Healthy Eating

Liz19

I do try with my kids with regards to healthy eating and they are pretty good. They love counting their five pieces of fruit and veg over the day and usually manage to eat more. My daughter has just come back from a week long school trip to an outdoor activity centre where she has discovered the delight of chocolate spread sandwiches (yuk!!) something I never buy and is now plaguing me. So much for all the government/council talk about feeding kids healthy options!!

chrisico

Have you thought of bread sticks as a lunch box 'treat'?
I make them when I do a pizza, save a bit of the dough and knead into it some grated cheese or pizza herbs,roll into sticks about as thin as a pencil and cut into lunch box size lengths, bake for 10 minutes alongside the pizza.
Makes loads and kept in an airtight box lasts all week!
Or you could buy them...

Curry_Queen

chrisico wrote:

Have you thought of bread sticks as a lunch box 'treat'?

What an excellent idea!!!

I already make home-made pizzas and invariably end up with more dough than I really need so just end up with a thicker pizza base :rolleyes:

Next time I'll cut off some of the dough and give the breadsticks a try! They'll go very well with some home-made hummus too

System

The little girl in Jamies programme last night was just like my son (not will all the biscuits though). Showing Jamie what she had and saying her sandwiches were in the rubbish bag.

Thats what happens if you give them too much choice. They eat what they like, and dump what they dont. Minimes friend at school takes sandwiches for dinner, as well as a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps. He eats the junk and takes him sarnies back home to his mum.

savvy

Lillibet wrote:

I too saw Jamie Oliver last night & was utterly horrifed, seven year olds who had never tasted strawberries & spat them out beacuse they didn't taste like McDonalds strawberry milkshaks!! Packed lunches with 4 choclolate bars but no fruit or dairy? A mother serving food she confessed she would not eat herself & didn't know what it contained? Please tell me this was not typical of our youth but an extreme example???

Haven't been able to catch the programme but I think you'll find that it is fairly typical of youths. I lecture sports to 16+, predominantly males, you'd think these lads would be fit and have a healthy attitude towards food.........but no! Despite most of them being smokers, :eek: I have one 16 yr old student that thinks nothing of eating 10 hash browns dripping in saturated fat each morning from the canteen! AAArrrrrg! Luckily I am in the middle of teaching one group of them about nutrition, and it's going to make interesting reading when I see their week food diaries next Monday!!! However, I have managed to raise their awareness of food labels and ingredients, last week I caught them all scanning the food labels in the shop, they then bombarded me with loads of questions!! COOOOL!!

My own lads have healthy appetites, the youngest started healthy, then became fussy for a few years when he started school (basically would only eat meat and no fruit/veg), but got him back on track. He's just turned 13 and has an interest in making his own packed lunch and some meals, which has helped him to make healthier choices. They are both at the age to be able to learn how the wrong food choices affect our bodies, and since I told them what sort of entrails go into fast/convenience foods they do not eat anything from McD etc, even if they go in with their mates and experience peer pressure!!

They are both VERY aware of food labels and scour them for anything with Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat/Oil and Mono Sodium Glutamate in, when we go shopping. Getting them involved in the shopping process has made them very consumer savvy and aware of unhealthy products etc, which in turn empowers them when independently purchasing, so I don't have to worry as much! :rolleyes:

Hmmm I sound a bit strict, but I'm not really, just like my lads to have knowledge and understanding for their future lives

bbabs

I have also been watching jamie oliver`s programme thinks it fantastic that he is willing to stick his neck and reputation on the line. I myself do not have any kids but do agree that this country does have to get back to cooking things from scratch. It is very difficult though when you have done a full days work and have to think what to make for dinner that evening. I agree with giving puddings as a treat so I have a few ideas

Jelly Do traffic light jellies if you have the time 3 different jellies make one jelly at a time let that set then add the next etc.

fruit kebabs (nice soft fruits on a skewer drizzled with honey) and then toasted under the grill.

If your kids like nuts why not roast some with a touch of brown sugar nice a sweet but not full of preservatives.

Honeyed yogurt with fruit and nut clusters (honey is a natural sweetner)
fresh or tinned fruit
Natural low fat yogurt
Honey
oat clusters(cereals)


Combine yogurt and honey just enough to sweeten to your own taste. Cut up fruit and put into a nice glass top with the yogurt and then put the fruit cluster on the top. Adults will like this too.

Alison_B

chrisico wrote:

Have you thought of bread sticks as a lunch box 'treat'?
I make them when I do a pizza, save a bit of the dough and knead into it some grated cheese or pizza herbs,roll into sticks about as thin as a pencil and cut into lunch box size lengths, bake for 10 minutes alongside the pizza.
Makes loads and kept in an airtight box lasts all week!
Or you could buy them...

What a brilliant idea. I will have to try that.

savvy wrote:

They are both VERY aware of food labels and scour them for anything with Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat/Oil and Mono Sodium Glutamate in,

What is wrong with these? Total novice when it comes to all the additives etc.



Just wanted to say thanks to everyone, you have all given me some really good ideas. I thought I was winning the battle with DS2. We have been eating at the table each night and he has been trying most things. I thought I would progress and for lunch at school today I made them some plain and cajun chicken pieces on skewers with baby roast potatoes done in olive oil and herbs and some tomatoes. He picked everything off and only at the tomatoes.

I asked for a couple of the Jamie Oliver cookbooks for mothers day and that has given me some inspiration also.

Alison x

pickle

I cooked a very nice chicken and vegetable soup tonight. The chickens were 2 for £5 at ASDA. I put in one chicken and boiled it in water, then took it out of the water when the flesh started to fall away, took the skin and bone off (and throw out) and choped up the chicken and returned the chopped chicken to the stock (the water chicken was boiled in). Then add one tin tomatoes and vege. Usually i put in celery, cauliflower, potato, carrots, chopped up onion and some greens (leeks chopped up or cabbage or beans or all three), then throw in a small handful of rice and usually 5 vege or chicken stock cubes and salt and pepper. Cook for about 30-45 mins. It's very filling. It was delicious and will feed me for the next three nights as well!

vanoonoo

pickle wrote:

I cooked a very nice chicken and vegetable soup tonight. The chickens were 2 for £5 at ASDA. I put in one chicken and boiled it in water, then took it out of the water when the flesh started to fall away, took the skin and bone off (and throw out) and choped up the chicken and returned the chopped chicken to the stock (the water chicken was boiled in). Then add one tin tomatoes and vege. Usually i put in celery, cauliflower, potato, carrots, chopped up onion and some greens (leeks chopped up or cabbage or beans or all three), then throw in a small handful of rice and usually 5 vege or chicken stock cubes and salt and pepper. Cook for about 30-45 mins. It's very filling. It was delicious and will feed me for the next three nights as well!

sounds delicious - do you think you could use the bones and skin for a further stock?

vanoonoo

Alison_B wrote:

He picked everything off and only at the tomatoes.

so feed him cherry tomatoes for a week - he'll be gagging for cajun chicken after that

seriously though alison - keep going - it sounds like you've nearly broken the cycle - I believe in you - and look how quickly you've managed it! I wish I could lose weight that fast!