New year, new start – for you and your child

You know the saying, ‘new year, new start’ – we all promise to eat better, get fitter and feel healthier with a list of resolutions we vow to keep.

But are you the only one whose diet needs a revamp? Your little one may need a ‘new start’ too - and that new start could be KiddiChef.

KiddiChef.com is a children’s catering company for parents, local nurseries, schools, childminders and holiday & afterschool clubs.

We create freshly prepared on-the-day meals for all children aged 6 months and above - capturing young, sensitive palettes and introducing children to tasty, healthy ingredients from a young age.

KiddiChef.com has gone right back to basics – we offer home-style cooking and training, using only locally-sourced, fresh ingredients and omitting toxins, chemicals and preservatives that are often found in retail, convenience and other fast foods.

This is a brand new concept – what makes Kiddichef.com unique is that our meals are made fresh on the day of purchase, without any vacuum packing, sealed jars or preservatives.

 

Our intention is to build a sustainable, healthy lifestyle for families. We want to create a community of experts, education establishments and government bodies, providing an accessible network for advice and support in improving children’s health and reducing obesity.

 

As well as this, we provide children with an education in healthy eating and a palette for nutritious ingredients that they can take with them through life.

Not only will eating better food help a child’s health, it will impact, what KiddiChef.com likes to call, their ‘ABC’ - Attention, Behaviour and Concentration.

Our belief is that any product that can sit unrefrigerated on a shelf for a year is not ‘fresh’.  We aim to provide a healthy alternative for parents and organisations, allowing them to provide their children with nutritious, tasty, fresh food every day.

Our multi-cultural menu is ideal for modern, working parents who want healthy, home-cooked food for their child, but do not always have the time to prepare it.

Parents can either pick up our meals from their local Kiddichef.com hotspot or opt for KiddiChef.com’s delivery service. We also service and deliver to nurseries, schools and after-school & holiday clubs, meaning that children can eat healthy food at school and home.

If you want to give KiddiChef a try for the New Year, or simply want a little more information email info@kiddichef.com or call 0121-554-0469.

Who said Christmas was just for kids?

Father Christmas must be rushed off his feet at the North Pole, finalising gift lists and loading the sleigh for Christmas Day. But while you’re waiting for him to arrive, we have some great ideas for festive fun for you and your little one this Christmas!

Potato printing

 

Your bound to have some potatoes left in the bag that didn’t get used for Christmas dinner, make use of them by carving out fun shapes, dipping them in paint and printing! You could try a Christmas tree, a snowman, a star, a candy cane and anything else you can think of!
 

 

 

Make your own Christmas cards

 

You could use your beautiful potato prints to make unique Christmas cards. Everyone loves the thought and effort that goes into a home-made card and it adds a personal touch – nobody else will have a card like it! Use sequins, stencils, felt tips, paint, stickers to create your masterpiece!
 

Gingerbread men

There is something wonderfully festive about gingerbread men; they’re a perfect snack in between wrapping presents. They are a favourite of children and easy enough to bake, but we all know the best bit is decorating them! Here’s a fun and simple recipe.
 

 

 

DIY Christmas decorations

 

You can buy plain baubles from most arts and crafts shop, cover them in PVA glue and roll it in glitter for a disco bauble! You could thread popcorn and cranberries on a string or opt for a decorative paperchain or sweet-wrapper chain.

And don’t forget to visit Father Christmas to tell him what you want for Christmas before he makes his trip around the world!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

World Diabetes Day – 14th November 2012

                           

What`s Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most popular metabolic diseases. Its name derives from the Greek and it means “to go across” just because sugar goes across kidneys and it mixes with urine. People who have diabetes can`t use insulin well and so their blood glucose level goes up. Besides, they have problems in regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body.  

Different Types:

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition in which the body can't control levels of glucose in the blood. It develops when the body can’t produce the hormone insulin. Type 1 diabetes is sometimes called insulin-dependent diabetes and is most commonly developed during childhood.

 Diabetes mellitus type 2, which was called “non insulin-addicted diabetes”, develops when the body doesn`t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level or when it can`t use insulin. This one is genetic and it manifests itself in old patients that usually have also other problems like: obesity, high blood pressure and heart diseases.

