School’s back and with it lots of extra work for moms (and dads) including making up healthy and easy lunches to keep youngsters on the go throughout the day.
I remember when my children began school, how I tried to make nutritional lunches for them but soon ran out of ideas. It’s much easier now with the likes of Gordon and Matilda Ramsay and their Oh My Goodness range of snacks with a promise of no junk. Checkers sells this range which includes snack bars, rice cakes, fruit gums, flavoured waters and milk, as well as convenience meals for when you rush in after work and after school care, and all you hear is, “Mom, I’m starving, what’s to eat?” For Grade One’s and Two’s, the wait until you have put together a meal is often too long for them, so these handy meals will just do the job. Choose from chicken and bacon pie, cheesy chicken bake and veg, beefy cottage pie or spaghetti bolognese. Dishes are a bit pricey for every day but it would be definitely handy to have a few in the freezer for those really hectic days.
Woolworths also has a range, Good Stuff, which includes fruit snack pots, snacking tomatoes or cucumbers, rice cakes, peanut butter with no added salt and sugar, and no sugar flavoured sparkling spring drinks. Prepared meals come in ‘eazy cheesy’ chicken, criss-cross cottage pie and pasta pillows. Pick n Pay isn’t far behind with good food choices too for lunch boxes. Pop in and take a look.
Make your own
Mini meatballs are easy to make and can be frozen for the week and savoury scones are perfect for tiny hands to hold while they are busy in the playground.
Meatballs
500g lean beef mince, finely grated onion and three tablespoons of natural yoghurt. Mix together and form small balls. Bake on greaseproof paper in the oven at 180° C for about 20 minutes. Freeze, unless you are going to use them within a few days. Just keep them in a container in the fridge. Next week I’ll give you an easy recipe for cheese scones.
Growing towards the future
Last week I popped into Little Greenhouse in Brackenhurst, an after-school care and learning centre for learners from Grade R to Grade seven.
It is owned by Claire Edwards and Roxanne Yates, who both have teaching experience as a result of being involved with Kip McGrath for three years. Little Greenhouse is definitely something different. With a focus on getting back to basics, the learning centre aims to create a calm, loving and nurturing environment and when I was there, the children were enjoying a yoga session to start the day as part of the school holiday programme. “We saw a gap for youngsters who need some escape from stressful conditions. We offer the Growth Mindset programme. Each month it offers a new skill set. After homework and assistance with school projects are finished, weekly extra-mural activities are enjoyed, which incorporate learning and fun hand in hand,” they said.
Open from 1.30pm to 6pm as well as school holidays, Little Greenhouse serves healthy light lunches and afternoon snacks. They agree that there are “definitely no sweets unless it’s a very special occasion.”
The children have a garden to play in and I loved their little vegetable gardens – they are encouraged to grow their own. I’m sure children will flourish in this comfortable and calming environment. For more information phone 076 727 0430.
That’s it for this week. Shop till you drop, but shop wisely and look for healthy options.
Julie
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