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Three healthy baked treats to make with children

spwadmin Learning, Nutrition

 There are no doubts about the benefits of getting children involved in the kitchen. It teaches them the basic language of mathematics, introduces them to science and allows them to participate in all kinds of movements, such as stirring, measuring, pouring and grating. 

Everyone loves a baked treat, but they’re not always the healthiest. Believe it or not, these recipes also incorporate some delicious fresh vegetables! 

All recipes are via the chefs from our centres, so you know they’re child-tested and approved.  

 

Banana Monkey Muffins  

Banana Monkey Muffins                     

This recipe makes muffins that even the cheekiest monkey would go bananas for! With no refined sugar and delicious elements such as Greek yogurt and cinnamon, they won’t last long out of the oven.  

Makes 12 muffins  

Ingredients:                 

  • 1 and ¾ cups wholemeal self-raising flour
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup chopped banana  

 

Method 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper cases. 
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix them together with a whisk. 
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and honey and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt and vanilla. Mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.) 
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). 
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups  
  6. Bake the muffins for 16 to 19 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. 
  7. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool – and enjoy! 

 

 carrot and oat cookies

Carrot and oat cookies 

Easy and delicious to make, why not whip up a batch of these cookies in the morning then enjoy them as part of a lunchtime picnic on the living room floor or outside, if weather permits. Just pack up your favourite teddies, some books to read and some delicious food – including these cookies, of course!   

 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup brown sugar 
  • 1 Tsp cinnamon 
  • 100gm unsalted butter 
  • 1 egg 
  • 2 grated carrots 
  • 2 ½ cups self-raising flour 
  • 1 cup rolled oats 

  

Method: 

  1. Melt butter, add sugar and eggs. Mix well. 
  2. Add rest of ingredients and combine well. If mixture is wet add a little more flour; this should be a cookie dough consistency. Roll, make into your choice of shapes and bake 180 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.

  

 Muesli bars 

Muesli bars 

Homemade muesli bars are delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up for both adults and children!  

 

Ingredients:  

  • ½ cup honey
  • 125 gm butter
  • 1 ½ cup rolled oats 
  • 1 cup rice bubbles 
  • 1 cup sultanas 
  • ½ cup dried apricot – diced 
  • ¼ chia seeds 
  • ¼ cup pepitas 
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds 

Method:   

  1. Melt the butter and honey in a pot until well combined.  
  2. Add rest of ingredients and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. 
  3. Let cool completely or overnight, then cut into squares. 
  4. Optional: Top with blueberries or other berries of your choice! 

 

Dinner… again? Child-approved dinner recipes from our centres

spwadmin Nutrition

You know the feeling. Six o’clock is rapidly approaching, and it’s time to make dinner yet again – but you’re just not sure where to begin.  

Our centres have come together to provide some recipe ideas to solve your dinner time woes. Taking inspiration from what the children love best, you can rest assured that these recipes will tempt even the fussiest of eaters!  

  meatballs  

Porcupine meatballs 

There’s nothing spiky about these delicious meatballs, which make the perfect hot dinner, especially when the weather’s cooling down outside!   

Ingredients: 

  • 500g lean beef mince 
  • 1 small onion, chopped 
  • 1 zucchini, grated 
  • 1 carrot, grated 
  • 1 egg 
  • 1 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce    
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic 
  • 500ml condensed tomato soup, salt reduced 
  • 150g white medium grain rice 
  • Frozen vegetables to serve on side  

Method: 

  1. To make the meatballs, mix the beef mince, half of the onion, egg, garlic, grated carrot and zucchini and uncooked rice together. Roll into about 10 meatballs. 
  1. Place the meatballs into an oven-proof dish. 
  1. Mix together, in a big jug, the tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce and the other half of the onion. Fill the empty tomato soup can with water and add to the sauce mix. Once well mixed, pour over the meatballs. 
  1. Place dish in oven, cover and simmer for 40 mins or until the rice is tender and meatballs are cooked through. 
  1. Serve with cooked frozen veggies of your choice and fresh herbs on top.  

 

 chicken biryani

Better-than-ever biryani  

Let’s go around the world. Grab a globe or google the world map, help your child find India, and then cook up this delicious biryani together.  

Ingredients:  

  • Olive oil spray 
  • 500 gm diced lamb 
  • 1 large red onion, diced 
  • 1 tablespoon crushed ginger  
  • 1 tablespoon garlic 
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder 
  • 1 ½ tablespoons gara masala 
  • 400gm crushed tomatoes 
  • 450g cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets 
  • 400g sweet potato diced 
  • 1 cup water 
  • 2 bunch English spinach, trimmed, leaves shredded 
  • Steamed basmati rice, to serve 

  

Method: 

  1. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Spray with oil.  
  1. Brown lamb, stirring often until golden.  
  1. Add onion, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Add the spices. Cook stirring, for 1-2 minutes.  
  1. Add the tomato, cauliflower, sweet potato and water.  
  1. Bring to the boil, cook till lamb is tender and add spinach. Serve over rice and enjoy.  

 pasta bake

The perfect pasta bake 

A truly delicious pasta bake needs no real explanation. This one incorporates tuna and vegetables to make a nutritious yet child-friendly and family-loving menu option. 

