Teaching Kids With Cooking

New Year Spaghetti

2015-01-01T03:27:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! It's been a tumultuous 2014. Lets all pray and hope for a better 2015. My husband of almost 20 years prepared our New Year's Eve dinner yesterday. First time in 20 years! It was a wonderful pasta with minced pork and tomato sauce.

My husband got my two boys involved from the shopping to the cooking. We all squeezed ourselves in our small kitchen.

It was a memorable New Year's Eve. I will certainly remember this day and most grateful for it. It was just the 4 of us and my mum. Eating and having a great glass of wine.

I don't have exact ingredients. It was all by touch and feel!

What you need:

Pasta of choice - boiled and kept aside

1 Bombay onion, 3 inches of ginger and 1 pip of garlic ground

Bombay onion - one is fine

Minced pork (half a kg or so for 4 to 5 people)
A little butter

Parsley

parsley chopped as small as possible

Oregano (fresh or otherwise)
Salt to taste
Red chillies if you like it spicy (we did not use any)
Chili sauce
1 bottle of tomato/pasta sauce

How to

Heat your wok
Melt butter - about 2 table spoons
Place the port - let it cook

Add in the blended ingredients

Let it simmer for some time

Add the pasta sauce and chili sauce
Teaspoon of oregano
Chopped parsley goes in
Add salt to taste

Serve hot.

A quick meal. Healthy and the family is together. We also had cake - 2 in fact - a fruit cake my mum baked and an ice cream cake from baskins robbins.

Ice Cream Cake

Fruit Cake from my mum

It was simply the best New Year's Eve ever for me and I hope for my family!

Happy New Year to all and Happy Teaching!

Safron Fried Chicken and Vegetables - Quick and Easy Dish Any Time

2014-05-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

This dish is extremely tasty and easy to prepare. Its quick and great if you want to impress your guests too! Better for older children to help as it involves lots of frying. Some of you may argue that its not a health meal because of the deep frying but perhaps once a while, whats the harm. And we are using good quality products.

Preparation time:
1/2 half hour or so
Cooking time: 1/2 hour to 45 minutes

For 4 to 5 adults

Ingridients:

For chicken 1/2 kg of chicken breast cut to small and think pieces
For marianate
2teaspoons of safron, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1teaspoon of curry powder
2 onions, 3 pips of garlic and 1 inch of ginger ground
salt to taste
cooking oil

Vegetables (choose anything you like)

300 grams of long beans cut into 2 inches long and
carrot cut into thin slices
2 onions cut thinly
pinch of salt, which you can ommit if you like

Add the ingridients to the chicken.

I was cooking on the spur and had no time to leave it for too long. For 1/2 hour or so. But if you were planning your dish, leaving the marinated chicken overnight would add to the flavour and taste.

Heat the oil. I love my wok. It heats quickly and thus there is not too much wastage of gas or electricity if you are using the electric stove.
It will also good to use one of those laddles with holes which helps you drain the oil.

Deep fry the chicken.

After you have finished with the chicken, deep fry the vegetables. A quick fry will do.

serve with rice. Sprinkle some soya sauce on the rice.

If you wanted, you could make a little sweet or spicy chilli paste to go with it - 2 chillies, vinegar/lime/lemon, sugar and salt blended together.

And there you have it a beautiful meal ready to go.

Serve with your favourite juice. I served pink guava juice.

Happy Teaching and Cooking

Teaching Kids to Cook Rice

2013-11-17T00:29:00.002-08:00

Rice is an easy dish to prepare. Rice forms the base which can be accompanied by curry or soups or salads, fried rice, mixed vegetables, chicken, lamb, and so many others.

Teaching children to cook rice will come in handy for them in the future.

Cooked rice with garnishing

At the same time, we are teaching them

- math - fractions
- how to estimate
- science

I recently tought my younger son who is now 8 to cook rice. Last week I had to leave him to cook it as I was extremely busy with other chores.

The cooking of rice is easiest and fatest with a rice cooker rather than over the stove.

Rice Cooker

Ingredients:

1 cup water (or use estimates)
2 cups uncooked white rice (for about 4 to 5 people)

Preparation:

Wash the rice. Drain. - The washing and draining teaches children to be clean and helps in their motor skills

Add water by estimating. The rule my mother tought me is the water should be slightly over the surface of the rice. Place your first finger on the surface of the rice and the water should more or less be on the first line of finger

On the rice cooker and wait for it to 'ting'.

Should cook within 15 to 20 minutes.

Some tips to make your rice fragnant:

- you could throw in 2 slices of ginger or

ginger slices

- throw in a pandan leave.

And done.

Helping Children Understand About Money

2013-09-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

Children, under the age of 21 generally have a hard time understanding that money is important and that mum and dad’s ATM machine can run out of funds!

I also stumbled on a great article on the internet Its about teaching children the meaning of costs.

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/money-time-teach-children-things-cost-162700310.html

I thought i could share with my views on kids and money.

Kids and Money

What they need to know about money is:

ITS VALUE and POWER!

As parents, we often tell our children, ‘no’ you cant have that, you cant have this, because its costs a lot. Children cannot comprehend ‘no’ nor “it costs a lot”. All they are thinking is, “so ”., They don’t know what it means.

I will admit I used to feel guilty when I did not get something that my sons ask for. I would explain by saying that its costs too much. My boys don’t usually throw tantrums and that would hurt even more, that they accepted my explaination.

