Kate Withington, British brand Blackmoor’s nutritionist, is making it easier for busy parents to plan, prepare and feed their hungry brood this January by sharing her expert advice alongside a Kate’s Meal Plan.
It’s essential when feeding children to offer a balanced diet so they hit the target of the 40 different nutrients they require daily. This can seem quite a steep task when time-poor parents are juggling everything from work to home life. Kate, a mother of two, understands the demands of everyday life and follows a plan each week to better prepare herself and the household on who is eating what and when.
Kate begins: “Breakfast is very important as that is what will start your children off for the day. Breakfast consumption in children has been found to improve cognitive function, particularly memory, attention, and executive function. Improve academic performance, including school grades and achievement test scores and increase on-task behaviour in the class. So, it’s a very important meal in my book.”
Breakfast
In her meal plan, Kate has given five quick and easy breakfast ideas which will keep children fuelled and full of energy for the day. There is a range from Weetabix and a banana, porridge with jam and peanut butter for the extra protein, bagels with berries and fruit smoothies.
Kate said: “You may be in a rush in the morning to get your children out the door for school but always leave enough time to give them the big breakfast they need. Children are continually growing and will need more food to fuel themselves than adults.
When I plan it out like this, I can make sure they’re getting a balanced and varied diet. All these meals are quick and stress-free or can even be batch cooked to make mornings even easier.”
Lunch
Kate continued: “A balanced diet is very important for children, so I always bear that in mind when choosing what lunches, I give to them. I always try them with at least one piece of fruit and/or vegetables. Lots of parents say to me ‘But they don’t eat them!’ and my reply is always ‘please keep trying!’ as children’s tastebuds change, so keep persisting and one day they may very much like it.
I tend to stay away from giving my children any sweets or chocolate at lunchtime instead I opt for Greek yoghurt, fruit with nut butters or homemade energy balls instead.
I like to keep my lunches quick and simple but also nutritional, a sandwich is one of my go-to’s, as your child can choose their filling of choice and they also leave them nice and full. I will then opt for some fruit and vegetables alongside a low-calorie sweet snack on some occasions.
Every child is different and will like different foods, but this is just a basic guide to give you some ideas on what type of foods you should be feeding your children to give them the balanced diet they need.”
Dinner
Kate suggested: “When I pick my kids up from school, I am usually busy running around to afterschool clubs or doing homework with them which by that point leaves me with little energy to think about what to make them for dinner. Lately, I will be honest, I haven’t always had time to prepare something for when I get home. So, I have been opting for easy meals like pizza wraps. We all have busy lives and every now and then there is nothing wrong with this at all.
However, I have come up with some meals that don’t take a lot of time to prepare or options that you can make in batches. So, on busy days you can just throw them in the microwave if you don’t want to prepare them on the spot.
Spaghetti Bolognese is a great option as you can hide vegetables into your recipe, and it is a great meal for batch cooking. A way I add some hidden vegetables in is by grating some carrots, they blend into the bolognaise easily and you can’t see they’re in there. I opt for a lentil Bolognese as I am vegetarian, however just opt for the meat option if you’re not.
Tortilla pizzas (or pizza wraps as we call them and I mention above) are one of my personal favourites as they’re quick, and the kids love them! All it requires is a tortilla wrap, some tomato puree, and your favourite choice of toppings. This meal is also great as the kids can get involved and it is an exciting task for them to take part in. Once the creations are made just pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Cod goujons with wedges and peas is one of my favourites too. Every meal doesn’t have to be a fresh home-cooked one to keep your children on a balanced diet, we all get busy and simple meals are okay.”
Kate ended: “When I am planning what to feed my kids, I tend to live by the 80/20 rule, 80% whole, minimally processed foods and the other 20% whatever you fancy. My two love pizza and cookies as much as any other children.”
