With the school year starting, it’s back to worrying
about whether to prepare packed meals for
your child or just provide more allowance for food. Undoubtedly, letting them
eat out is more time-saving and convenient. But while it’s a tempting option,
doing this regularly is expensive and unhealthy.
As such, health experts often advise to make home-cooked
meals - but of course, cooking at home is much easier said than done. It takes
time and effort to create delicious and nutritious baon for kids, especially if yours are picky eaters. So to help you
create healthy and yummy meals for their kids as the school year starts, here
are some tips from Electrolux Philippines.
Plan
your meals
Although it may seem tedious at first, meal planning
is one of the best ways to save money and be more efficient at cooking.
Start by making an inventory of everything in your
refrigerator and pantry. By knowing what you currently have, you can determine
what meals to make, or what additional ingredients to buy. It’s wiser to pick
recipes based on common ingredients, or things you can easily get from the
store.
Planning meals are vital to your kids’ healthy diet so
remember to choose balanced recipes with a good mix of carbohydrates, fats and
proteins. Interactive tools like meal planning applications and websites can
also help make this task easier to manage by helping you create grocery lists,
choose recipes, and track your children’s’ calorie intake.
Get
creative with veggies
It’s no secret that most kids aren’t fond of their greens.
One way to get your kids to eat vegetables is by using creative preparation and
presentation - like making vegetarian sushi. Combine all kinds of vegetables or
fruits with rice and seasoning to create tasty sushi rolls. Another way to
serve veggies is to turn them into kebabs. By marinating and grilling them with
herbs, garlic, and balsamic glaze, your veggies can achieve a deliciously tangy
taste. Place them on skewers with some chicken or shrimp and you have a healthy
lunch!
|
Here’s an easy way to
get kids to eat their veggies – make veggie kebabs! |
Healthy
switches
Instead of buying packaged sweets and chips, give your
kids sandwiches like peanut butter with sliced fruits, or grilled chicken &
cheese with lettuce and tomatoes. Not only are they healthier, but more filling
and satisfying as well. If you want variation from regular burgers, try
switching the meat patties to tuna. It’s incredibly simple and cheap to make
using canned tuna—not to mention, it’s also packed with nutritious omega 3,
iron, and potassium.
As for drinks, you may opt to switch packaged beverages
with homemade juices. Freshly made juices do not have added preservatives,
sugars, and artificial flavoring. Just make sure you have a juicer or blender
handy then get your kids to pick out what fruit blend they want for the day!
|
With the Electrolux
NutriFresh™ Refrigerator, you
can keep your fruits and veggies fresh for long a time so you can make healthy
shakes and juices for your kids’ baon
to school! |
Let
nothing go to waste
Making extra servings can actually help you save a lot
of time since you no longer need to go through the lengthy prep time before
every meal. You can easily store extra servings in the refrigerator or freezer
to preserve their freshness, then heat them up when needed.
|
Make the most out of
leftovers by making One-Pot Pasta meals. Throw in remaining ingredients such as
onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables to a pan, then add the pasta, olive oil,
and other seasonings to your taste. Be creative! |
And don’t forget about leftovers! To make use of
leftover ingredients, try making One Pot Meals such
as stews or pasta that you can make by putting together all your ingredients in
one pot. The great thing about One Pot Meals is that you can be as creative as
you like as long as the ingredients can complement each other. If you still
have unused ingredients such as onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, or mushrooms,
you can chop them up then put them in a pan. Afterwards, add the pasta, pour
olive oil and season everything to taste.
Have
the right kitchen appliances
When it comes to food preparation and cooking,
Electrolux offers a wide variety of kitchen appliances to suit your every need.
If you’re worried about how long your leftovers or
ingredients will last in storage, the Electrolux
NutriFresh™ Inverter Refrigerator EHE5220AA can go a long way in helping
you prevent food spoilage. Since it’s equipped with technology that stabilizes temperature,
deodorizes, and minimizes water loss, fruits and vegetables can stay fresh for
up to a week. It also lessens utility costs because of its energy saving
features.
|
The Electrolux 520L NutriFresh™ Inverter Refrigerator
has the capacity to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh and nutritious 7 days
longer than the average refrigerator. |
If you live in a condo or apartment with a smaller
kitchen, the Electrolux Tabletop
Microwave Oven with Grill & Convection EMS3087X is the right fit for
you. This 4-in-1 appliance combines the convenience of a microwave and the
performance of an oven, grill and even a steamer, which allows you to prepare different
types of dishes so your kids won’t get tired of the same old thing.
|
The Electrolux 30L
Table Top Microwave with Grill and Convection is a 4-in-1 cooking appliance
that is a perfect fit for smaller kitchens. |
For something bigger but just as versatile, you can
use the Electrolux Built-In Oven EOB2200BOX
to bake, grill, and roast food. It comes with the InfiSpace™ feature that
can extend the 68-litre capacity to a 74-litre capacity to give you plenty of
room to cook multiple dishes in one go. It also comes with an enamel coating
that repels grease and dirt, making it easier to clean.
|
The
Electrolux 68 L Built-In Oven allows you to grill, bake, or roast food, with
plenty of room to cook multiple dishes at the same time. |
If you’re looking for a convenient way to cook, you
can use the Electrolux Built-in
Induction Hob EHED63CS. Induction is faster and uses much less energy than
other cooking technologies because it heats the cookware directly while the
cooktop remains cool in the process, making it safe to touch and easy to clean perfect
for creating delicious dishes in less time and with less fuss.
|
The Electrolux 60cm Built-in Induction
Hob takes less time and energy to cook your favorite dishes.
|
Although preparing packed meals at home can seem tiresome and overwhelming, the long term pay-off
is worth it. Not only is it more nutritious for your child, but more
cost-friendly as well. Cooking isn’t always easy, but with a bit of practice,
time, and guidance, you’ll eventually see that there are plenty of ways to be
creative and efficient when it comes to making baon everyday!
For more tips on healthy eating, visit visit
www.electrolux.com.ph and follow @ElectroluxPhilippines on Facebook and
Instagram or @ElectroluxPH on Twitter.
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