Berry Delicious Snacks
I’m writing this during half term and the weather is just starting to feel that little bit chillier and the leaves are falling from the trees. I’ve always been a fan of the seasons. I’m not someone who wishes it could be summer all year around. I love autumnal walks with the dog and the family. I don’t think that anyone can deny that in the UK, it is a beautiful time of year. In the blink of an eye we creep into winter and the colder months with those cosy dark nights are upon us. As a family we love to snuggle on the sofa watching a movie with a furry blanket and a roaring fire. There’s definitely a lot more time for rest and relaxation during the winter, almost like hibernating, ha!
It’s easy to paint a rosy picture of Autumn and Winter because it is a beautiful and magical time of year. However, it’s also when cough and cold season generally begins. I feel like we had a bad time of it last year with various sickness bugs, coughs, colds and then Paul suffering from flu over Christmas. It can be really hard to avoid the germs that fly around, especially with little ones who love nothing more than to be close to each other and spread them around at school. This year I’m determined we’re going to be very mindful of the foods we are eating, especially through the winter months to at least try and keep those illnesses at bay. I’m really focussed on ensuring the kids are getting the right nutrients to fight off all that winter has to throw at us.
Bursting With Vitamins
Seasonal Berries are a perfect snack for children to have at school, they are easy to eat and pop into school lunch boxes. Berries include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Top dog of antioxidants are blueberries so if you can get some of these into your kids’ lunchbox, you’re winning! Strawberries are bursting with vitamin C. I didn’t know that! Recent research from the University of Reading revealed that eating strawberries raspberries, blackberries and blueberries can improve reaction times, stabilise mood and maintain focus, as well as sustaining cognitive function for hours after consumption. Sounds like something children should definitely be eating on school days! We love making pancakes for breakfast and the kids like to top them with honey, yoghurt and berries. We’re lucky in that we have time to do this in the mornings, with two early risers and working from home but appreciate this isn’t possible for everyone. Don’t label pancakes as just good for breakfast, they make a great after school snack or even dessert on an evening.
If your children will eat berries from a pot, this is a great option to pop in their school lunch box or have stacked in the fridge ready for them coming in from school. Some recent research revealed that almost half of parents find it difficult to maintain a healthy snacking routine for their children while they are at school and 65 per cent of children are hungry when they come home from school. This is definitely true in our house and let’s face it, if there are no healthy snacks to hand that’s when kids reach for bags of crisps or chocolate biscuits.
Mini Berry Bakes
If you enjoy baking and are looking for a lunch box snack, I recently made some mini berry bakes. My two liked them and I felt great that I’d made them a healthy snack bursting with berry goodness!
The following recipe makes about 12 portions. The mixture can either be spooned into cupcakes papers or poured onto a flat tray and then sliced up into squares.
Ingredients:
- 150g porridge oats
- 150ml of your usual milk
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 tbsp. of smooth peanut butter
- 3 handfuls of raspberries (about 20 in number)
- 3 handfuls of blueberries (about 20 in number)
Methods:
- Pour the oats into a mixing bowl
- Pour over the milk
- In a separate dish mush up the two ripe bananas
- Next mix the smooth peanut butter into the banana mix
- Now mix the banana and peanut mix into the porridge and milk
- Mush the raspberries in a cup and then stir into the oat based mixture
- Finally add the blueberries – as they are of chopped up slightly
- As noted above the mixture can either be spooned into cupcakes papers or poured onto a flat tray and then sliced up into oaty squares
- Cook on 180 degrees for 15-18 minutes and then allow to cool. Yum!
Let’s give our children the right food to help them concentrate at school and keep them fighting fit through the winter. If you have any berry recipes to share, I’d love to hear them.