It is widely speculated that diabetes occurred when inherited genetic characteristics are triggered by environmental factors such as diet or exercise. Although there is no specific diabetes causes, the following triggers may be involved:

• Viral or bacterial infection
• Chemical toxins within food
• Unidentified component causing autoimmune reaction

 

Diabetes in children:

Type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in children: 90-95 per cent of under 16s with diabetes have this type.  

Some studies made by the Queen`s University of Belfast and by the Pecs University said that in 2020 children under 5 affected by diabetes will double! Causes of the growth of them are: bad alimentary habits, highest weight and height at the birth and caesarian births. Diabetes in children could not be only linked with genetic factors. Many scientists think it could be connected with imbalances during the gestation; that`s why it`s important that the mother follows a correct diet during the pregnancy.  Gestational diabetes appears unexpectedly and symptoms are: continuing thirst, tendency to urinate more, to get fat and an increase on the amniotic liquid.

 How to keep children diabetes under control:

Living with diabetes can put families under considerable strain, so access to backup support is crucial. This may be from your GP, the hospital team or social services. Online communities such as Children with Diabetes UK, provides parents with access to other parents who are raising children with diabetes.

 To keep diabetes under control you have to: 

          

- Check  regularly his/her blood glucose level;

- Pay attention on food and sport;

- Help your child to inject insulin;

- Find out when your child feels sick.

It`s very important that your child learn about diabetes and that you make him/her understand that to be diabetic doesn`t mean to be different from others. So, if he/she made you some questions about diabetes you have to answer him/her specifically. Don`t be afraid: your child will be more reassured this way.            

Diabetic children diet:

Parents must be aware that children with diabetes have diet restrictions, and that their activity levels need to be closely monitored. The key to taking care of diabetes is to keep blood glucose as close to normal as possible. The best way to do this is to:

•   Make healthy food choices

•   Eat the right amounts of food

•   Be active everyday

•   Stay at a healthy weight

•   Take your medicines and check your blood glucose as planned with your health care team.

1.    GRAINS, BEANS, AND STARCHY (6 or more servings a day)

2.    VEGETABLES (3 - 5 servings a day)

3.    FRUITS (2 - 4 servings a day)

4.    MILK (2 - 3 servings a day)

5.    MEAT AND FISH (2 - 3 servings a day)

6.    FATS, ALCOHOL, AND SWEETS (in general, you should limit them) 

Make Fish the Dish of the Day: Fish Keeps Asthma Symptoms at Bay!

A new study carried out in Rotterdam has found that introducing fish into your child’s diet between the ages of 6 months- 1 year can help in reducing the risk of developing asthma later on in life.

 The study assessed the medical records of 7210 children, along side their early fish consumption levels, and found that 40-45% of the children who were not introduced to fish until after the age of 1 had developed symptoms of asthma, compared to 30% of children who consumed fish between the ages of 6 months and 1 year.

The study concludes that introducing fish into your child’s diet during this window of opportunity can reduce the risks of developing asthma by around 36%.

It was also found that the benefits of fish to children’s health was not dependant on the amount of fish consumed, meaning that introducing even a little fish into your child’s diet during this time will give them a better chance of staving off asthma.

Jessica Kiefte-De Jong, lead author of the study, states ‘introduction to fish between 6 and 12 months- but no fish consumption afterward- is associated with a lower prevalence of wheezing.’

It is believed that these health benefits are a result of certain fatty acids that fish contains that can help to protect the body against the symptoms of asthma.

Paediatrician T. Bernard Kinane comments that these results are not surprising, stating that they ‘make reasonable sense because that’s when the immune system is getting educated.’

Even though the benefits of fish in the protection against asthma only appear to fall between the ages of 6-12 months, this does not mean that fish should not be included in your child’s diet at any age.

Fish have many other health benefits, the fact that they are a great source of protein and are high in Omega-3 fatty acids helping greatly in growth and organ health, as well as being a “brain food” for a healthy mind.

Willy Wonka of the Art World Set to Change How Children View Healthy Food!