After some time, I realised I must explain to them. I did not google this! I constantly have talks with them, usually when they are NOT asking for something, emphasing:

- The money we have is what mummy earns. Mummy has to go to work for earn the money
- Buy useful things
- Buy quality things
- Buy health things
- We will need money for the future
- It’s not about the costs
- Others don’t have what we have, lets not waste on frivoulous things
- Save – you may need it in the future

I have noticed that my boys, particularly the younger one, makes judgement on what an item costs and that it is too much. It may be working. But sometimes, Mum and Dad can in inconsistent with our actions. For example, i tend to be careful in places where we eat. It should not been unncessary an expensive place when we can get good food if not better in a food court, for instance. But Dad says no.

There are a couple of things we can do to help our children understand money

1. Give them an allowance, either weekly, daily or monthly

Explain to them what the allowance means and how to use it properly. School going children should understand that the allowance is to purchase healthy food. Education of food becomes important and thus the use of the money.

2. Open a bank account

Take your children to the bank to open an account. Take him or her through the banking in process and show him how the money grows.

For example, today you have $10 and in 6 months you will have $13.00. The power of interest and gradually teach them the power of compounding.

3. Say “no”

There is no need to indulge our children with everything they ask for. Pick your battles. For example, some parents do not buy a particular toy or game to get their children to understand how it feels when someone else has it and they cant because money is not enough. Apply judgement. If the lesson is successful, perhaps we can reward him with the toy or game.

4. Invest in their knowledge

Teach them about money. How it is made. What are companies and how they are formed and how they make money. Where does mummy and daddy fit into the chain.

You can definitely teach them simple facts about the stock market, investments and similar areas of finance. .

Look out for money classes for children around you.

There are also games like MONOPOLY or RISK, that can help children understand what is money about.

5. Teach them to budget

I wrote sometime back about teaching your children to budget when going to the supermarket. Listing the items you want to buy makes a difference.

Getting children involved in the family purchases including vacations. Ask them their view on the expenditure.

Children will appreciate budgeting skills as they grow to become adults.

6. Business Plan

Get your children to write up their own business plan. Its about income and costs and the future. Review this for them. Have a look at my article on this blog on children and business plans. http://1teachingkids.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-want-to-be-chef.html

Happy Teachning and Cooking

Refreshing Green Apple and Sour Plum Juice

2013-05-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

On a hot day, this drink is a perfect thirst quencher. So refreshing and a beautiful drink and tasty.

Green Apple and Sour Plum Juice

Easy to prepare and you can get the kids to prepare it too.

What do you need:

1.    a blender/fruit juicer
2.    5 to 6 green apples (to make 3 to 4 mugs)
3.    sour plum powder (asam boi in Malay). You can get this easily in China town. But it is easily replaceable with lime or lemon. Some use calamansi too.

4. brown sugar to taste (or white - its up to you)
5. crushed ice
6. water

Peel the apples. Juice the apples. Add some cold water because it can get quite thick.

Blend the juice with sour plum powder and the sugar in a blender.

Add crushed ice and serve.

Its a wonderful wonderful drink. Easy to prepare. And it tastes great. Some people tend to put more water because green apples are not naturally juicy. Do note if there is too much water, it becomes watery and looses the apple twist. I don't suggest adding colouring - keep it as natural as possible.

Teaching notes

As you peel the apple or as you blend and juice, the apple turns brown and the juice in fact is not even green.

Great teaching note for 12 year old and below - that the apple is oxidised. The flesh reacts with the oxygen in the air and turns brown. They will remember this when they learn it in school later on.

The other is of course, the children enjoy the drink and they enjoy preparing it with you.

This recipe is very versatile - you can add sour plum to your salads, fruits such as guava. Instead of green apple - try it with green guava. A little difficult to juice guava as it is a hard fruit. But you can try - it tastes as good.

Happy Teaching and Cooking

What a Woman Means to a Home

2013-02-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

I lost my temper the other day and made everyone miserable. My kids, my mum, my husband, even the neighbour's dog was upset. My kids asked what was wrong with me. And mum said something really poignant and needs to be remembered ...

I was home from work. All happy and calm. But when I saw my kids playing and watching TV and the games, it suddenly irked me that they were not studying or at least reading (which is a story for another time) something!

I snapped. I yelled and bellowed and said some awful words. I found fault with everything.

I could hear my boys saying 'what is wrong with mummy'? all we were doing was playing

And then my mother said ... a woman, the mum, means the world to the home. if you are calm, all will be calm. the woman is the glue to place things and family together. there is solace. there will be solutions to every probelm. but when the woman of the house is chaotic, upset, or is ill, there is unrest.

I realise that I am upset, my husband gets uncomfortable and he becomes moody.

The mum sets the tone, the mood...

We lead and we maketh a home.

Stay calm fellow mums. And keep healthy. We mean the world to our children and family.

Happy teaching!

Pomegranate for Children - It Works

2013-01-24T04:53:00.001-08:00

The pomegranate fruit is lovely and great fruit for children. My kids eat the seeds or sacs as it is or we juice it. Pomegranate is quickly becoming popular as a superfood because of high antioxidant content.

Its round and reddish-pink, leathery and hard skin with hundreds of small translucent sacs, which are also called seeds, filled with red, or sometimes pink, juice. These sacs are the only edible part of the pomegranate.

Children are usually attracted by the bright color of the seeds and enjoy their sweet taste.

Pomegranate seeds are a great source of fiber, and the juice contains, vitamin C, potassium, iron, and polyphenol antioxidants, of which 3 types are particularly high which are tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid.

