Are you making good food choices for your kids?

In the daily battle to get food on the table for the family, do you always make the best choices? If i’m having one of *those* weeks where menu planning and sensible shopping lists have completely gone out of the window, then I’ll definitely hold my hand up to using a few too many beige foods of the processed variety.

So how can make sure we’re choosing good food and a varied diet for our children more often? Well it’s not rocket science, it just requires a bit of thought.

I’m working with Organix on their No Junk Journey, and this month we’re looking at the benefits of choosing organic produce, eating seasonally and the benefits of enjoying a colourful plate of food.

 

Going Organic

We probably already know that the best way to reduce exposure to harmful pesticides in food is to switch to organic. However I think the biggest factor that puts people off opting for organic produce is the price.

So perhaps it’s better if you can prioritise which foods are the worst for containing pesticide residue and just make the switch for those. Here’s a list of the worst offenders:

Oranges
Lemons/Limes
Pears
Grapes
Apples
Pre-packed salads
Bananas
Spring greens
Kale
Herbs
Spinach
Cucumber

Eating Seasonally

There are three great reasons to eating produce that is in season:

1. Eating the right things at the right time means food tastes at its best
2. Growing in season means less interference with nature
3. A basket of fruit and veg bought in season can be as much as a third cheaper than the same basket bought out of season

Here’s a handy guide to what’s in season and when!

 

Get colourful

Giving children plates of food containing many different colours will give your little ones a range of tastes and textures that will help them engage with their senses. It also provides all the nutrients we need to stay strong and healthy.

There’s nothing I like more than roasting up loads of different veggies to make my own pasta sauce recipe to stock the freezer with. The kids would go mental if they saw what went into it, however after a thorough blitz in the blender all they get are bags of flavour smothered over their pasta, so it’s a win/win.

Recipe inspiration

Organix have sent me some delicious and colourful recipe cards to try this month, my favourite being these bright and cheerful zesty pancakes. The boys adore pancakes, and they really loved the extra orangey flavour of this version – they’re full of zing!

Zesty Pancakes

Ingredients
2 eggs
300ml milk, or milk alternative
2 oranges, zest and fruit
100g plain flour, or buckwheat flour
Coconut or rapeseed oil for cooking
Greek Yogurt to serve
Maple Syrup to serve (optional)

Method

1. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large bowl or jug, either with a hand whisk or an electric one if you have one.

2. Use a fine zester to zest both of the oranges, then add all of this into the batter.

3. Add the flour slowly, whisking thoroughly until completely smooth. Leave the batter to stand for about 30 mins.

4. Meanwhile use a sharp knife to cut the peel off the oranges. Cut as close as you can to the skin, so that you remove the bitter white pith, but don’t lose half the orange flesh. Then divide into segments and cut the segments in half to create lots of little orange pieces.

5. Use a paper towel to wipe a small amount of oil over the surface of a small frying pan to lightly grease it, then heat over a medium/high heat. Add a small ladle of batter and tip the pan to just coat the base with batter.

6. The batter should be a very thin layer and cook on one side for about 30 seconds. Use a fish slice to carefully slide underneath and flip it over. Then cook the other side for another 30 seconds. It should be golden on both sides.

7. Serve with orange segments, a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

For even more recipes head over to organix.com

Disclosure: This is the second in a series of partnered posts i’m working on with Organix, as it’s an issue I feel strongly about and want to share with you here on my blog.