My Own “Back to School” Lunch Prep

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Counsellor Jo

After some nice holidays, it’s back to work for me tomorrow, so just a quick post to show how I mesh my regular meal prep into easy and filling lunches. This time of year I usually incorporate my meals into salads, but as winter approaches I will use the same principles to create hot soup or stew lunches.

In my ingredient-based plan this week, key ingredients were carrots and beets. I will make some recipes for dinners from them later in the week. Other bargain buys were green beans and a 6-pack of romaine lettuce, so salads this week will be romaine-based. I was doing pizza experiments last week, which left me with a large opened jar of salsa to use up, and opened packages of Daiya cheese. I want to ease back into the work week with quick and easy recipes, so I created a taco “stew” (recipe below)

Taco Stew

For dinner on the first and second day back I will use the stew to construct fast tacos. Into pre-made taco shells, I simply layer some lettuce, Daiya cheese, and heated taco stew. Topped with a bit of chopped tomato, green onion and taco sauce, it makes a satisfying warm and crunchy dinner, with no cleanup.

Super fast tacos- just re-heat corn on the cob for the side and dinner is ready.

For lunches on the first few days I have just packed a deconstructed taco salad, with the lettuce (and any other crunchy veggies) packed separately from the taco stew and any other toppings I fancy. At lunch I can heat the stew or leave it cold, and simply layer all the ingredients together for a yummy slurpy taco salad.

Stackable lunch bowls with two days worth of lettuce, green onion, carrot, and the divided layer that I will refill each day. Contains the taco stew packed in a freezer bag for easy transfer to the salad (and easy refill tomorrow). Other sections contain some carrot snacks, walnuts and an (absent) apple snack, plus (absent) chopped tomatoes, cheese, and taco sauce to top the salad.

Fifteen Minute Taco Stew

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup green beans
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 package Yves Veggie Ground Round
1 can white beans or baked beans
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 package taco seasoning
15 fluid ounce salsa
seasonings to taste

Directions:

Fry the onion, beans, and red pepper (or green if you prefer) in the olive oil until softened and onion is translucent. Add in the ground round, beans, tomato, tomato sauce and taco seasoning mix, and stir through until well mixed and heated. Finally add in the salsa and heat to simmer. Taste and add any other seasonings as desired.

RECIPE NOTES:

1. Remember my plan is ingredient based– so most of my recipes can be changed on the fly to use whatever ingredients you have on hand! (add some corn, hot peppers, rice, the possibilities are endless)

2. As with nearly all my recipes, this is easy to make for a keto diet- just increase the fats by adding in more oils, sauces, etc.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 244
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 1053 mg	44 %
Potassium 754 mg	22 %
Total Carbohydrate 35 g	12 %
Dietary Fiber 9 g	37 %
Sugars 16 g
Protein 15 g	30 %
Vitamin A	118 %
Vitamin C	374 %
Calcium	24 %
Iron	26 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

(Nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal data)

More Theme Bentos- Do They Hold up to the New Food Guide?

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Counsellor Jo

As promised, here are the rest of the “Harry Potter week” charabentos that I made for my daughter on her first week back at primary school. That was years ago, and my nutrition knowledge has improved greatly since then. But- even then I knew that packaged foods are often not good fuel for busy schoolkids, and packaged food marketed to kids is often the very worst! Yet, my daughter envied other kids who had pre-made “lunchable” type meals. I could not afford them and I hated both the packaging and often poor nutrition of them.

But when a friend of mine from Japan introduced me to bentos for kids I had a solution. With a bit of research I discovered charabentos, and my daughter was thrilled! At first she couldn’t wait to see what she had each day, and later she became involved with requests for bento themes, and also in creating them herself.

In another post, I will outline some tips and tricks to making healthy bento-style lunches that are also nutritionally sound. Until then, let’s critique how the old ones I made at the start of the charabento journey stand up to Canada’s new 2019 food guide.

Wednesday of the first week. On day one (Tuesday- see my last post for that charabento), the kids were put into their classes for the year. In honour of that, I made a “sorting hat” (tucked in behind the jelly beans) from a salmon/nori/veggie roll (extra bit of salmon and teriyaki dipping sauce on the side). Carrot sticks and sliced mushroom round out the veggie count. Black rice (also called “forbidden rice”) gave some magical themed carbs. A babybel with a carved skin and 3 quail eggs gave an abundance of protein. Again- far too many “every flavour” jelly beans, but my hope was that she’d share them with friends. Fun, and she loved it, but not nearly enough fruit/veggie for proper nutrition. I’d give it a “C” grade.

Thursday’s bento. I blatantly copied the Harry and Snape portrait from another charabento maker. I don’t remember what they made theirs with, but mine was made on a processed cheese slice with nori sheets, sliced ham, and pepper pieces. It was on top of the rest of the forbidden rice and had pickle, ham, and cheese at the side (slight nod to those darn lunchables). Top tier finally fit the fruit/veggie brief with more peppers, mushrooms, greek salad and a small apple. Still lots of sugar with another magic wand and candy stars. Maybe a “B+” grade?

Friday- My second attempt at a sorting hat. This one is prawns and rice in a nori cone. — with rice quiddich pitch covered in furikake, and bats, quaffle, snitch, and bludgers (asparagus, mushroom, pattypan squash and sprouts). Top tier has seaweed, babybel with golden snitch carving, and pumpkin pasta (yes, it had pumpkin filling). For fun I made a howler with a message in it instead of the usual business card. I did it like those “rattlesnake eggs” gags with a rubber band and paperclip that makes a racket when you pick it up. I’d say this one does much better- closer to an “A” with a better proportion of veggies and proteins, and no extra sweets needed.