Ingredients: 

  • 500g tuna in springwater, canned, drained 
  • 300g macaroni 
  • 600g frozen peas 
  • 200g frozen corn kernels 
  • 1 small onion 
  • 250g chopped cauliflower or broccoli 
  • 2 cups milk 
  • 1 cup grated cheese 
  • 50g margarine 
  • ¼ cup plain flour  

Method:  

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Grease a baking dish. 
  1. Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling water, following packet directions, until just tender. Drain. Transfer to a bowl. 
  1. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture bubbles. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened, add half the cheese. Cook for 2 minutes or until combined and cheese melted. 
  1. Stir in tuna, onion, frozen vegetables, cauliflower/broccoli and pasta and stir until heated through. Spoon into prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Serve with fresh herbs on top should you wish.  

 

Why shared reading experiences are great for children

spwadmin Learning

By: G8 Education Team 

 

Shared reading experiences with your child offer valuable opportunities for them to explore the joy of reading. When you enjoy reading together, your child will associate reading with the warmth and closeness you provide while sharing this experience.  

Research also shows that reading with your child increases their vocabulary and sets them up as lifelong readers. 

Did you know? 

When your child is engaging with books and storytelling, they are: 

  • Developing a love of reading;
  • Having fun with rhyming words and the sounds words make;
  • Enjoying the rhythm of language, developing their imagination and interests;
  • Enjoying a positive literacy experience with you! 

 

Why not try some of the below activities incorporating shared reading? 

The Magic Beach 

This is a wonderful book with so much to see in the illustrations. If you don’t have the book, you can find it on Youtube here. 

After reading the book: 

  • Google pictures of real-life rock pools with sea life living in them; see if you can describe the creatures and name these; 
  • If you have any shells in the house, take a look to see if any of the same shells are living in the rock pools; 
  • If you are near a beach, go for a beach walk and pick up shells along the way. 

 

Dear Zoo 

An old favourite. Click here to experience the author reading the story – enjoy the animal noises and make these with your child as you listen or read!  

After reading the book, why not:  

  • Go to the zoo together – virtually, of course! – with Victoria Zoo’s live cam showing some of their animal homes. Find their live cams here.
  • Explore your child’s toy box together and find as many animals as you can. Use some blocks or boxes or Lego and make a zoo for the animals. Sort the animals to see which ones might be able to live together and which ones might be too fierce. 
  • Make animals out of play-dough to explore animal shapes and characteristics. 

 

The best quick and easy lunch ideas for children

spwadmin Nutrition

 

In this unprecedented time, we understand that circumstances are quickly changing for families across Australia. With many spending so much time at home, we also understand that this comes with added pressures – including the endless question of what to feed your little ones every day!  

We’re lucky enough to have a team of experts across every one of our brands. Thanks to the nutritional experts, chefs and cooks who spend every day with children, they know what works to tempt those little taste buds! 

Check out our favourite ideas for quick and easy lunch  options below…  

 

 

Teddy bear’s antipasto 

Sometimes, you just don’t want a full, cooked meal. Sometimes a plate of delicious, child-friendly antipasto is enough! All of the below ingredients can be switched out, added or subtracted depending on what you’ve got in the fridge or the pantry. Just invite your favourite teddy bears to the picnic.  

Ingredients:  

  • Sliced ham 
  • Sliced chicken breast 
  • Sliced tomatoes 
  • Sliced cucumbers 
  • Sliced or cubed cheese
  • Grated carrots 
  • Baby bocconcini  
  • Selection of breads (buttered optional) 

Method: 

  1. Gather whatever you have for your antipasto picnic and arrange on a board or plate. 
  2. Enjoy! 

 

  

Spinach and feta scones  

Is there anything better than a fresh scone, straight out of the oven? There certainly is – when the scones are full of yummy spinach and feta! Serve with a side of chopped vegetables or salad to make for a delicious, light lunch.  

Serves 18 (mini scones) 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup frozen spinach, strained 
  • 2 tbsp. butter 
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup milk 
  • 2 ½ cups wholemeal self-raising flour 
  • 1 cup white self-raising flour 
  • 1 cup crumbled feta 

Method: 

  1. Mash spinach with butter. Stir through egg, milk and cheese.  
  2. Sift flour into mixture and stir through. 
  3. Turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly.  Pat dough out into a square tin.  
  4. With a floured knife, score dough, almost through, into 18 squares.  Brush with a little extra milk.
  5. Bake in a very hot oven, 220°C, for 15 minutes or until risen and golden. 

