It’s back to school time around the country. The uniforms are out, the school bags are heaving and the kids are getting up and out earlier. It’s a great time of year to reassess, to get back into a healthy routine and to kick another school year off the way you mean to go on. As each year passes, school work becomes more demanding on our little ones, not to mention the plethora of after school activities. We want to keep our kids happy, healthy and energised so that they have all the ingredients for a productive and fun day at school. This week, Heather Leeson gave a healthy lunchbox demo in Donnybrook Fair Cookery School to help fill those mouths with tasty but healthy food all day. Heather also featured in the Irish Examiner with some of her top tips for school.
– Always include a vegetable snack and a piece of fruit
– Include a source of wholegrain fibre such as 100% wholegrain bread, pitta, wrap or even a pasta salad
– Limit processed meat and try cheese, hummus, tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey
– Always give water to drink
– Watch out for the sugar content of snacks that are marketed to children
For the full article, click this link:
One of Heather’s suggestions for a healthier homemade snack that your kids will love are these banana cookies. Plus they only take 5 minutes to prepare! We hope you enjoy!
Banana oat cookies
Preparation time 5 minutes, baking time 18 minutes
Makes approx.. 15 cookies
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
85g oats (use gluten free if necessary)
2 heaped tsp. ground linseeds or other ground seeds
½ – 1 tbsp. dark chocolate, cut into small chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Line baking sheet with greaseproof paper
- Mash banana well in a bowl, then mix in the rest of the ingredients
- Place teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking tray and flatten slightly
- Bake for 15 – 18 minutes until brown on the bottom
- Allow to cool on a wire tray
