Posted in Food and nutrition

Recipe of the day

It’s difficult to come up with tasty nutritious food for your kids tea
every night, so everyday we post a recipe – enjoy!
 
Why not try chicken and chorizo pasta tonight?

 

 

Rustic chicken and chorizo pasta

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

Drop of white wine

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

300g of boneless chicken

100g of chorizo sausage

Pinch of salt pepper and sugar 

Pinch of basil

500g penne pasta

 

Chop 300g of boneless chicken in to small pieces. Finely chop the onion and garlic and slice a pepper.

Put the pasta in a pan and leave to boil.

Whilst the pasta is boiling, heat a  frying pan with the olive oil, once heated add in the chopped up chicken and cook until browned.

 Add the chopped up onions, pepper and garlic. Fry until the onions soften.

Once the onions have softened add the tin of chopped tomatoes, heat until boiling, then reduce the heat add the seasoning (salt pepper sugar and basil)

 Add the chorizo sausage for the last few minutes, while you drain the pasta and serve whilst piping hot!

 

 

For more recipe ideas why not check out this months Kids Health magazine? It’s on sale now !

Posted in Health and wellbeing

How to spot an eating disorder in your child

Could your child have an eating disorder?

 

Is your child skipping meals? This could be a cause for concern

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia amongst children are on the increase.With children as young as five years old being effected, it is important to be on the look out for warning signs in your child .

Sarah Keeton, an eating disorder specialist from  Rhodes Farm treatment centre highlights five warning signs of childhood anorexia to look out for in your child.

 Cutting out snacks: Young children need to eat at regular intervals throughout the day. A child who may be developing an eating disorder will often cut snacks out of their diet altogether, especially if they contain a high fat content.

 Skipping meals and reducing portion sizes:

School lunch is usually the first meal to go. This can be hard for parents to check up on, so if you are worried, it is worth asking teachers to monitor your child. Your child might ask for smaller and smaller portions at mealtimes

 Eliminating different types of food from their diet, one by one:

This may start with a high fat snack like chocolate, then move on to chips, then meat… Slowly but surely the child might be eliminating essential foods, with essential vitamins, from their diet

Becoming overly interested in food and cooking:

Children with an eating disorder often become obsessed with food and will try to learn everything about cooking and food   preparation. They will also go to lengths to ensure everyone else is eating properly, but will neglect themselves.

 “Losing their sparkle”:

Children who are developing an eating disorder may be unusually preoccupied and seem down. They may quite simply, ‘lose their sparkle’ and not seem themselves.

 If your child is displaying the warning signs, but seems not to have lost any weight, therecould still be cause for concern. It’s important to remember that children are growing and should be putting on weight. A child’s weight shouldn’t be stagnate. On average children gain about 2-3 kg (5-7 pounds) per year between the ages of 6- 10 years old.

 

If you are concerned about your child’s eating habbits, this months Kids Health magazine has more information on eating disorders in children.

Posted in Food and nutrition

It’s time for a Food Revolution!

Everybody knows who Jamie Oliver is, everyone knows what he does, but does everybody know what he’s got planned?

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, is well-known for his involvement in the journey to make school dinners healthier, and has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the growing obesity epidemic, which is affecting our children’s generation.
His great passion for food and cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients has inspired people all around the world. After realising that he was able to create a real, positive change, through his food and cooking skills, he focused his attention on children’s school dinners.

As many of you will remember from your days at school, the food offered up at dinner time was not usually the tastiest cuisine around. Jamie was certainly shocked and disgusted at the processed junk food being served up and was confident that something needed to be done.

Jamie then based himself in a school cafeteria and proved that with hard work and commitment, change was definitely possible. Through television programmes you may have watched, including ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’, his campaign to create healthier school dinners gained international success and support from the British public, which led to the British government committing more than one billion dollars to the school food system, as well as placing a ban on processed junk food in all UK schools.

