On the day before the first day of school we're sending you just a few quick last minute notes on nutrition and health with a recipe courtesy of nutritionist Wendy Howarth.
1. Practice saying goodbye - now. If you can, step out for a short while today and practice a casual goodbye on the way out as you would if you were dropping your child off at the classroom. Just don't practice the sobbing you could experience tomorrow (guilty).
2. Think about earlier bedtimes. Children from 3-12 years of age need 10-12 hours of sleep each day. At 3, most children still sneak a nap in there whereas at 5 most do not. Watch for signs your child needs more (or less) sleep, especially as they become more involved in social, family and school activities.
3. Meal planning. It's not always easy but when you can plan the week's meals in advance you save time and money. We recommend designating a day, if you can, to cook a few recipes - now would be the time to use your slow cooker if you've got one so you can utilize your multi-tasking skills in the kitchen. Meal planning should incorporate leftovers and snacks... and don't forget about breakfast - it's still the most important meal of the day.
4. Pack a lunch they will eat. Wendy reminds us about the importance of creativity - kids get bored eating the same thing every day. When packing their lunch keep in mind ensuring all the different food groups are represented, then play around with shapes, textures and colours. Also try involving your kids in making their lunches, so they anticipate what they'll be eating.
5. Healthy after school snacks. Be prepared for your kids to come home hungry. Prepare healthy snacks of fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds, and have them available when they come through the front door. A great trick is to use a muffin tin, filling each cup with a different ingredient and keeping the tin at their level, so they can help themselves. This will help keep their brains fuelled, while they start on homework and you start on dinner. Just make sure to remove the snacks about an hour before meal time so they're hungry.
6. Make their favourite foods healthy. There’s no need to remove your child’s favourite foods from their diet - remember it’s the quality of ingredients that make a food unhealthy. You can still serve up a burger and fries for dinner; by baking a lean cut of meat for the burger, potatoes or yams in the oven and serving some steamed veggies on the side. Get creative, read your labels and remember if an ingredient doesn’t sound like food, it’s best to avoid it.
Recipe of the Week
Burritos Made Healthy:
Bean and Roasted Veggie Burrito
Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced zucchini
- 1 3/4 cup diced yellow squash
- 1 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 can (16-ounce size) black beans
- 3 tablespoons salsa
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 7 whole grain flour tortillas (8-inch size)
- Plain yogurt
- Salsa
- Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 500 F.
- Combine zucchini and next 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add oil and next 5 ingredients; shake well to coat.
- Spoon vegetable mixture onto a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 500 F for 30 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and lime juice.
- Combine beans, salsa, chipotle chili, and cumin in a medium bowl. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup roasted vegetable mixture, top with a small handful of grated cheese (optional), and roll up; wrap in foil.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with plain yogurt and salsa for dipping.
Happy first day of school!
