when I need you??!! Before bed last night, my 8-year old daughter begged me to let her buy school cafeteria lunch today. "I haven't bought lunch since before Christmas!" she declared. Knowing that was true, I caved, and gave her the okay, but as soon as I did, all I could picture in my head was that frightening food the cafeteria labels as "trail mix." The first few times she came home last year and told me she had "trail mix" at lunch, I have to admit, I was kind of impressed. Trail mix seems like a pretty forward-thinking good protein-packed snack to be offered in a school cafeteria. Even more impressive, was the fact that my daughter had reportedly chosen this, over, say, a chocolate chip cookie. Patting myself on the back for raising such a good eater, I spent the next several weeks in blissful ignorance, until...
I discovered that "trail mix" was actually a little plastic cup filled with marshmallows and froot loops, and maybe a raisin or two thrown in there to make it look good! If you're a parent of an elementary-aged child, join with me in screaming out loud a collective, "WHAT???!!!"
And, so began my distrust of the school lunch menu and my general suspicion that things like "milk", "chicken", or "green beans" might actually be code for other things! So, this morning, I did what any other self-respecting parent would do, and served her a healthy breakfast of fruit and oatmeal, as if that would somehow cancel out what she'll be eating in just a few hours from now. Ahhhhhhhh!
So, with that in mind, I turn back to Jamie Oliver, renowned chef and host of "Food Revolution" (which by the way filmed in Huntington, WV, very close to where I grew up in WV), for some good tips on keeping things healthy in your family kitchen. These tips come from an interview he gave to MSN recently, so in case you didn't catch it, here you go:
1. De-clutter your kitchen - allow it to be the space that it was intended to be, where you prepare food. Don't fall into the trap of having your kitchen be the free-for-all space where you can find anything and everything except the cutting board.
2. If you don't want your family eating it, don't buy it!! I've been saying this one for years! If you don't want your kids to have sugary snacks and chips, don't buy them, put them on the shelf, and then expect them not to crave them!
3. If you don't know how to cook, spend some time learning a few simple cooking technique from a friend, family member, or neighbor who does know how to cook! Healthy foods aren't hard to prepare, but you do have to prepare them (as opposed to most unhealthy foods that come conveniently pre-packaged and require almost no cooking skills.
4. Have a goal to cook fresh foods at least once a week.
5. Teach your kids about the dangers of unhealthy foods now. What good does it do us as parents to hound them about wearing their bike helmet, if we let them come inside when they're done and pound down a bag of chips that's going to lead to things like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes on down the road!
If you'd like to sign Jamie Oliver's petition to improve the condition of school lunch in your area, click the link below!
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition
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