Next post I will give some bento-style tricks and talk about how to make it food guide friendly for people who would like to make this style for their kids (or themselves). Other posts may highlight some other charabento theme weeks if there is interest.

New School Year- Five Foody Secrets

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Counsellor Jo

In schools in many parts of Canada, families are expected to feed their children breakfast and then send them to school with a packed lunch and snacks. Due to lack of resources, lack of knowledge, and/or commercial food marketing influences, many students come to school without adequate healthy food to fuel them through the day. This affects the students’ learning and ability to self-regulate, and can add to behaviour problems. Some schools provide a hot breakfast program and make healthy snacks available (often funded by the teachers out of their own pockets) to help fill the gaps, but we know that the children would benefit more if they learned how to eat a diet to fuel their own needs. Unfortunately, presently our schools do not have the resources to do this on a comprehensive basis, so it is up to parents to do this incredibly important job.

So today I begin a small series of kids’ food posts by sharing with you five of the best nutrition secrets I’ve learned in my dual roles as parent and school counsellor. I hope that these posts will support parents in their quest to give their kids their most successful school experience.

Secret number one– A nutritionist can tell you how many calories your child needs according to weight and activity level, but the new Canada food guide is so much easier, and if it is done right, nearly every child will eat enough to fuel their brains and bodies well. So, use the plate below (1/2 fruits and veggies, 1/4 dense proteins, 1/4 whole grains) to plan for your kids’ meals:

HOWEVER- if children also eat many highly processed foods and especially candies and sugar-filled snacks and drinks, it will derail the benefits. Sugar and refined carbohydrates pack on the pounds in little bodies, and they also drain out physical and brain energy (read this article and this one). And just as importantly, eating overly refined foods with their massive amounts of sugars and salts changes the childrens’ ability to taste healthy foods (read this article). So, eat whole, unprocessed foods nearly all of the time both in and out of school.

Secret number two– It’s OK if children do not like “healthy” eating to start. It takes time for their tastes to change. It may be more comfortable to start the new eating style a bit before the school year to get them used to it, but they will adapt very quickly no matter when you start. And don’t worry if they eat less (and whine) for a bit as they miss their sugar cereals and hate the new textures of food. Just think about how you felt the last time you swore off chocolate bars (grumpy? deprived?), and how quickly you got over it (and how much better you felt) when you stuck to your resolve. You are giving your child the gift of health- whether they appreciate it or not. That’s what parenting is all about.
Secret number three– The school day is long! At most schools, students get to school and play outside for fifteen minutes to half an hour before school starts. (Some students get to school up to an hour before school starts). Then they are doing classroom activities for at least another hour before they get a snack break. Add in a commute and they may need enough fuel for three busy hours at a time. So make sure breakfast is filling- boxed cereal will not cut it. Give kids a breakfast of whole grains to keep them feeling full, and protein to help them self-regulate. Porridge with yogurt and applesauce or dates (not sugar) as sweeteners will make any kid feel loved and satisfied. And make sure they have two healthy snacks and a healthy lunch to round out the day.
Secret number four– In addition to protein at breakfast, make your child’s snacks protein rich, especially if your child has difficulties with concentration or impulsiveness. This article talks about the positive effects of protein foods for children diagnosed with ADHD, but all children can benefit in the same way. And protein is not just found in meat and dairy (in fact, many nutrition experts note that meat and dairy are the least healthy ways to get protein). It can be found in beans, tofu, nuts and seeds (and nut or seed butters without added sugar/salt), tempeh, etc.
Secret number five– One key to getting kids to eat well is to teach them to enjoy a *varied* diet. Let them try many small bits of foods warm, cold, blended, chunky, raw, cooked. Have them eat many different types of protein, and try bitter, sour, spicy, and bland foods. And have them taste them more than once- we don’t always like foods the first few times we try them. A great way to get kids to try different foods is to have them participate in choosing and preparing them. Do your meal planning and grocery shopping with the kids there. Let them have a hand in choosing meal items. Then get them to help find things from the grocery list when you are at the store. Show them how you read nutrition labels and say no to sugar foods. (Show them how there is usually more sugar in foods with cartoon characters on them than in “adult” food, as crazy as that is! ie- yogurt vs squeeze tubes of “kid” yogurt). Instead of a chocolate bar at the checkout, let your child choose a single item of any fruit they wish in the produce section (let them try a starfruit or dragonfruit or something else exotic- it reinforces that fruit is the sweet treat we look forward to). Then, when you get home, let them help to make their own lunch and snacks for school.
Bonus secret number six– This is a secret about my own professional and family experience. I learned many of the above five secrets by observing how kids at schools ate, and which ones struggled with more behaviour and self-regulation problems. As part of my job, I write behaviour plans and individual education plans, working with parents and teachers. When I started including some of these dietary suggestions into the plans, kids became more successful in school, and parents realized the value as they had happier kids at home too. I also put it into practice to help my own daughter from a young age, as she had many challenges of her own. I began by making charabento-style lunches for her so she could pick and graze through her lunches and snacks. She loved them, and very soon began to get involved in making her own. Here is a teaser picture of a charabento for her first day of primary school (when she was deeply into Harry Potter). Mea culpa- note that back then I was only at the start of my journey learning about nutrition and child health, so not all the foods are the very best. But we all start somewhere.