After his success in the UK, armed with all his experience and passion, Jamie headed over to Huntingdon West Virginia, USA, to educate children and their families on the importance of healthy eating, and to transform their eating habits.
Whilst there he was involved in producing and staring in his first U.S. primetime network series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which was encouraging people everywhere to fight obesity. This series kicked off an American Food Revolution with more than 630,000 people signing a pledge to support better food in schools.

Having proven himself as a campaigner in the UK, Jamie is fired up about leading the fight against obesity in the USA, and feels that the war against obesity is currently being lost.

Kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processefoods, and today’s children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. It’s time for change. It’s time for a Food Revolution.

Therefore, schools, businesses, chefs, restaurants and food lovers all over the world will be taking part in ‘Food Revolution Day’ on May 19th. This is a chance for people who love food to come together to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world’s food issues.

Food Revolution Day is about connecting with your community through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers’ markets. The overall mission is to inspire change in people’s food habits and to promote the mission for better food and education for everyone.

For more information on Food Revolution Day and about Jamie’s campaigns, please visit www.foodrevolutionday.com to find out more, and see what you can do to help!

Posted in Food and nutrition

Money saving tips for mums

 Getting your children to eat healthily is sometimes difficult in it self, add a low budget to the equation and it can seem impossible.

The supermarket shop can be a nightmare, follow our tips and this will change

 

With a family to support, we are all looking for ways to save money; at the supermarket is no exception. Between our kids pestering us for unhealthy snacks and nutritious food often bearing a hefty price tag, the supermarket shop can seem like a real mission. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive; all you need is some pre planning and a little know-how to spot a good deal.

 Alan Jones, a financial advisor and father to ten year oldElizabethshares some tips on saving money when feeding your family:

 *Plan your meals for the week ahead, write a shopping list and stick to it. This will help you avoid impulse purchases that you do not need and may not use.

 *Limit the junk food that you buy. Items such as fizzy drinks, processed foods and pre-packaged meals are often expensive and low in nutrition, cut these out and you could save a fortune.

 *Eat out less. Try to limit eating out with your family to special occasions, as eating out is often expensive. The money you save you could spend on your supermarket shop.

 *Shop wisely. Opt for supermarket branded products instead of leading brands as they will be cheaper and will often be the same quality.

 *Search out markets. Many towns and cities have fresh produce markets which sell meat, fruit and vegetables, often cheaper than they are in the supermarkets. If you go towards the end of the market, some vender’s may sell the last of their stock at a discounted rate, saving you more money.

 *Shop around. Try shopping at frozen food and discount stores for some of the items on your shopping list as they often have special offers that are far better than in the leading supermarkets. Seasonal produce is often cheaper at these stores, as are foods such as boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cheese.

 *Buy in bulk. Meat is often sold in larger portions at a lower price. Split packages up into meal-size portions and freeze for later use.

 *Buy seasonal products. Fruit and vegetables that are in season tend to be cheaper and better quality, buy them buy the bag instead of by the piece and you will save even more money.

Posted in Exercise and Fitness

Ways to keep your kids fit and healthy – Without them even noticing!

Ever wondered why most kids don’t enjoy doing exercise? Maybe because it doesn’t involve the TV! But it can involve their friends, and just generally having a good time.

Maybe it’s time to get your child invloved in some kind of activity or club. So, to make your job easier, we’ve found our top six activities we believe your children will love, and it will keep them fit and health – without them noticing!

Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and is becoming increasingly popular amongst children as a way to stay fit and healthy.
Paul Smith, a coach from S2C8 Martial Arts Centre, in Lincoln, Lincolshire beleives that MMA is an extremely affective and fun way for your children to stay fit.
At S2C8 the children’s programs are split into two age groups. From five to eight years old, children can join their ‘Little Dragons’ class, and from nine to fifteen years old, the children have the option between ‘Cadets Kickboxing’ and ‘Cadets MMA’ programs. 
“Our classes are extremely popular, we have recently had to add additional classes to cope with demand. When designing our Cadets MMA program, we looked at exactly what we thought was appropriate to teach to children aged nine to fifteen. We therefore do not teach our Cadets head controls, chokes or   submissions of any kind, because we cannot guarantee it would be 100% percent safe. If something is not 100% safe we don’t do it. We guarantee our classes are fun, educational and a good work out, and we take no risks with the safety of our students.” 


