Super Food For Super Kids And A Simple Sweet Potato Soup

Getting your kids to eat healthy food can be a battle as we all know only too well.  I think the trick is to keep it simple and to find ways of making it appealing.  I’m not really one for hiding cauliflower puree in the chocolate brownies, I like my kids to know, straight up, that healthy food tastes great, will  help them grow up strong and healthy and make them feel good inside and out.  

Blueberry Super Smoothie

It’s school holidays here and the weather has been miserable.  Cold, raining and not much fun for kids. The computer has become a bit of a novelty and the girls have become very tech savvy. It’s amazing how fast they can turn a One Direction film clip on you tube into an educational game when they sense my approach…so today I got them working for me.  They were allowed to use the Internet but they had to conduct some research.  I needed to find out what the top ten super foods for kids were.  Here’s what we came up with…

Wholegrain Bread - for energy

 Blueberries - full of antioxidants, super heroes that fight nasty wastes

Natural Yoghurt - With protein and calcium and acidophilus for healthy digestion

Sweet Potato - Heaps of vitamins and minerals

Natural Nut Butter - Good fats, fibre and protein

Legumes – Beans, Chickpeas and Lentils - Protein, fibre and iron

Broccoli - Disease fighting nutrients and Vitamin C

Omega 3 Eggs - Protein and essential fats for healthy skin, brain development and a happy mood

Avocado - Good fats for healthy growth and development

Organic Chicken - Go organic to eliminate harmful additives

Of course there were many more like fish, oats, tomatoes, cinnamon, raw honey and to Lucia’s delight, cocoa.

We were pretty happy with our list because we include all of these super foods in our diet in one way or another (except for yoghurt for the dairy sensitive Frankie and Leo).

So, then we got to thinking…could we eat all of those super foods in one day?  You bet!  Here is the menu the girls came up with (with just a little help from me)…It’s simple and very do-able!

Breakfast

Blueberry Smoothie with blueberries, banana, yoghurt, oat milk, ground flax seeds and raw honey.

For Dairy free – just substitute the yoghurt with 1/4 of an avocado.

Morning Snack

Hummus made from chick peas with chopped carrot, snow peas and maybe some rice crackers

Home made hummus

Lunch

Soft boiled egg with avocado on whole grain toast

Or – if you are packing your lunch, how about an egg, avocado and lettuce sandwich on wholegrain bread.

Afternoon Snack

Nut butter spread on sliced apple, or…

Choc Nut Balls  made with nuts, nut butter and cocoa

Afternoon pick-me-up

Dinner

Organic chicken on a stick served with sweet potato mash and broccoli

Or, if you are vegetarian, how about making a bean and veggie hot pot.

Kristin’s Fried Chicken with Sweet potato, potato and pumpkin mash and broccoli

We were pretty chuffed with our menu and look forward to trying it out.  Tonight, however, with the rain and the cold, the pantry was looking a little bare.  We came up with this very, very simple sweet potato soup that turned out to be a winner.  Here’s the recipe…

Really Simple Sweet Potato Soup

This made enough for me and the three kids so if you would like extra for lunch the next day or for the freezer, you might like to make a double batch.

Super Simple Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1 medium sweet potato

1 medium potato

1 medium carrot

1 medium zucchini, grated – optional

a good shake of cumin

a shake of coriander

500mls good quality vegetable stock

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or olive oil)

1/2 cup of red lentils, washed – optional

What to do:

Chop everything roughly.  Add your coconut oil to a medium sized pot and warm.  Add your onions and garlic and cook until they are translucent, about five minutes.

Add your veggies and stir well.  Shake in your cumin and coriander and cook for about five minutes, adding a little water to the pot if the veggies start to catch.

Add your lentils if using them and the stock and bring soup to the boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft or until all the toys are collected from around the house and returned to their rightful place.

Turn off the heat and using a hand held stick mixer, blend the soup in the pot.  Alternatively, you can do this in a blender or the food processor but let the soup cool a little first.  Season with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve with a dollop of yoghurt, coconut cream or sour cream and some chopped coriander if you like.  We had ours with hummus on toast.  It was delicious!

Here are some more super food meal ideas you might like to try…

Broccoli Carbonara

Spelt flat breads with grilled chicken and salad

Home made baked beans

What are your favourite super foods?  Feel free to share your ideas for getting kids to eat healthy food…let’s spread the love!

Happy Eating,

mamacino x

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