KIDS CAN COOK

Every family has its favourite meals…pasta, pizza, a casserole.  I'm going to share with you the recipe for a meal that we have about once a week in our house.  The perk is that most kids, if they are over the age of 4 can probably make it.  All you have to do, as the parent, is provide the cooked meat you want on it if you want meat for the protein.  But you could use canned tuna or salmon, store bought pre-cooked chicken, tofu or cheese.  You don't have to use meat if you don't want to.  I use the term "recipe" loosely because there really are no rules…except maybe one, use fresh vegetables and fruits.  We call it the "Grouse Grind Salad" because when I served it to my family members visiting from West Vancouver, BC, they said the restaurant at the top of Grouse Mountain, where the Grouse Grind trail/hiking path ends, provides a very similar meal for their patrons.

Here is the list of ingredients.  Note the substitutions!

Start with a handful of greens…spinach, red leaf lettuce, kale, romaine (no iceberg lettuce)

If you have some red cabbage dice a bit of that up too

I dress my greens and toss them before putting them on my plate

My husband builds his and then tops it with his favourite dressing or yogurt

Add any veggies you like…sliced carrots, celery, tomatoes, radishes, cauliflower, broccoli (I pour boiling water over my broccoli pieces and then chill them)

Top with raisins, cranberries, any pepita, sunflower or other seeds or nuts you like

Top again with orange sections, pineapple, strawberries, diced apple, whatever you have…or not

At any point you can add some protein…cooked meat, cheese, fish, tofu

If you want a grain with it you could have a whole grain slice of bread or a roll.

Ta da…dinner is done, and you could do it as a family or a team.

A four year old could do most of this and would likely love to do it…and then would eat it. If you teach them about nutrition in childhood and aren’t afraid to let them create healthy meals like this with you then you will be providing great nutrition education for your kids and will be well on your way to developing a family book of healthy, good meals.  Note, this is a very filling meal…if you fill a dinner plate you will have trouble eating it all so I suggest you use a salad plate or bowl.

SET YOUR FAMILY FITNESS BAR HIGHER

Look out below - I'm coming down!

There is an old saying – "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", meaning of course that  children are likely to develop the habits and attitudes displayed by their parents in the home environment.  This is just further proof that you, and pretty much you alone, are responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of your young children.  That isn't to say they won't be influenced by other environments that become part of their life, but the home environment has the opportunity to be the first example any child notices or recalls.

So, that means if your child is exposed to overweight or obese, inactive parents who have and display poor nutritional habits they have a higher chance of growing up dealing with obesity due to a lack of both physical fitness and healthy eating habits.  No surprise there.

So if you are one of these parents, and you know if you are, its time to set your family fitness bar higher.  You don't have to break any high jump records here…just move it incrementally higher as your fitness level improves.  If you set the example that fitness can be fun and something to look forward to, whether it's Mom's fitness or yoga class or Dad's tennis or indoor beach volleyball, your children will come to expect that fitness for children is the norm as well.  A simple daily or nightly walk or bike ride around the block to start if you are just getting back into fitness is all it will take.  Just do it with them.

If your child is accustomed to seeing you parked in front of the TV every night they will think that is the norm.  If they see you eating junk food in front of the TV every night they will think that is the norm…and it is in far too many homes, a habit largely fed by the TV commercials targeting couch potatoes and their couch potatoes-to-be.

So if you want to have fit kids and you yourself aren't currently setting the best example, and you know if you are one of these parents, you need to make some changes. 

Start by showing them or challenging them to do something active during the commercials (running to the fridge for food doesn't count).  When you get the munchies cut up a plate of fruit for the family to share.  If your children are older make it with them.  It's never too early to teach them healthy food choices.  Find some kid friendly recipes they can make like pure peanut butter in celery sticks providing  peanuts are not an issue in your house. 

Encourage, foster and promote parent and child fitness and nutrition.  You're worth it and so are your kids.  Be a part of the solution to the international crisis of childhood obesity.

FIT FOR KIDS

We live in an imperfect world, no surprise there. One of the imperfections is the obesity rate in general.  As adults, for the most part you got there on your own or were led there by your parents (some exceptions apply I'm sure).  But as a parent it is your responsibility to set the tone for your child's current and future health and well being.  So don't just sit there reading this, go get your kid and do something, play tag, go outside and play catch,  try to follow a dance video, crawl around the floor and play peek-a-boo.  Just do something.  Take 10 or 15 minutes a day to set the example.  You might laugh.  You might have fun.

KISS - Keep it Super Simple

I'm kind of a back to basics gal who doesn't like to make things harder than they need to be.  So when it comes to keeping kids healthy I like to teach them to just play, without a whole pile of electronic gadgets, to use their imaginations and to eat ordinary real food.  In my experience, convenience foods are not always a healthy choice and over the years I have learned how to make feeding a busy family as simple as possible.  Since I believe that kids' health is pretty much the responsibility of the parents or caregivers I have always found it easier in the long run to set patterns really early in life.  Daily activities and healthy food for the whole family is a great foundation.  Why would you go to the trouble of buying great baby food, maybe even organic baby food for your infants, and then turn around and give them convenience foods when they are no longer infants. So follow through with the foundation you are setting for your little ones by eating that way yourself and feeding the rest of your family the same way.  It may take a little getting used to and some changes and organization but it is possible to keep your whole family as healthy as possible with real food and great family activities.

My suggestion is to pick a couple of times during your week, maybe 15 minutes after each meal or a couple of hours on the weekend, to do some food prep.  Pre-cut some real food like veggie sticks and have a healthy dip ready to go with it.  When you cook a healthy casserole, and you can make a few changes in many of your family favourites, make twice as much and freeze one. If you cook a bigger meal on the weekend cook it with leftovers in mind for a couple of nights later. Include older children in the food prep in the house.  This is how they will learn so they will have an easier time of making better choices as they grow up.

My energy is at a low spot after work or at dinner time so I don't like doing a lot in the kitchen at that time.  Convenience foods have never been an option in our house, however, making a quick salad to add to a leftover dish I can handle.  It's healthy and fast. When I make homemade soup I make HUGE amounts and freeze it in meal sized containers.  Pull it out in the morning and just heat it up at dinner, add a whole grain roll or bread if you like, and/or a salad, or veggies and dip and sit down and eat together.

I have found ways to keep it super simple so my family learns the basics of healthy eating and how to make it happen.  You can too.

You are all worth it.