Eating Pomegranate

1. Eat the fruit - my children love the seeds

2. Juice the seeds

3. Buy pomegranate juice from the store – if possible with low sugar or no sugar – this is the easiest way and most enjoyable to quench your thirst.

Try this. Click to find out more.

4. Sprinkle the seeds in yoghurt or salads or ice creams

5. Marinate chicken and meat

Benefits

Research has shown that the antioxidants in pomegranates may help prevent a variety of diseases and illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and high blood pressure. In addition, the B-vitamin folate in pomegranates aids the healthy growth of red blood cells and promotes good blood circulation. Also, the high content of fiber is extremely helpful.

A small reminder, the juice from the seeds can stain clothes. But its easily removable.

Like everything else, although there are lot of health beneifts, its always safe to consult a medical doctor before taking any execissive amount of pomegranate products, particularly if you are taking any prescription medication to avoid drug/food interactions.

How to Remove the Seeds

1. slice the fruit into sections,

2. submerge the sections in a bowl of water.

3. with your fingers, roll the seeds from the fleshy interior.

4. Scoop up the seeds with a strainer

Happy Teaching!

Coffee, Tea and Kids

2012-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

Coffee

Depending on how strong it's brewed,

Black tea contains about 50 mg of caffeine per cup.
In comparison, green tea contains 8 to 30 mg per cup, while coffee contains 100 to 350 mg.

My kids drink tea with milk and sugar. Some of my friends think I am crazy.

Can we give our kids Tea And Coffee ?

In short – Yes – but ....

A lot of people generally view coffee as unhealthy – especially for those who drink a lot of it. But scientists and researchers have found that coffee may actually be good for our health.

Should kids be drinking coffee for health reasons, too?

Researchers think that six cups of coffee a day had a much reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to those who consumed no coffee each day. Coffee may also reduce the risk for Parkinson’s disease, liver cirrhosis, colon cancer, gallstones, and Alzheimer’s disease. But, at the same time, it may INCREASE the risk of heart disease.

Caffeine can also increase or be bad for heart problems or nervous disorders, and can produce symptoms like jitters, irritability and hyperactivity. Caffeine can be addictive, cause restlessness for those who are hooked and miss their daily dose.

Coffee is such a complex brew of chemicals, many of which are created and brought out in the process of roasting and brewing coffee. (For adults, have a look at www.coffeecraft.com for good brew of coffees)

Is Coffee Good for Kids?

As parents, we tend to keep our kids away from coffee although some doctors say that it can help improve concentration and may help children do a little better on tests for this reason. On the other hand, there are negative effects of drinking coffee, especially for kids, where even 1 cup of coffee could have negative effects.

What About Tea?

Black Tea is made from the same plant as green tea and white tea. Black tea doesn't mean tea without milk, and white tea doesn't mean tea with milk. The difference is the way the tea leaves are processed after picking.

Green and white teas are hardly processed at all, whereas black tea is fully oxidized.

Drinking just 3-5 cups of black tea daily can bring about all health benefits. Here are 5 main benefits of black tea. The benefits of black tea are lessened when milk and sugar are added.

1. Weight Loss Management – black tea burns fat and speed up metabolism.

2. Reduced Glucose levels for Diabetics

3. Prevent tooth decay

4. Delays the ageing process – have you noticed that many ageing products contain tea extracts?

5. Combats and reduces diseases because of the antioxidants that it contains

Should Kids Drink Tea and Coffee?

Tea tends to have lesser amount of caffeine compared to coffee.

As kids, there are probably already consuming other products that have caffeine in them, like soft drinks and chocolate. Having coffee may add up the caffeine intact to unhealthy levels.

The National Institute of Health says even though caffeine is safe to consume in moderation, it may have a negative effect on overall health and nutrition.Caffeine can affect appetite. The Institute says caffeine can be completely restricted in a child’s diet since there is no nutritional requirement for it.

Source information: http://www.drlisawatson.com/tea-for-tots - useful information about tea and how much to give our kids.

www.coffeecraft.com – information on the best coffee around the world.

20% off for the World’s Best Coffee – For the Next Two Weeks Only

2012-11-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

It’s coming to the end of the year. Great time for a break! Parents, readers of Teaching Kids, I am giving away a 20% discount on any coffee purchased from www.coffeecraft.com. This is a wonderful opportunity, as the promoters of coffeecraft.com are highly experienced and only pick the best roasts.

Coffeecraft.com distributes the best coffee from around the world without us searching for it. Many coffee lovers would spend lots of money just to have the right roast. You would typically need to buy a bag full.

Just like a fine wine, each coffee is different. Coffees change from year to year. And just because a roaster is good, it doesn't mean that every coffee it sells is the best coffee available right now.

What this company does can be quite amazing. Sometimes the roasters with the best reputation have the best brews, and sometimes they don't. www.coffeecraft.com tends to feature coffees from tiny upstarts as well as more established artisan roasters. They are blind to packaging and branding. The emphasis is about the quality of the coffee.

Parents and readers,

Have a cup of coffee. Good coffee with friends and family for a fraction of the cost.

Ask for the discount code by emailing 1teachingkids@gmail.com to receive the 20% discount for any variety of coffee offered at www.coffeecraft.com. We will email you the code, which you can use to purchase your first month of Craft Coffee at 20% off your first month.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

"You have dirtied the whole floor again! Why do you always do that?"

