Healthy diet for school children
Breakfast
Porridge made with semi skimmed milk /weetabix with hot milk in the winter or cold in summer with dried or fresh fruit . for older children and teenagers bran flake with raisins and toast with peanut butter.
Dried apricots or raisins are very good but if you have fresh fruit all the better. Eggs are also great scrambled made as French toast or boiled.
A glass of unsweetened orange juice or apple juice.
Snacks
Small bag of mixed nuts are a great source of protein also do not forget to include a piece of fresh fruit especially blueberries ,kiwis, strawberries as well as your oranges cut into segments and of course an apple is always acceptable
Pack lunch
Should include either pasta or bread preferable brown/pitas/rolls
Filling can be tin salmon , ham, tuna and sweetcorn , eggs boiled and mashed with a little light mayonnaise and a few chives or chopped parsley. Also if you are making salad sandwiches when putting in tomatoes make sure you do not put in the seeds only the flesh (you can use the seeds in soups or on pizzas). Cheese and a relish also makes a wonderful filling for rolls, baps or pitas .Also include a small treat one a week Peanuts are a great source of protein. Fruit and nut bars are also good. Yogurts are always an issue with children if they do not have a fridge to put the yogurts in while in school. If there is a fridge encourage them to bring to school if not make sure they take some at home
Avoid crisps or any of those snacks.
Snacks in evening
Mashed banana on toast or try mashing avocado and bananas together you will be surprised how good they are. Also if you are in the cooking mood make some pancakes with blueberries.
Hummus with vegetable sticks are also very good. Drink at least ¾ pt milk per day for girls and a pint for boys younger children try and get ½ pt of milk into them per day,
Dinner
Home made soups are always welcome with brown bread you can make something as simple as potatoe soup or curried parsnip also if you are trying to make your children eat broccoli make a curried broccoli soup.
Pasta with home made Bolognese/tomatoe sauce and for a treat cabornarre sauce with crème fraiche
Pizzas with as much vegetables on top as it will take and a good sprinkling of cheese . Make your own by buying the bases and then fill yourself.
Don’t forget there is nothing as nice as a nice roast let it be chicken beef , lamb or pork with roasted vegetables and potatoes and nice homemade gravy. Also do not forget that sausage and colcannon with gravy beats food from the freezer any day of the week.
Shepard pies are easily made the evening before and left in the fridge overnight to be re heated the next evening’. Beef can also be made into kebabs with vegetables and grilled.
Chicken can be cooked with rice or cous cous.
Fish can be grilled or made into potatoe cakes adding a little ginger,mustard, mayonnaise and spring onions. They then can be served with peas boiled and a little crème fraiche or cream added then blended to make a mushy pea.
Sausage and bean stew is not only a very reasonable meal but also very tasty.
Stews and casseroles are brilliant because if you have a fussy eater you can disguise veg. in the casseroles. Cauliflower cheese is also a popular with children and as we have wonderful cauliflower here in Kilkenny make good use of it.
