|
|
 |
Ready meals for toddlers
There will be always be days that you just don't have time to make a nutritious, well balanced
meal for your child. Out come the cheese sandwiches or perhaps a tin of beans with fish fingers,
and as a mother, you feel guilty. So what's the solution? Quite simply, ready meals.
There are hundreds of adult ready meals available in supermarkets, but until recently, there have
been very few children's and specifically, toddler, ready meals. Even fewer could call themselves
nutritious and well balanced. So what should you look for it you're buying prepared meals for kids?
Look carefully at the packaging. Many children's meals say 'suitable for children' and parents assume
this to mean from age 1. But most 'children's meals' are really only suitable from the age of 4 upwards.
Food designed for toddlers or children under the age of 36 months, has very strict guidelines that it
has to adhere to thanks to EU legislation called 'The Weaning Regs'. These regulations ensure that
food aimed at this young market meets stringent nutritional guidelines (ensuring the right balance
of protein, carbohydrates and fats), is virtually 100% pesticide free and is very clearly labelled.
To meet the exacting standards required by the weaning regs takes a lot of effort, which is why many products
simply carry the label 'suitable for children' with no specific age mentioned. This allows them to ignore
the legislation for young children but design the pack to look like it is suitable for all ages. This is
very misleading and done quite deliberately. Parents should seek out products that actively state that
they meet these EU guidelines. Parents should also check that any meals they buy for toddlers are free
of added salt, sugar, additives and preservatives.
The Kiddylicious range of frozen toddler meals is a great example of a company getting it right. All the
Kiddylicious meals strictly adhere to the EU regs. They are delicious, taste-tested and thoroughly approved
by hundreds of toddlers. They're well balanced and nutritious, made using kitchen cupboard ingredients and
are completely free of added salt, sugar and preservatives. Meals include Jungle Pasta, Curly Pasta with
Salmon and Broccoli, Potato Topped Tuna & Sweetcorn Pie, Tomato & Chicken Rice, Fruity Chicken Curry,
Lancashire Hotpot, Cottage Pie and Spaghetti Bolognaise. And best of all, they only take about three minutes
to heat in a microwave. So mums can give their toddlers a wholesome meal with minimal effort.
To find out more about Kiddylicious meals, go to www.kiddylicious.co.uk. You can also win a month's supply of
free Babylicious or Kiddylicious meals delivered to your door simply by signing up to receive the Food4Thought
newsletter. Go to www.babylicious.co.uk and click on the newsletter link to enter.
If you'd like to try and make your own Kiddylicious meals at home, why not try this great recipe for Tomato
and Chicken Rice:
Tomato and Chicken Rice
Ingredients
Dash of Sunflower Oil
Hint of crushed Garlic
2 Slices of finely chopped Onion
1 Cup of cooked Rice
Splash of Natural Chicken stock
A small handful of chopped broccoli florets and peeled carrot
A handful of Sweetcorn kernels
A cup of chunky chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
Squirt of Tomato purée
Chunks of Chicken breast
A twist of black pepper
A scoop of peas
Small teaspoon of Cornflour
A sprinkle of chopped basil
Pour a dash of sunflower oil into a saucepan and add diced onions and crushed garlic. Add just enough water to cover
the onion and cook until tender.
Add a cup of rice and cook for 5 - 10 minutes until nearly tender.
Put in chunks of chicken, chicken stock, black pepper, broccoli, carrot, Sweetcorn, tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook
until vegetables are tender and chicken is fully cooked, which will approximately take 30 minutes.
Mix cornflour with a splash of cold water and add to the saucepan whilst stirring.
Finally throw in the peas and basil and heat for two minutes until it's gently simmering around the edges.
|
|
|