2012-09-09T01:47:00.002-07:00

As parents, arent we sometimes frustrated and have daily struggles to get our children to behave in a certain way ... the way society expects. Children and adults have conflicting needs. Adults want cleanliness, order, courtesy while children are not too bothered about those things. They are busy being children!

I have to say, my husband constantly are up and arms with my boys on cleanliness and courtesy. The 2 Big Cs in my household. The kids don't understand why he goes on about it. They abide by the requirements to prevent their father from getting ruffled and cross with them.

I set out to look for some reading material. And this is probably the best to described what is happening and what to do.

I love to hear parents give their views on this.

Have you heard parents speak to their kids this way:

Name calling - "you are a slob. what a dirty room. can't you clean it."

Threats - "If you don't do your homework, I am going to speak to the principal"

Commands - " Do your homework now"

Comparison - Lisa/Bob is so much clever/hardworking/pretier than you. She/he has so much better manners

Lecturing - "Do you think it is a nice thing to do? You dont seem to realise the importance of manners"

Warnings - "Careful, what is wrong with you" You will be hit.

Prohecy - " Keep doing what you are doing. You will not get anywhere with that attitude"

These is actually verbal violence and abuse. It breaks their self esteem and creates bad feelings.

These are 5 ways to work with kids - pick the ones that work for you:

(i) Describe what you see or the problem.

e.g. There is a wet towel on the bed

It is easier to deal with a problem then with an accusation.

(ii) Give information

Give information that the child can work with. e.g. the towel is making my bed wet

(iii) Saying it to the point
Children dont like lectures and sermons. Shorter the better.

(iv) Talk about your feelings
Dont comment about the child's character or personality. e.g. I dont like slepping on a wet bed

(v) Write a note
My older son is into writing his feelings. I get him to write and i sometimes write him back.

I confess I am guilty of some of things. But sharing experiences help and and I tell my children to remind me or even tell me if my actions are unkind and hurtful. This, I hope shows that I respect them as being intelligent, sensitive and have their own character and feelings.

Interestingly, these are also good reminders for the work place!

I look forward to hearing your views on this topic in particular.

Happy teaching and cooking!

Remedies from the Kitchen

2012-09-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

There are lots of home remedies, which are right in our kitchen Spices, olive oil, garlic, lemon, honey, vinegar, the list goes on .... Here are a few i use with my children. My mother is a great proponate of home remedies. Its natural. But of course, nothing replaces the doctor and proper medical care. Natural remedies can nevertheless help.

1. Cuts and wounds, including paper cuts

(i) Tumeric powder

Wash the wound first. Mix a little tumeric powder and water and rub over the wounds. It should provide quick relieve. Tumeric is a natural antibiotic.

(ii) Tea tree oil

Stir a teaspoon or so tea tree oil into a cup of warm water and rinse the cut. Do it a couple of times.

2. Coughs

(i) Honey and ginger
Honey has antibacterial properties and works wonders for coughs and sour throats. Crush some ginger and include some honey with warm water.

(ii) Eucalyptus oil
This oil is wonderful to clear sinuses and the coughs caused by excessive flame. Place some in hot water and breathe in the vapours. Dont forget to place a towel over the child's head. This is better for older children - above 7 because of the strong vapours.

3. Body Odour

(i) Try wipping vinegar or lemon juice under the arm pits. These will kill the bacteria in the area

(ii) Dusting bicarbonate of soda and corn flour powder is another remedy

4. Motion Sickness

(i) Chew fresh slices of ginger, drink ginger tea or nibble on ginger biscuits

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Which is a Good Cooking Oil?

2012-03-14T18:54:00.004-07:00

Do you sometimes wonder which cooking oil is best? Olive oil? Coconut oil? Canola oil? Sunflower oil? I did some research and this is what I found.

Cooking oil is fat and can be from plant or animal.

Types of cooking oil include:

- Ghee

- Olive oil

- Palm oil

- Soybean oil

- Canola oil

- Pumpkin seed oil

- Corn oil

- Sunflower oil

- Safflower oil

- Grape seed oil

- Peanut oil

- Sesame oil

First understanding the different kinds of fats

Oils differ from one another and are categorized by their degree of "saturation."

Generally saturated fats has heart health risks, which generally come from animal sources. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils are the 3 plant-based exceptions to this rule, and should generally be avoided.

1. Monounsaturated oils are liquid at room temperature but cloud and thicken when chilled - Olive, canola, peanut and hazelnut oils, safflower and sunflower oils.

Consuming monounsaturated oils seems to reduce total blood cholesterol and the "bad" (low density lipoproteins [LDL]) cholesterol levels without affecting the "good" (high density lipoproteins [HDL]) cholesterol levels.

Olive oil and canola oil have been recommended as the safest sources of fat in a heart-healthy diet.

2. Polyunsaturated oils – regular safflower and sunflower, walnut, corn and soybean oils, remain liquid whether in or out of the refrigerator. Sesame oil contains approximately half monounsaturated and half polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated oils are healthy because they too reduce total cholesterol and LDL, but they also decrease HDL's positive effects.

Polyunsaturated oils are chemically unstable, especially when exposed to heat and can change in content that contribute to cancer and other chronic diseases. Notice, there is more smoke with these kinds of oils especially sesame oil.

Have you noticed that some advertisements boasts an oil containing no cholesterol. It is true because vegetable oils contain no cholesterol as only animals have cholesterol.

Cooking with oil

Heating an oil changes its characteristics.

The cooking oil we choose depends on the cooking method.