 Trampolining

Everybody loves to bounce, and the younger your children start bouncing, the better!
In a very short period of time you will be amazed at their new skills and development, as trampolining is a good all round  exercise which will help with your childs balance, improve their co-ordination, and will give them a cardio-vascular workout.
Trampolining lessons are available at some clubs and leisure centres, so it is sometimes recommended that you take your child to one of these    sessions first, just to make sure that they enjoy it, before you splash out on a trampoline for the back garden!
So, if the weather is nice, and your child isn’t sitting in the house watching TV, then you will probably find them outside, bouncing up and down, on their new favourite apparatus.

Horse Riding

Horse riding is an enjoyable, low intensity form of exercise which is a fun and excting way for children to stay fit and healthy.
Sam Whale, from the British Horse Society feels that riding is definitely a good way to keep you and your child fit, “Horse riding is an aerobic activity, usually involving moderately low intensity of exercise for long periods of time,” says Whale. “You will burn up calories, and use major muscle groups such as the abdominals, obliques, gastronomies, and thigh muscles”.
The recommended age to start horse riding is around 7 years old, but don’t worry if your child is younger and wants to learn to ride, many riding schools offer lessons for those younger.
This is good, as the earlier a child gets introduced to horses, the sooner they will feel comfortable around them, it will also teach them basic safety measures, such as never standing behind the horse.
This means that by the time they start to learn to ride, they will have an inherent understanding of why horses can be dangerous.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is a hobby which can take many forms, from indoor climbing, outdoor climbing, ice climbing, there are lots of roots for natural progression if a child is talented and wants to pursue climbing further.
It’s also brilliant for those children who just want to take part and have fun.
The Showroom, in Lincoln is home to Lincolnshire’s highest climbing wall, and they run regular children’s clubs. Lyndsey Hannam, the Communications and Marketing Officer at The   Showroom beleives that climbing is a fantastic way for young children to stay active, “Our climbing lessons are structured with a mixture of climbing games and wall work. We find that climbing is a real help for children suffering with low confidence or self-esteem. Reaching a certai height is a real achievement and can really give young children a confidence boost”.

 

 

Canoeing and Kayaking

The great thing about canoeing and kayaking is that there is no given minimum age limit.
For young children, lifejackets are often more readily available than buoyancy aids and are more suitable if your child does not swim well, so you don’t need to worry about them falling in. 
Tandem Sit-On-Top (SOT’s) kayaks are extremely ideal for kids, as they can clamber all over them and there’s no danger, or unnecessary fears, about getting trapped. They are simple, easy to use, and SOT’s can be a lot of fun.
Canoes, and Sit-On Top kayaks are ideal for taking the youngest members of your family on the water for the first time.
They can provide a safe and fun way for the whole family to enjoy local waterways and experience some fantastic adventures together, whilst keeping fit at the same time – as someone has to use the oars to stear, how else would you get anywhere?!

Frisbee

People forget how much fun playing with a frisbee is and the physical benefits from tossing around a disc.
You can get a game of Ultimate Frisbee going, head to a disc golf course, or just throw it around amongst the family. Either way, you are guaranteed to get some exercise.
With the non stop running about trying to catch the frisbee your child will burn a lot of calories, whilst at the same time, building on their agility and balance.
One great thing about a game of frisbee is that it can be played more-or-less anywhere and doesn’t take a long time to set up.
They can play frisbee with you in the garden, you can take them to the park, they can play a quick game with their friends, or even with the dog!
Hayley Cook from the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership says, “Frisbee is a an ideal activity because children do not realise that they are exercising”.