You would be forgiven for thinking, on first glance, that Carl Warner’s creations were just mystical, intricate landscapes; however, look a bit closer and you’ll get a tasty surprise!

The Willy Wonka of the art world’s latest venture of Foodscapes, a series of landscape photographs created entirely out of food, are to be published in his new book,  ‘A world of food,’ and are set to explore food in a fun and creative way.

Warner’s aim for his latest Foodscape project is to get children interested in healthy food options, as opposed to just wanting a plate of chips or a cake. Warner states ‘I use my work as a vehicle to get kids to think about what they are eating.’ Warner’s landscapes certainly do this, his pasta and cucumber trees, chilli pepper scorpion and banana hot-air balloon, complete with melon fruit basket, giving a whole new fun and creative meaning to healthy food choices.

Warner has said that he wants to change the face of healthy food with his images, making them more engaging and appetising, tempting children to pick fruit and veg at meal times over a less healthy option: ‘…make Asparagus become a rocket or turrets on a castle and it makes it much more engaging for them.’

Through Warner’s images, it is no longer a ‘yucky’ plate of broccoli in front of your child at the dinner table, but an enchanted, creepy forest that they can’t wait to explore. Seeing food in a more imaginative and engaging way at meal time, as opposed to ‘boring greens’, will encourage children to want to choose these healthy food options more, and in turn lead to a happy, healthy future generation.

Happy Halloween

Halloween Tricks 'n' Treats

There is something about Halloween which really catches the imaginations of children! We have a huge selection of Halloween activities for you to explore. Find everything from easy Halloween crafts to Halloween costume ideas and much more spooky fun!

Healthy Halloween

All year we try to help our children choose healthy foods. We read labels, we look for deep reds and dark greens to provide vitamins minerals. We steam, we bake, and we don’t fry. Then why do we abandon all our efforts on Halloween and give into the Halloween sweet mayhem and stock up on high sugary sweets to give to children. I am all for celebrating an occasion; however there are many other alternatives to ensure your child still receives the goodies in other ways. 

Here are some alternative Halloween “Treats”

· Pencils, erasers, crayons
· Memo pads, coloring books
· Individual packs of organic pretzels, animal cookies, or dried fruit
· Individual packs of Playdough
· Bubbles
· Stickers
· Body decoration, temporary tattoos
· Piggy bank money

  Cauldron Pumpkin Soup

Soups are an incredible way to incorporate a variety of ingredients and numerous vitamins and minerals. They provide a sense of warmth to keep you comforted and at ease. And they help prevent overeating at holiday time especially with sugary treats.

Our KiddiChef.com menu has incorporated a variety of soups into our mid afternoon snacks this month. Not only do they encourage children to try a lot of new flavours its puree consistency allows you to add in an extra handful of vegetables without them knowing.  

- Serves 6 - 

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 20 mins

Cook 25 mins

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 1kg pumpkin or squash (try kabocha), peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
• 700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 142ml pot double cream
• 4 slices wholemeal seeded bread
• handful pumpkin seed from a packet

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add 1kg peeled, deseeded and chopped pumpkin or squash to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
2. Pour 700ml vegetable stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour the 142ml pot of double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan.  
3. While the soup is cooking, slice the crusts from 4 slices of wholemeal seed bread, then cut the bread into small croutons. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp. Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few minutes more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more yoghurt, if you want.

KiddiCraft

KiddiCrafts aims to stimulate children through creative creations for the family to encourage and to get involved in. Halloween is a great time to explore your child’s imagination. Fancy dress, storytelling plays are a perfect tool to engage child’s play.

Family Time  
Get the family involved together:

*Decorate the house with the help of the family. For inspiration check our Halloween Board

*Pre-pack goodie bags ready for the trickle treaters.
*On a budget, make hanging spiders

*Trick or Treat, instead of tossing a coin make the choice fun, place the cards in the carved pumpkin and then ask the children to pull out a card. Tip: Place some spiders and gooey eyes inside to keep them excited.

Homemade Costumes 

Haven't gotten your kid's Halloween costume yet? (Don't panic!) Check out these super easy, make-in-a-night ideas. You can do these!