Wednesday 14 May 2014

Salad Season....

The weather is getting warmer and the filling, heartwarming meals we have been eating during the winter are getting fewer and fewer...We're starting to eat lighter food and more salads....

The girls easily get bored of just normal plain  salad....Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and dressing..... This is where the Florette salad bags come in....I'm a big fan of these bags and I buy two or three a week during the warmer months....

I really didn't realise there were so many of the Florette salad bags until I was browsing their website recently....

Iceland really do need to stock more and Tesco need to start stocking them too...I've never been able to find them when doing my online grocery shop....

This week we've already had Chicken Caesar salad using the leftover chicken from Sunday's roast dinner and tonight we're having Tuna & butterbean salad.....Saturday we're having Burgers in buns which will include salad too...

My girls love salad.....Thinking about it they always have....They get quite picky with vegetables but salad has always been a big hit....Don't forget a portion of salad counts towards your five-a-day....

To get kids eating salads....

Chop things up small....
Salads are sometimes fiddly which can puts kids off straight away.....Chop things up into smaller pieces to make it more palatable. Lettuce can be cut up, tomatoes sliced and carrots grated.

Get some texture in there....
Giving a salad some bite is really important....Fresh veg is the key along with a mix of raw and cooked ingredients will help to keep things interesting. Non-veg additions work great too....Grated cheese, nuts or even crispy bacon....

Find some colour to brighten it up....
Kids love colour, and salads are far more appealing when they’re not just all green....Carrots, beetroot, tomatoes can liven up a salad and make it exciting to look at.

Dress it up....
The key to a great salad is a great dressing....Don’t complicate things...A bit of balsamic or white wine vinegar with extra virgin olive oil and a little seasoning will be sweet enough to get the young ones interested.

Start with familiar flavours....
The best way to encourage a fussy eater to try something new is to put it with something they already know and love in...If your child has a favourite vegetable make sure that’s in there.....

Get them involved from the start....
Take them shopping and explain what they will be having for lunch the....Don’t just let them choose the ingredients, show them how to pick the ripest tomatoes, or the crunchiest carrots. When it’s lunch or teatime let them make their salad themselves.....If they can say they were in charge of the meal from start to finish, they will be proud to take it to the table and for everyone to tuck in.

1 comment :

  1. I don't like salad every year I look at it, and it looks so colorful and every year I try it in the hope that my tastes have changed but it doesn't however my little one loves salad so I will be trying this out on him! xx

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