Power lunch for children

The UAE, like many nations around the world, has a serious problem with child nutrition. As a developed nation, however, the children here aren't starving: they're overfed. While the problem isn't so obviously tragic, obesity can cause immediate and lifelong damage to the body in the form of diabetes and heart problems, besides putting a child at higher risk of cancer. And while concerned parents can monitor what a child eats at breakfast and dinner, the daily school lunch has, in the past few years, become the main target of child nutrition crusaders, with British chef Jamie Oliver still firing from the front lines. Six years ago, he launched a campaign in the UK to improve the school lunches offered to children, which mainly consisted of french fries and the notorious reconstituted turkey meat "twizzlers". But does it really matter what's for lunch? "The years between 6-12 years are a time of steady growth, and good nutrition should be the highest priority," says Pranita Anand Gavankar, dietitian at Cedars — Jebel Ali International Hospital. "A child's lunch box should be the integral part of his meals in the day."

One way for parents to avoid a child making the wrong choice at the canteen is to make the choice for them, by packing lunch. That sounds very Tiger Mom-ish, but it's a good idea as long as the right items (no crisps!) are included, says Dubai-based child nutrition specialist Sarah Queen. "If your child is likely to choose fried food, fizzy drinks and no fruit and vegetables from the canteen, then a packed lunch would be preferable as long as the lunch box contains healthy or healthier choices. Crisps, chocolate bars, savoury pastries and sweetened drinks [in a packed lunch] is comparable to [a bad] canteen choice and so there are no benefits between the two, except for you knowing what they have eaten at lunchtime."

To make the lunch box healthy, the five foods groups need to be included. This will ensure that your child receives all the nutrients they require in order to grow and develop correctly, says Queen, and a treat is fine — "as long as they also eat the other foods".

Those five food groups are carbohydrates such as bread, rice or pasta; fruits and vegetables; proteins such as lean meats, beans and nut butters (if permitted at school); dairy such as yoghurt, milk or cheese; and fluids. Carbohydrates are especially important, says Queen, in ensuring that the child has the energy to get through the day.

"If they have sports in the afternoon or after school you may want to provide some more carbohydrate to help maintain their energy levels. If your child is consuming a lot of sugary food at lunchtime — biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolates and sweetened fizzy drinks — this could lead to a sugar rush [increased blood glucose level], which would lead to your child being on ‘an energy buzz' for about an hour afterwards. The body overcompensates for this and lowers blood glucose levels too much and too quickly, which leads to decreased energy and tiredness."

The other challenge for busy mothers is putting together a healthy, yet interesting, lunch box daily.

"I am one of those mums," says mother-of-one Farah Sawaf, a Dubai foodie and the woman behind working-woman-friendly recipe site Cooking With A Manicure (www.cookingwithamanicure.com). "It's all about shopping ahead of time and even doing all the prep work one or two days ahead so when it comes time to preparing the lunch, you only have to heat, mix or assemble quickly. I always pre-wash, pre-chop and pre-plan everything straight from the store. Throwing in a bag of crisps is easy, yet, with pre-planned meals and snacks you can provide a healthier and a more fun alternative for your child."

"Know your audience," adds Sawaf, who provided the recipes here. "If your child is a fan of cream cheese, make a dip and place in tiny dishes for them to enjoy some chopped vegetables with. If your child loves strawberries, make a fruit salad and sprinkle sugar at the end, giving them a sweeter experience for a dessert. I have even packed a non-heated macaroni and cheese that I have made at home using only the freshest ingredients and placed that in a snack pack — that was a hit. If your child likes eggs, pre-boil and refrigerate. In the morning mash up with some mustard and a touch of mayonnaise and spices. Make that a dip with crackers. You can buy the Tupperware with a built-in ice pack from any children's store — I buy from Tavola. Get creative, jot down several options and play around with different snacks or meals to make it more interesting."

Sweety turkey sandy

Lay both baguettes flat on a counter so the cut sides face up. Evenly place the turkey slices between both baguettes. Spread half the chutney on each turkey-strewn baguette.
Sprinkle half the goat cheese and half the green onion over each open baguette. Season with ground black pepper and salt. Finally, add the rocket leaves.
Carefully, close them tightly.

If you have a small close-top kitchen grill, place both sandwiches onto the hot surface and press for three-five minutes depending how toasted you desire the sandwich.
Or place both sandwiches on a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Press down on sandwiches for a few minutes with spatula, turn over and repeat few minutes on other side.

Servings: 2

Tri-crunchies

“I love making this colourful crunchy treat for children of all ages,” says Farah Sawaf, of food website Cooking With A Manicure. “The finished product is lovely to display and, most importantly, tastes great. These individual little circles of colour are fun to eat one at a time or go crazy by piling them up on top of each other and crunching away — packed with vitamins and calcium! You can use just about anything for the base. I sometimes use puff pastry, but for packed lunches crackers or rusk toast works best — and is great for children’s digestive systems.”

Mix together green onion and the orange, yellow and red peppers, salt and ground pepper in a medium bowl. Place the mixture onto a shallow plate.
Frost each toast or cracker with cream cheese, then dip the cream cheese side into the plate of vegetable mix, allowing the cream cheese to stick to bits of the mix.

Note: The topping can be stored in fridge for up to three days. All you need to do is assemble each time you desire.

Any type of cracker or rusk toast you prefer — try a small size using approximately two-four pieces for a nice snack.

Servings: 6-8

Cheesy mac

Cook pasta until done, approximately seven-eight minutes, in salted boiling water.
While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine evaporated milk, egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg and Tabasco.

In another bowl combine the three cheeses well.

Drain the finished pasta and return to pot over medium heat.

Mix the butter and the evaporated milk mixture into pasta, stirring constantly for four minutes.

Slowly mix in cheese a little bit at a time continuously stirring until all cheese melts into the macaroni.

Blend in the panko crumbs and parsley and serve.

Note: Can be frozen or refrigerated for up to three days. It’s delicious when served cold. I always use wholewheat pasta — delicious, yet healthier.

Servings: 4