Polyunsaturated oils - degrade easily to toxic compounds when heated. Prolonged consumption of burnt oils can lead to inflammatory joint disease, and development of birth defects.

Saturated fats – such as palm oil and coconut oil can withstand the high heat of deep frying and is resistant to oxidation compared to highly unsaturated vegetable oils. It remains stable in deep frying or in baking at very high temperatures.

Never fry at high heats with corn oil, it's notorious for foaming and smoking.

So, which oil is healthy?

There is no real answer because the fat content between the oils differ and they have their different characteristics. All cooking oils are 100 percent fat and thus the best way is to use oils is with thought and sparingly.

Canola oil is lowest in the saturated fat that clogs our arteries, while olive oil is highest in monounsaturates.

The dietary difference in cooking oils lies in the proportions each contains of the three basic types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Regardless of the type of oil, we should used no more than 10 percent of total calories intake. Try reading this book for more information on cooking oils.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

Family Cooking

2012-01-06T04:25:00.000-08:00

Teaching young children about nutrition should start at an early age. How do we do this? Most parents will explain using books, pictures, having a talk and so on. There are other effective ways.

Family Cooking - Click to Get Picture to Decorate Kitchen

Get the children involved in the cooking process, which includes from planning to preparation to the actual cooking.

Growing children have receptive minds. They are able to learn and absorb new information and skills easily. Preschoolders for example easily learn another language compared to adults. It is an excellant time to injet ideas and information to a preschoolers and school going children.

I am telling my children to drink less juices and fizzy drinks and drink more water. No coke or even orange juice where sugar is added. All these steps prompts my boys to tell themselves that they are 'taking too much sugar' and 'stay away from unhealthy food'. They of course stray - they are children after all - but their minds are being moulded to think about bad food.

How to cook with children

Cooking activities' is a brilliant way to get the kids 'programmed'. Get the kids involved in the whole assembly line:

Plan and Discuss
Discuss your meals. Allow your child to contribute their ideas. Benefits are endless: children's confidence booster, saves money because of the planning, healthy meals. Aim to
- guide your child
- serve three main meals including healthy snacks
- food must be nutritional from the food pyramid
- have variety - avoid repetition - dont have chicken stew on Monday and Wednesday for example
- use healthy cooking methods - roasting, steam, grill, stir fry

Shop and Teach
Teach you child about food and nutrition when you take them shopping.
- which is good and bad
- expiry dates
- money needs
- reading food labels

Cook and Teach
Depending on the age of your child, start with simple tasks such as washing and cleaning. Allow spread butter, tuna, mix, knead dough etc. They are many reccipes on this blog that helps various age groups.

Cheerful Family in the Kitchen - click to use as wall deco

The old proverb - Give someone a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach someone to fish and you feed him forever.

A simple everyday activity - cooking - can be such a powerful and useful tool for our children. Its free and entirely up to us.

Cooking with children

Click to Find Out More

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Almonds- A nut for all Children

2012-01-04T06:13:00.001-08:00

Almonds is a fantastic nut! Almonds are a great snack for children and adults. A wonderful food for the growing brain and useful to adult weight watchers.

Almonds

Almonds is extremely great to reduce risk of heart disease and curb hungry pans and thus helps reduce weight. It is a nut for after meal or between meals. Its has high content of monounsaturated fats, the same found in olive oil which helps in reducing risk of heart disease.

For children, we could either soak a few seeds in water to soften it. Take off the skin and allow children to eat at least twice a day if not twice. Another way is simply to pound the almonds making it milky. Have it in the morning is best to start the day.

70grams or about 3 ounces can reduce bad low density lipoprotein cholesteral levels. Thats is only a handful of seeds.

A quarter cup of almonds has 100grams of magnesium plus 257mg of potassium. Magnesium is nature's calcium blocker. With enough magnesium, veins and arteries allows better blood flow and thus oxygen and nutrients flow better throughout the body.

Flavonoids found in almond skin and with vitamin E in the seed delivers double the antioxidant compared to if these 2 nutrients are given separately. There are 20 potent antioxidant in the almond skin which contribute to healthy benefits similar to that found in green tea and grapefruit.

Here is an almond cookie recipe. Simple to prepare and get the children involved. Make sure you explain to the children the benefits of almonds while baking.

50 grams whole almonds
2 tablespoons caster sugar
140 grams plain flour
100 grams butter
pinch of salt

1. Heat overn at 170C
2. Roast almonds for about 5 to 10 minutes - roughly chop the almonds
3. Cream butter, sugar and a pinch of salt and fold in the flour
4. Add the chopped almonds
5. Make into small balls
6. Bake for about 15 minutes

Almond Cookies

The Magic of Guava

2011-12-31T01:35:00.000-08:00

Guava is known as a ‘superfood’. It is high in pectin, antioxidants, fiber, nutrients and has 4 times the vitamin C in oranges.

Guava

Oranges, Grape Fruit, Lemon

The guava is a tropical fruit, green in color that changes to light yellow as the fruit ripens. Some varieties have pink flesh with small seeds, while others are white with either seed or seedless.

How to eat Guava?

The whole of the guava fruit can be eaten including the rind. Removing the seeds is optional.

Slice it and dip in soya sauce or a little salt and sugar. Drinking guava juice is also excellent. The only problem is that juicing guava at home can be troublesome because the fruit tends to be hard. It is perhaps best to buy, preferably juice without sugar added.

Another wonderful way is to include guava in salads. Chop up in small bits and include it as ingredients to your salads.