 

 

Lazy vegetarian tacos 

Sometimes it’s nice to lighten things up a bit – and these vegetarian tacos are quick, healthy and easy to serve up deconstructed. Simply put each ingredient in its own bowl and let the little ones build their own tacos to their tastes. 

Makes 10 tacos  

Ingredients: 

  • 250g diced tomatoes 
  • 200ml water 
  • 2.5 tsp minced garlic 
  • 250g grated carrot 
  • 250g grated zuchinni  
  • 400g red lentils 
  • 1 tsp taco seasoning 
  • 150g shredded cheese 
  • ½ head shredded lettuce 
  • 10 wholegrain wraps or taco shells 

Method:  

  1. Heat tomatoes in a pot, add the water and garlic.  
  2. Bring to the boil and add grated carrot and zucchini. When boiling, add the lentils and seasoning. 
  3. Turn to low, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, add more water if needed 
  4. Keep on a low simmer until mixture thickens and lentils are no longer visible.  
  5. Serve with salad, cheese and tacos for children to build! 

 

How to make a ‘creating kit’ with your child

spwadmin Learning

 

By: G8 Education Team 

Open–ended materials support children to design, make, reflect, refine, remake and discuss their ideas. Let’s look at how you can make a creating kit together, one that your child can use over and over!  

 

Gather all the materials 

Go on a treasure hunt in your home and garden/park with your child looking for items to create with. You might find: 

  • Paper from the printer and other types of paper such as wrapping paper, colored paper, cardboard, newspaper, advertising material in your letterbox, envelopes (new or used) 
  • Materials to recycle such as egg cartons, cereal boxes, other small boxes (see what you can save into jars or leave in the bag inside the box if these are in your pantry), plastic bottles and containers, big boxes from deliveries or those ones you kept just in case, tissue boxes (great for posting things into when you’re little), paper tubes, ribbons, packaging materials, tissue paper   
  • Natural materials like shells, leaves, twigs, stones, interesting seed pods and any other items capturing your child’s interest   
  • Any art materials like paint, food colouring, glue sticks and other glue, string, tape, stapler, child sized scissors, hole punch, crayons, marker and chalks  

 

Store the materials in a large container  

Keep adding to these containers over time. Children will love this collection and will spend hours creating, using this resource often.  

 

Enjoy!  

Enjoy the peace and quiet when your child is fully engaged, or join them to create! Don’t forget to take photos of your child’s creations and share with other family members; your child might like to choose the ones they want a photo of. 

 

 

Top expert tips for stocking the pantry at home

spwadmin Nutrition

Top expert tips for stocking the pantry at home 

By Karla Gilbert 

As an accredited Nutrition and Health Coach, Karla Gilbert knows how to keep families healthy – even in the most challenging, unprecedented times. A mum of two girls, Karla also shares her tips on stocking the pantry and stretching out time between supermarket trips.  

 

These are unprecedented times. With no blueprint to follow concerning what the future holds, now is the perfect time to focus on the health of our families through nutrition, managing stress, regular exercise and mindset.  

Here are my top tips for keeping the family healthy, happy and well-fed!  

 1. Less stress in the supermarket 

When shopping, look for canned and frozen vegetables, tinned and frozen fish, legumes and beans. Where possible, pick up wholegrains such as bread, rice, quinoa and whole-wheat pasta. These are all ingredients that will enable you to mix and match to easily create healthy meals. 

Having pizza bases, tortillas and taco kits on hand will also ensure that variety is maintained with meal planning, keeping children content!  

Frozen fruits also make for great smoothies that children will love. Click here for my strawberry oats smoothie recipe that they can’t get enough of.

 

 2. Cook batches & freeze for another meal 

If you have been after a reason to brush up on your cooking skills, now is the perfect time. Meal ideas such as chilli con carne, pasta sauce, meatballs, Indian dahls and casseroles are ideal recipes to batch cook and freeze for another meal when you may  

Utilize canned beans and halve the amount of meat used in a dish to extend the time between supermarket visits. Try a spaghetti bolognese sauce with veggies and lentils, tacos made from mince and black beans, chickpea falafel balls or meatballs simmered in tinned tomatoes and butter beans – all excellent ideas to use the canned pantry supplies.

 3. Get the children involved in the kitchen 

 Children take a lot of pride in what they’ve created in the kitchen, and it’s an incredible learning opportunity!  

Ask little ones with certain steps, such as counting ingredients out together or trying different methods such as stirring, tossing, grating and mashing. If children are too young to help, pop them on a highchair and ask them to name the ingredients going into the food.  

Some great ideas are to help blend a smoothie with a cool name or make homemade pizzas with an array of colours. 


