School season is coming, and with it comes the task that often falls on moms’ shoulders: preparing their kids’ school stuff, especially...
School
season is coming, and with it comes the task that often falls on moms’
shoulders: preparing their kids’ school stuff, especially their packed lunch.
It’s
no simple chore – as children can be picky about what they eat. But here are a
few tips from Solane, the country’s leading cooking gas, for making meals that
the young ones will truly enjoy.
Make
it delicious yet healthy. School children are at the growing age, and they
need all the nutrition they can get for their bones, muscles, and brain, among
other body parts to be developed. Moms need to make sure that the meals cover
the “recommended dietary allowance” for the nutrients they need: from
carbohydrates and protein to vitamins and minerals. Dishes should form a
balanced diet: there should be portions of grains (typically rice and noodles),
meat, and fruits and veggies, even oils.
A
particularly hard part of introducing a healthy meal would be making the kids
eat vegetables. Studies show that the habit is best learned by example, but
because parents will not be in school to personally show the kids that greens
are fun to eat, the key is to cook them in a child-friendly way, say, by cleverly
pairing them with a siding or sauce that they already love. Examples would be boiled
beans dipped in mayonnaise, tofu cubes rolled alongside ground beef in a
tortilla wrap, or mushrooms slathered in cheese.
Make
it colorful. The same way kids like their clothes, their toys,
and their surroundings bursting with colors, kids will be more inclined to
finish what’s on their plate if it looked enticing because of the different
colors.
Plating
is important to capture their imagination. Some of the garnishing items that
also bring nutrients to the dish are carrots, cucumber, red or green bell
peppers, celery, and pineapples. Make sure your pantry is well-stocked with
these, to instantly bring color to your kid’s lunch!
Make
it easy. Preparing
the kids’ lunch doesn’t need to be a stressful activity. Indeed, food tastes
best when it is cooked with love, by someone who is having fun!
To
aid moms in cooking, there are many references for kid-friendly recipes online,
including on Solane’s Facebook page. Solane has also developed an app called
Solane Kitchen eMinder, a handly reminder tool for Solane LPG, food, and
grocery. Moms can use it to keep track of the household’s Solane LPG
consumption, to make sure they have enough fuel to prepare meals in the
mornings. They can also take a photo of particular items, and enter such
details as its expiry, or preparation requirements. Reminders to buy a new
bottle of cooking oil, or to marinate meat, for example, can then be sent over
Facebook or email.
Kids’ lunches for school are
best cooked using a reliable source of cooking gas like Solane, a brand known
for its mark of safety and quality. Order a Solane LPG tank today by calling Solane’s
Hatid Bahay hotline number 887-5555 or visiting www.solane.com.ph.