Some also include guava in their dishes such as in making curries.

With all fruits, guava is best eaten raw.

Health Benefits of Guava

1. The guava fruit is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C.

When compared to citrus fruits such as the orange, the guava has over four to five times the Vitamin C of the orange.

2. The guava fruit is also rich in calcium, Vitamin A and B, as well as iron, foliate, and has very high fiber content.

3. Guava help to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure

4. Eating guavas also improves blood circulation and therefore plays a role in strengthening the heart.

5. Guava is excellent in preventing as well as treating scurvy, asthma, acidosis, congestion of the lungs, as well as aiding in the treatment of prolonged menstruation.

The guava is a small fruit which makes it the ideal snack to have in between your meals.

Guava is wonderful for weight watchers as it is low in calories (about 70) and high in fiber and water content which is great for low fat diets.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Make Kids (and Adults!) Eat Broccoli - Important Enough to be Creative with Broccoli Recipes

2011-11-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Broccoli is a wonderful vegetable. From the cabbage family, it decreases the risk of cancer and has high amounts of vitamin C. Originally from Italy, its a vegetable that has been around for 2000 years. Here are some simple recipes for kids and adults alike.

Beautiful Broccoli

1.   Steam some broccoli with salt . Add pepper for extra flavour.

2.   Add it to your soups

3.   Stir fry with garlic - here's the recipe. I like this the best because its easy and fast.

400 grams broccoli (stalks and florets separated)
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced or crushed
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 red chilly (this is of course optional but it does give the extra zing)

How to prepare
Boil some salted water and add stalks for 2 minutes and florets for another 2 minutes (
Heat the oil and fry the garlic till it sizzles and browns
Add chilly
Remove from the heat
Add onto the broccoli and serve.

For parents and for children to know why it is important to give broccoli the attention it deserves!

Information on broccoli - summarised from Wikipedia. And there is loads of information on the net.

Broccoli is high in vitamin C, as well as dietary fiber;
Broccoli also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties
The 3,3'-Diindolylmethane found in broccoli is is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer
Broccoli is an excellent source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells

A single serving provides more than 30 mg of Vitamin C and a half-cup provides 52 mg of Vitamin C.

However, the benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled.

Steaming broccoli for 3–4 minutes is recommended to maximize potential anti-cancer compounds.

Boiling reduces the levels of suspected anti-carcinogenic compounds in broccoli, with losses of 20 – 30% after five minutes, 40 – 50% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes.

However, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying has no significant effect on the compounds.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Home Made Burgers in 15 Minutes

2011-10-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

Hamburgers can be very good - depends on how it is prepared, the toppings and what we eat it with. It is still great food - protein, carbohydrates and vitamins all tucked in together. Therefore home made burgers are best - keeps the family happy and healthy! Here is the how and only 15 minutes to prepare.

Hamburgers can be unhealthy depending on the toppings, but there are ways to make it tasty and healthy...

The calory and fat content plus the quality of meat in the burger meats we buy from the supermarkets can be fantastically high and detrimental to health.

Recipe for homemade burgers

1/2 kilogram of Minced chicken (or pork or beef)
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons of corn flour (this is to hold everything together)
salt to taste
black pepper
onion leaves sliced
carrot minced
onion,ginger and garlic minced fine

mix everything. Do you notice that I have added carrots - great way to get kids to eat some vegetables. My kids find it so hard to eat vegetables. Both my mum and I are learning ingenious ways to camouflage the veges!

Use a non stick pan. Place a little oil (yes - that's it. very little)

Get the bread, salads, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, olives. Avoid mayonnaise and such dressings.

And there you have it. A great home made burger.

Happy Teaching and cooking!

Benefits of Chlorophyll – Yes, those things that make plants green!

2011-09-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

I was reading a science magazine with my son and it described how beneficial chlorophyll is to the body. Did you know that we could consume a chlorophyll drink. Can be very useful especially for children who don’t like to eat vegetables.

Green Vegetation

Benefits:

Chlorophyll has many healing properties because of the amount of oxygen.
• Enhances the body’s immune system
• Stimulates the red blood cells and increase supply of oxygen
• Heals wounds quickly
• Supports the production of hemoglobin.
• Has a deodorant effect to reduce body odour and bad breath (that is why it is used in making of toothpaste and mint candies)
• Get rids of toxins
• Heals sores quicker
• Iron to organs
• Improves varicose veins
• Soothes painful hemorrhoids and piles
• Eliminates body odor
• Cleans tooth and gum structure in pyorrhea
• Eliminates bad breath
• Improves vision

Water and carbon dioxide absorbed from the air, chlorophyll uses sunlight to make sugar. By utilizing minerals from the soil, chlorophyll allows the plant to use the sun’s energy to make vitamins, fats, proteins and starches.

Chlorophyll, the green “blood” of plant life is made by plants through a chemical process called photosynthesis.

Click on this to find out about how to get liquid chlorophyll

It has same effects in the body as iron, so it builds our own blood naturally. It has powerful detoxifier and tonic and cleanses the blood and builds red blood cells while doing it. In 1913, Dr. Richard Willstatter, a German chemist, discovered the functions of chlorophyll and found that the chlorophyll molecule is similar to hemoglobin, the red pigment in human blood.

Chlorophyll heals chronic conditions both internally and externally, and stops the growth and development of toxic bacteria. Chlorophyll removes toxins from the bones, blood tissues, and intestines. And because chlorophyll helps to thicken and strengthen the walls of the cells, it is also a nutritional aid for the immune system. It is also a great help for any digestive problems, constipation, or diarrhea.