4. Incorporate immune-boosting foods 

 Immune-boosting foods such as onions and garlic add lovely flavours to otherwise bland meals and have antibacterial properties. You can stock up on herbs and spices to jazz up meals.  

The upcoming cooler months means citrus fruits will be plentiful with oranges and mandarins, offering immune support through vitamin C.  

 

5. Be patient with fussy eaters 

The times we are facing are certainly not ideal, so finding alternatives with a flexible mindset is going to help offload unnecessary stress while displaying resilience to our children.  

If your child is showing signs of fussy eating, it may be a process of exposing the new food a certain amount of times. Offer new foods alongside a food they are already accustomed to; or try and reduce new food anxiety by allowing your child to experiment with vegetables in craft activities. Click here for more tips about fussy eaters. 

As children interact with foods, they begin to form lifelong food associations that will affect their eating habits later. Our goal is to help children form positive associations with healthy foods regardless of what the outside world brings! 

 

The best way to speak to children about COVID-19

spwadmin Wellbeing

COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation, which has – understandably – caused anxiety among families. Young children often pick up on this anxiety and need their own support, both while in centre and at home. 

Our educators are trained to guide and support children through difficult situations. To support this while you’re at home, we’ve included UNICEF’s recommendations on how to speak to children about the virus and best practices, while also protecting and supporting them. 

 

Ask open questions – and listen carefully 

UNICEF suggests to begin by inviting your child to talk about the issue, in an effort to understand more about how much they already know – and go from there.  

“If they are particularly young and haven’t already heard about the outbreak, you may not need to raise the issue – just take the chance to remind them about good hygiene practices without introducing new fears.” 

If they have heard about the virus, use age-appropriate language to explain more about what’s happening out there. As UNICEF reminds us – “children have a right to truthful information about what’s going on in the world, but adults also have a responsibility to keep them safe from distress.” 

 

Use drawing & stories to open up conversations 

One great option is to use this e-book about COVID-19 to chat to your child about the virus.  

Created by Manuela Molina, a psychology expert focused on children’s emotional intelligence, the book supports and reassures children under the age of seven. It’s available in 20 global languages and printable so that children can draw on it at home.  

 

Practice good hygiene  

Make it fun! UNICEF suggests encouraging regular hand-washing by singing along to the Wiggles, or following a dance to make it fun. Click here to find the Wiggles hand-washing song. 

You can also demonstrate proper ‘cough etiquette’ to children, I.e. covering coughing or sneezing with their elbow.  

 

Offer reassurance  

By seeing lots of troubling images on the news, along with intense news headlines, it can increase stress and anxiety for children.  

UNICEF suggests making opportunities for children to play and relax, when possible; along with keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, especially before children go to sleep. 

“If you are experiencing an outbreak in your area, remind your children that they are not likely to catch the disease, that most people who do have coronavirus don’t get very sick, and that lots of adults are working hard to keep your family safe.”  

It’s important to point out the helpers in particular; the doctors and nurses working at hospitals, the scientists working to develop a vaccine, and the volunteers helping get groceries and essential supplies to those who are unable to access these services.  

 

More for children 

For a comprehensive breakdown on how to speak to children of every age about COVID-19, at every stage of their understanding about the virus – click here for a handy guide from Early Childhood Australia. 

If you also have older children, they might like to read this guide from Headspace on how to maintain a healthy mindset during this time. 

 

Look after yourself 

As, of course, children will pick up on your reactions. If you are in a challenging or dangerous situation, please consider contacting one of the resources listed here at White Ribbon, or if you have questions about your health, call one of the state or territory public health agencies below for more information.  

  •     ACT call 02 5124 9213 
  •     NSW call 1300 066 055 
  •     Qld call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) 
  •     SA call 1300 232 272 
  •     VIC call 1300 651 160 
  •     WA visit healthywa.wa.gov.au or call your local public health unit 

 

Sidewalk puffy paint recipe

spwadmin Physical Activity

This is a really fun way to use up small pieces of old sidewalk chalk, or take your sidewalk chalk game to a whole new level – especially if you’re taking part in the #rainbowtrail movement in your community!

Children at our centres love making and playing with sidewalk puffy paint. If you are concerned about getting it off your sidewalk once dry, just be sure to wash it off while it’s still wet.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
  • 1 piece sidewalk chalk – or the leftover remnants of old chalk are perfect for this!
  • Plastic squeeze bottle

This recipe fills up a small bottle of paint. If you’d like to make several colours, simply double the recipe and divide the mixture before adding the chalk.

 

METHOD

  1. Mix flour with water, then add 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Mix well until all clumps are gone.
  2. Using a cheese grater, grate the sidewalk chalk piece on the finest setting in the colour of your choice. The more chalk you add, the brighter the colour will be!
  3. Be sure to use within the same day you make it – and have fun creating beautiful pictures on your driveway!