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Good food for busy parents
Suzannah Olivier, author of Healthy Food for Happy Kids gives busy parents advice on making nutritious food - fast
When working on improving the family's healthy eating, one of the hurdles that many parents need to overcome is the reality of frantically busy lives. It can seem like there is just not enough time in the day to chop, peel and prepare food, and mental fatigue sets in at just the thought of what to make for the next meal. No wonder so many people fall back on the option of ready-prepared meals.
But if you are determined to make strides in this department (and it is worth it!) there are many ways to change your family's habits. In the long run you make your life easier and healthier. The most time-effective way to deal with family catering is to make one meal for everyone - who has the time to cook two separate meals anyway? Here are some easy ways to make healthy eating a priority in your family:
Plan ahead Take a few minutes each week to plan your shopping and menu ideas. Buying more fresh food will force you to cook more often. Earlier in the week prepare whichever foods are the least long-lasting. If you have spinach and cauliflower in the fridge, the spinach is best cooked immediately because the cauliflower will last three or four days perfectly well.
Improve fast foods If you are going to eat some pre-packaged, convenience, or take-away foods learn which are the most healthy, or at any rate the least unhealthy. Also, if you are going to eat convenience foods, learn to quickly and easily improve the nutritional content of the meal. There is nothing wrong with a good quality pizza but if you add a mixed vegetable salad alongside it and finish with a piece of fruit then the balance of the meal will be that much better. (Check out also Boosting nutrients)
Make extra When you do cook, make extra helpings. Taking time at the weekends to prepare meals that can be frozen is one practical solution. Or cook something one day that can serve as the basis of the next day's meal. Baked salmon is delicious cold the next day, extra rice could be used for a stir-fry, left over vegetables can be turned into a tasty soup, shredded chicken served with a peanut sauce and shredded lettuce in Chinese wraps (buy these fresh or frozen).
Let the kids help Include your child in these experiments. By making food preparation a part of his life you will enhance the fun of cooking - it isn't always drudgery. By making cooking an 'activity' you do two things at once - you teach your children about good food, and you get to spend time with them.
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