Chlorophyll is non-toxic, safe and soothing to body tissues, so it’s considered very safe for people of all ages.

However, i have not found anything in the web that says directly that it is good for children and side effects. Back to the article I was reading, it concluded by saying that it is best to eat vegetables in their raw form as chlorophyll is typically lost in cooking.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Pip and Clove of Garlic - what is the difference?

2011-08-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing! This is a great note for teaching kids while cooking. What is a pip? What is a clove of garlic?

pips of garlic

This is a picture of a bulb of garlic. Usually, pip and clove are used to mean the same thing.

bulb of garlic

Garlic is a magnificient plant. Beautiful herb and at them same time it has lots of medicinal properties.

Fresh garlic is
- an antioxidant protection
- antibacterial,
- anti-carcinogenic,
- anti-coagulant,
- antifungal and
- antiviral properties

Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it. To maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

On the bad side - Garlic can cause indigestion, but for many, the bigger concern is that it can make your breath and sweat smell like…garlic. While individual reactions to garlic vary, eating fennel seeds like those served at Indian restaurants helps to neutralize the smell.

My aunt, who is a doctor, a bad asthmatic, has tended to eat fresh garlic (a pip) with her dinner for several years now. She says its better to have fresh garlic. To reduce the pungent smell, place it in a hot pan for a few minutes.

Read more here http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/unlocking-the-benefits-of-garlic/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

Today's Lessons for children:

1. what is garlic
2. clove and pip of garlic
3. why is garlic beneficial

What is Stir Frying and What are the Benefits?

2011-08-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

Stir frying is a fantastic cooking method. It is quick, healthy and anyone with a wok and spatula can do it. I stir fry all the time. Stir fried vegetables or meat and vegetables accompanied by rice or salad makes a good meal. Here is the story and a short recipe.

Stir Fried Vegetables

What is stir frying?

Stir-frying involves frying and stirring food quickly and continuously over very high heat in an oiled pan.

It is generally a Chinese cooking technique but it has become a popular method of cooking over the decades. Stir frying is perhaps akin to sauteing.

Why is stir frying healthy?

Stir frying is a healthy way to cook. Stir frying is a technique that cooks foods quickly, using only a small amount of fat.

Typically, stir frying takes about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir fry also emphasizes fresh flavors and textures, so nothing is overcooked.

Stir fry is also an easy technique for the beginning cook.

What can we stir fry?

Vegetables are definite. Chicken and fish are also great for stir frying because they are softer.

For stir frying, the ingredients should be small. Thumb size . Meats and vegetables should be cut into small pieces before cooking.

Thumb-size for chicken is a good way to remember the ideal size.

What do you need?

1. Wok

Wok

2. Oil

A wok compared to a skillet is the ideal shape for preventing loss of heat at the edges and for distributing the heat among the ingredients. Its shape also helps reduce the risk of oil splattering, and it prevents the contents from spilling over the sides as you stir or toss them.

Because cooking happens at high heat, a good choice of oil would be peanut oil, olive oil or Canola, sunflower or corn oil. Remember not to stir-fry in butter or margarine - they simply can't survive the high temperatures.

canola oil

corn oil

Quick Recipe for Stir fried vegetable

Half an onion cut in chunks
A little ginger and

2 or 3 pips of garlic either chopped or smashed

Some sliced red chillies for a little zing

Vegetables of choice – I personally love khailan, bean sprouts, asparagus and cabbage for stir frying.

1. Heat oil

2. Fry the onions, ginger and garlic till fragrant or brown

3. Throw in the vegetables

4. Continue to stir over high heat

5. Add salt to taste and you can sprinkle some sesame oil for aroma

Here are some recipe books for stir frying. Value for money.

US7.47

USD16.47

Claypot Chicken Rice & Teaching Science

2011-08-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

Clay pot Chicken Rice

<>We made clay pot chicken rice for lunch. It was out first time and it turn out excellent! There was also a science lesson thrown in. Here is the recipe for the chicken rice as well as the science lesson.

Clay pot

Ingredients:
1 kilogram chicken breast cut in big chunks

For Marination
2 table spoon light soya sauce
1/2 tsp of dark soya sauce
1 table spoon oyster sauce
Few drops of Chinese cooking wine
Few drops of sesame oil
Corn flour
A little salt
A little sugar
1 tablespoon of ground ginger

Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes to 20 minutes

Cook rice in the clay pot until it is half cook. For the rice to be tastier, cook rice with chicken stock. Tip: don't put to too much stock of the rice gets too soggy.

After about 10 to 15 minutes, place the chicken on the rice and continue cooking. Close the lid. The steam will slowly cook the chicken.

After about 15 minutes, it is ready to eat with onion leaves to garnish and for the added taste.

Science Lessons:

1.    Heat conductors - Place a wooden ladle and a metal ladle near the pots or even in the pot. Show your children how one gets hot and the other does not. That's because metal conducts electricity faster and more efficiently than wood.

