When school time starts for the kids most healthy meal times go out the window. New schedules, parents work days coupled with after school activities make schedules crazy.
Here are some fast, fresh, healthy ideas to make back to school time a healthier time.
Convenient Weeknight Ideas
One of the hardest times to eat healthy is busy weeknights during the school year. Parents have busy work days at office and then have to rush around to after school activities. This makes it easy to fall into the habit of drive through food or packaged, convenience foods.
One of the best ways to increase your family's health and reduce the instance of sickness, for everyone in your family is to reduce your consumption of fast and packaged foods and increase your consumption of fresh foods, or foods you buy and prepare yourself. This is especially important since right after the kids go back to school cold and flu season hits.
Some easy, fast, fresh meal alternatives include those you can allow to cook while you are at work or cook all at one time, quickly when you get home. A slow cooker/multi- cooker can be a lifer saver especially for the colder months. A multi-cooker allows you to cook multiple items all at one time. You can make a healthy, fresh meal of wild or brown rice, lentils or quinoa, a fresh veggie mix and if needed a lean protein, such as a chicken breast or salmon fillet. Include lots of veggies in your veggie mix, anything and everything in season at the grocery store. Kids or more apt to eat the veggies if they are new, different and they can pick through a wide variety of different colors, textures and flavors.
In the winter you can slow cook a healthy, tasty vegetable and herb stew which increase health and boost the immune system. Just throw all your chopped veggies, like potatoes, carrots, onions and other root vegetables, add fresh health promoting herbs like rosemary, oregano or thyme, add your spices and cover with veggie broth. Let it all simmer away while you are at work and by the time you get home you have a healthy, satisfying meal.
Fresh Juice
Another way to increase your family's health is to make fresh, homemade juices. Fresh juices are a great alternative to sugary store bought juices or juice box. Making your own juice is healthier and tastier. Fresh juices have no preservatives, added sugars or chemicals. Plus you reduce the amount of packaging waste your family throws out when you make your own juice.
There are many juicers on the market, and you don't have to spend a ton to get a good one. Find something not too expensive, but that is easy to use, easy to clean and is able to be thrown in your dishwasher.
An easy fresh juice that is a good beginner juice is a simple Apple/Carrot blend. Kids really like this juice because it is naturally sweet. This blend is super healthy too! Apples help with digestion, are great for promoting healthy teeth, strengthen bones, helping to decrease asthma symptoms and so much more. Carrots help improve vision, create healthy skin, are good for your liver and are high in antioxidants. Juices are hydrating and nutrient dense so make a good boost before sports or first thing in the morning. Another tips is that when making veggie juices you can save and freeze the pulp for soup and sauce bases or as a great addition to your backyard compost. Breakfast
Breakfast is another back-to-school meal that can be a challenge. If you work and have kids in school you know mornings can be crazy. Often us adults don't eat and our kids eat boxed cereal or something out of a package, filled with chemicals and lots of added sugar. Smoothies are a fast, fresh, healthy breakfast. I love smoothies because you can include a huge variety of food groups, they taste great, they are fast and super healthy.
You can use a wide variety of fruits, berries are in season during the summer and citrus in the winter. Bananas, fresh coconut meat or cashews soaked for 2 hours work well as a base. You can throw in a liquid kids vitamin without them knowing and use nut butter for a protein boost. Adding in healthy fats is important for kids and adults. A chia and flax seed mix is great (1 tsp.) or you can use a tablespoon of coconut oil. If you use coconut oil blend for several minutes until creamy, no lumps! Healthy fats help reduce the symptoms of hyperactivity and increase your child's' ability to concentrate, focus and learn. Healthy fats are important for us adults to keep the nervous system calm, lubricate joints, have healthy skin and steady, sustained energy and mental performance. You can also sneak some healthy greens into the smoothie like a small handful of spinach. The sweet fruits and other ingredients mute the green vegetable taste and this allows you to increase the number of nutrients your child gets into his/her body first thing in the morning. Spinach is an especially smoothie friendly green and is high in protein and nutrients and is highly energizing. You can sub out dairy for either Coconut or Almond milk, both of which have more calcium then milk and no saturated fat. Using non dairy as your smoothie liquid also helps to reduce ear, runny noses and sinus infections especially in the younger children.
You will need a high powered food processor, which again does not have to be expensive. Apart from making smoothies food processors can make so many other fresh, fast things like soups, sauces, salsas and non dairy, ice creams and cheeses. There just isn't much that cannot be made with the use of a food processor!
Your child's diet is highly individualized. Pay attention to your child's health cues to determine what foods are and are not working well in their body. Children will complain of sick tummies or tiredness, after eating, when something does not agree with their body. Symptoms such as chronic sickness, hyperactivity, allergies, asthma and skin problems are all signs that something is not right with your child's diet. Pay attention and make changes until your child reaches optimum health. If you need assistance determining what diet is best or how to use foods to eliminate your child's health symptoms contact us today to meet with our Holistic Nutritionist.
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