The story behind power plant...

Getting children to eat healthy foods can be a struggle at times and most parents will probably agree that cooking for little ones and teenagers alike isn’t always as rewarding as we would like it to be.

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When my boys started to eat I was thrilled at how well all my homemade purees went down. From kale, cauliflower and courgette to lentil and carrots, they seemed to love it all until they moved on to more solid meals and things started to get challenging.

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The growing awareness of what is put in front of them as well as an element of pushing the boundaries and wanting to get their own way can make feeding small children a difficult task. 

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To me it was important to introduce my children to a wide range of foods and flavours in order for them to get familiar with things they found ‘suspicious’ at first and although not always immediately successful I definitely noticed that after a little while they seemed to recognise them as a kind of ‘home comfort’, something they knew and trusted because it kept appearing on their plates and turned out to be tasty too. 

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I think every parent has a few safe ‘go to’s’ which always go down well and that’s where I started to experiment, coming up with healthier options of firm favourites, adding a little twist here and there without compromising on flavour.

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I also found myself making up healthy snacks and treats to take with when spending the day out and about, trying to pack whole meals into easy to eat finger foods and create slow burning energy bites for endless power without having to deal with the mood swings that come with sugar and empty calories. 

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Children need energy, lots and lots of it and I believe that the majority of it should come from whole, natural, plant based foods, providing them with all the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fibre, healthy unsaturated fats, protein and carbohydrates) they need. It’s all about enjoying wholesome meals and snacks that are easy and fun to prepare and provide optimal fuel while treading lightly on the planet.

 

Most children enjoy helping in the kitchen, which is a great way for them to learn about new ingredients and their ’superpowers’ and I believe it sets certain food patterns for their entire life.