Saladmaster Tips for Every Kid Healthy Week
by Dana Thornburg, Director of Marketing, The Americas
I'm going to be honest. I struggle at getting my kids to eat healthy and am constantly looking for new, creative recipes to hide vegetables in their meals, and get them more excited about healthy foods. If your kids are like mine, then they prefer everything sweet and drenched in chocolate…with no signs of vegetables anywhere on their plate.
Thankfully, I learned how to get creative in hiding the healthy foods from my "mommy friends" and have learned that my two sons' schools celebrate Every Kid Healthy™ Week. The last week in April, is labeled as Every Kid Healthy™ Week, which is an annual observance created to celebrate school health and wellness achievements and recognized on the calendar of National Health Observances. This week shines a special spotlight into the ongoing efforts schools are making to improve the health and wellness of their students and the link between nutrition, physical activity, and learning - because healthy kids are better prepared to learn!
While the schools are doing a phenomenal job in educating children on the benefits of eating healthy and physical activity, we also have to ask ourselves as parents what we are doing at home to reinforce healthy living. I, like many parents, have children who consider themselves "picky eaters" and I am always looking for creative ways to get in their daily dose of fruits and vegetables.
|
My favorite way is hiding the fruits and vegetables into their favorite foods,
such as muffins, macaroni and cheese or even chocolate cake. A great recipe
to do this with is the Saladmaster Chocolate Cake with Strawberries.
This is a HIT with any kid and the best part is you can hide any type of fruit or
vegetable in the recipe - a WIN, WIN for both parent and child!
|
Another way I encourage my sons to stop eating sweet treats and start eating healthier is by taking them grocery shopping with me. I let them pick out our meals for the week (pre-selected by me, of course!), and then get them involved in picking out the ingredients for each meal.
|
"I find that the more they
become involved in the meal
selection and meal prepping,
the more likely they are to eat
the healthy meal that is prepared
for them."
|
Great One-Dish Recipes That Are Big Family Hits!
Also, I like to KISS - keep it short and simple - when I cook. I have found great one-dish recipes, like the
Saladmaster Old Fashioned Beef Goulash and the
Saladmaster One Skillet Mexican Rice Casserole, that are big family hits. And Bonus - these are easy recipes to hide the vegetables that my kids dread eating! Plus, I have found in cooking with my
Saladmaster pans that frozen to finish meals are easier to cook and prepare - simply put all of your ingredients in one pan, cover and wait for the Vapo-Valve™ to click. Medium, Click, Low - it's that easy!
Ninety-seven percent of parents in the U.S. think that childhood eating habits determine children's health for their lifetime, but only 17% say their child's diet is very healthy, according to a recent national poll by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The national survey, published on Feb. 20, was taken in October 2016 among 1,767 parents with at least one child age four to 18.
According to the survey:
73% rate their children’s diet as very or mostly healthy.
27% rate their children’s diet as somewhat or not healthy.
34% are confident they are shaping good eating habits of their children.
21% say it is somewhat or not important to cut down on junk food or fast food.
16% believe it is somewhat or not important to reduce sugary drinks.
13% say it is somewhat or not important that their child eats fruits and vegetables every day.
Source: USA Today
To bring in more knowledge and to weigh in on how I can help my two boys eat healthier, I asked several of my Saladmaster "mommy friends" to see what tricks they use to get their children to eat healthier.
Homemade & healthy please! |
Alice Lomas, Marketing Manager of our U.K. Head Office,
shared the following about her one-year old daughter:
"Since she turned one, she eats what we eat - her favourite foods are
broccoli/potato mash, fishcakes, homemade beef burgers, sausages, yoghurts,
bananas and plain biscuits! She had a very small Easter egg and we've let her
have small amounts as a treat. My biggest challenge is time - I don't have the
time to prepare her a different meal other than what we are eating. So that
makes us eat healthier! Also, I pack her lunch every day so I can be sure she's
eating healthy when I'm not there."
|
|
|
Mommy's Little Helper & the
Saladmaster Food Processor
|
Tiana Klimczak, Regional Manager of our Canadian Market,
shared some of her best parental advice by stating:
"Introduce one new food - be it a fruit/vegetable/fish etc. - on a plate
with everything else your child loves. Try not to overwhelm kids with
different or unusual foods all at one time. If children are picky eaters
and refuse to even attempt to try the new flavor, tell them that they
will be introduced to this on their plate at another time in the near
future. Never give up on introducing new foods again and again and
...oh yes once more... & again. Try to limit condiments, such as sugar,
salts and seasonings. Not every food should taste sticky sweet or buttery
smooth or salty-n-spicy. Remember… foods prepared in Saladmaster
cookware are considerably more flavorful and don't require being drenched
in ketchup. So hold off on smothering those carrots in honey.... Honey!"
|
|
|
Watermelon Pizza & Fun
with the Garnishing Spoon |
Ivy Ho, Saladmaster's Social Media Guru,
shared the following about her kids:
"My daughter prefers vegetables, but my son is a picky eater. So I often use the
Saladmaster Food Processor Cone no. 1 or Cone no. 2 for shredding vegetables
like zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, bell peppers, celery, broccoli and carrots.
Shredded veggies are great for pizza toppings, fajita fillings, stir-fry, omelets, soups,
stews, chili, curries, casseroles, rice pilafs, or baked pastas. We try to make mealtimes
fun, letting the kids play with food by garnishing with sauces or toppings like sunflower
seeds, nuts or sesame. Sometimes eating outside or packing a picnic helps too!
Lentils cook quickly for busy nights. We often use unsweetened Greek yogurt or
avocados to replace mayonnaise or sour cream in recipes, and sometimes serve as
a side dish or topping."
|
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I do let my two boys splurge on desserts and chocolate every now and then, because they are kids by all means! So let them be kids, just be certain you don't let the sweet treats get out of control.
|
Today's blog post is from Saladmaster's Director of Marketing for the Americas Division, Dana Thornburg. Dana leads the Americas' marketing strategy, digital marketing, social media, and marketing communications to drive long-term growth and to support the Saladmaster Independent Authorized Dealers. Dana has two sons, ages 9 and 5, who keep her busy and active outside of work, and is also a Certified Holistic Health Coach. |
372512