2.   Clay pot cooking is used in many cultures. Indian, Chinese, European and Africa. In India, it is used to keep water cool.
Clay is a porous material. When the pot is saturated with water and heated in the oven, steam will evaporate slowly from the pores of the clay. During cooking, the food inside your clay pot will release and cook in its own juices. These juices are sealed inside the pot until it is completely dry, and at this point the food is cooked! That is why clay pot cooking is usually longer. Did you notice there is no need for oil. Clay pot cooking uses no oil or very little. And so it is healthier.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Note:
Where to get a claypot - here you can get them at reasonable prices:

USD23                                     USD40                                USD19.50

Energy Drinks are Very Dangerous for Children

2011-07-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

Energy drinks can be dangerous for children. Here are 10 reasons posted by my friend Rosa in her website. It’s saying - make sure our kids stay away from these energy drinks because they can be extremely damaging. Let's teach our kids this.

10 Reasons why we should teach our kids to stay away from energy drinks:

1. Caffeine. Some brands have up to five times more caffeine than regular soda.

For an adult, about 400 to 500grams is acceptable amounts.

Energy drinks can have up to 180grams in a can compared to less than 50grams in a soft drink.

A cup of coffee can contain between 27grams to over 150grams depending on type, where you buy it and strength of coffee.

2. Caffeine overdose can cause hallucinations, breathing problems, seizures, diabetes and rapid heartbeat.

3. Staying awake. Many people use energy drinks to stay awake, because of the caffeine content. This is not a healthy practice for anyone, much less children. Instead, we should be teaching kids about proper rest, and instilling good habits when they are young.

4. Lack of nutrition.. There is no nutritional value in energy drinks and when they fill up on these they do not have room for or lose interest in nutritional drinks.

5. Caffeine is a diuretic. Diuretics cause dehydration. Dehydration is very dangerous in kids. Because of their smaller size, a child can get dehydrated at a much quicker rate than adults.

6. Warning labels. A majority of the energy drinks have warning labels on them indicating a multitude of situations where it could be dangerous for an adult to consume the beverage. If it is dangerous for an adult than it is absolutely dangerous for a child. Some labels even state specifically that they should not be consumed by children.

7. Lack of awareness. There are some energy drinks have herbal supplements in them. Unless you are extremely conscious of the ingredients in energy drinks and the effects they can have on children it is not wise to let your children ingest these.

8. Sugar content. Some energy drinks contain 31 grams of sugar per serving with one can being 3 servings. That is a total of 23.25 teaspoons of sugar!.

9. Not enough information. There have not been enough studies done to show the effects these drinks have on children.

10. It can be addictive. Caffeine can be addictive. When taken in such large amounts on a frequent basis, children can become addicted to the caffeine they are ingesting. If you think your kids are hard to manage when hyped up on caffeine, wait until they have to go through withdrawal.

Pediatricians do not recommend energy drink consumption by children.

Read the label and education yourself on what your kids are eating and drinking.
Thank you Rosa for this excellent piece of advice. http://www.nondiet.com/blog/10-reasons-energy-drinks-are-dangerous-for-kids/

This link provides information on the exact amount of caffeine in the various energy and soft drinks. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

New Food Guide

2011-07-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

This is the newest update from USDA healthy eating guides. A shift from the food pyramid, that we have grown up with.

The basis tenents of the food guide are:

Balancing Calories

- Enjoy your food, but eat less.
- Avoid oversized portions.
- Foods to Increase
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
- Make at least half your grains whole grains.
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
Foods to Reduce
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Have a look at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ for more information. Very useful and simple to navigate.

Praise or 'Constructive Feedback'

2011-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

How much praise is good praise before it becomes silly? Someone I know gives her children 'constructive feedback' - yes, she uses these big words on her three kids, who are between 9 and 16. She is disappointed that they now tend to ignore her because ....

Her kids tell her what is the use because she would find fault with anything they did anyway! She explains to her kids that she is providing feedback on areas that could be improved and is not necessary to highlight the good areas all the time.

My friend is applying her well practiced office skills and dialogue on her kids.

I am sorry for the kids. But then again my boys are not really listening to me too. They prefer to play with their toys rather than read. Or play computer games.

But I know that praise works. Praise that is given selectively and carefully. My younger son, who is 6, laid the table today and read a story which is one page long. I praised him and he was so happy, the look of content.

I looked through the Internet and read some books. Here i think sums up the different views:

We don’t need to praise our children for everything they do. We don’t need to continually reward our children or tell them how smart and talented they are. Actually, telling our children how smart and talented they it can create the opposite. It can make our children afraid to attempt new things, afraid of failure, afraid they won’t meet everyone’s expectations. Research suggest that when we praise, it’s best for the praise to be related to the effort our children made. For praise to be effective, it also needs to be specific and sincere.

Praise is important for self esteem and building confidence but not too much and should be targeted.

It would be great to hear from the parents.

Pot Roast Chicken - With a Slight Twist

2011-07-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

Tasty chicken and quickly prepared for 2 hungry boys. Chicken beautifully baked or roasted and healthly. Plain protein dish. Serve with rice or patotoes or salads.

Few lessons here for the kids:
1. when you are hungry - you can have a tasty dish within minutes
2. don't let them eat out, particularly fast food. this is fast food!
3. estimates - get them to estimate how much they need to prepare the food. no need to fuss about exacts.

Ingridients

2 chicken thighs
1 onion
3 pips of garlic
1 inch ginger
salt
pepper
olive oil

How to prepare

Roasted chicken in aluminium foil

1. ground onion, garlic and ginger
2. mix all the ingridients over the chicken
3. you can leave about 20 minutes, if you have time, otherwise go right to the baking
4. wrap in aluminium foil
5. bake for 1/2 hour at 180 Celcious

I hope your kids love this recipe. Simple and quick, yet healthy and beautiful if you need to entertain.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!