatballs and pan fry. Serve with fresh relishes of chopped tomato, cucumber and sweetcorn or serve with homemade tomato veggie sauce. Chicken or fish fingers are so quick to prepare and cook, simply cut breast of chicken or cod, salmon, haddock fillet into small finger sized strips. Dip in a little beaten egg and coat in fresh breadcrumbs or crushed tortilla chips. Shallow fry until golden and cooked through.
• Make a Shake, Smoothie or Fruit Zuppa – This is an ideal way to get them eating a variety of fruit without them realising they’re doing it! Mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, fresh orange juice, natural yogurt and honey can all be blitzed in seconds for a sensational smoothie. Pour into a small vacuum flask and pack for school lunch or picnics. Fruit Zuppas are a real favourite with my youngest. They are a fruit salad and refreshing drink in one. Chop up their favourite fruit into bite sized pieces and place into a plastic cup, top up with their favourite fruit juice and seal with a lid. Drink the drink and eat the fruit, don’t forget to pack a spoon.
• Get Baking! You’d be amazed at how many additives and flavourings some readymade cakes and biscuits may contain. A batch of fairy cakes with a little grated apple or carrot can be whipped up in minutes. Try making your own flapjacks or cookies with the addition of dried apricots, raisins or pineapple.
• Jacket potatoes are a good source of fibre if they eat the skin too. For the best jackets in town use Maris piper, King Edward or Desiree potatoes. Wash potatoes well then dry on kitchen paper. Rub each with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1hour at 200C, 400F, Gas 6. Serve with their favourite fillings. For quick healthy chips, cut unpeeled potatoes into wedges and toss with a little olive oil. Spread out onto a baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes at 200C, 400F, Gas 6. Introduce new ideas like baked sweet potatoes and fill with bolognaise stuffed with chopped veggies and a handful of red lentils for a rich sauce.
• Chocolate is a bit of a treat for us all but a little goes a long way and it’s a good bribe for getting them to eat those fruity vitamins. Try melting chocolate with a little milk to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Serve in little pots surrounded with chunks of pear, apple, banana, kiwi, peaches, grapes, strawberries and cherries for dipping.
• Drink Up! Are your kids drinking healthily? It’s confusing as to what’s actually in some fruit drinks/juices and how much sugar, so try to stick to pure fruit juices and dilute them with crushed ice. A few ice cubes and a funky straw does wonders to a glass of water! Simple but it works every time.
• Eating out really helps with their social skills – plan a picnic with friends and family, you don’t even have to go far simply get out in the garden. There’s nothing like fresh air to increase the appetite. Our favourite picnics are in the autumn when we head out for long walks packed with flasks of home-made smooth vegetable soup and crusty bread.
