Midweek Mommy Tip # 2

Salad Nicoise. To my surprise and delight, I discovered that Angel Starr loves Salad Nicoise. The best part about this is that it’s a light, healthy and easy summer dish that can be put together in a few minutes. Did I mention that it’s healthy? Usually, Angel Starr can tell if anything’s healthy and won’t go near it with a barge pole. So it came as a surprise when she starting demanding this salad. What appeals to her is the fact that it’s filling and has many interesting ingredients (most of them are her favorite), apart from the lettuce. This is how I make it:

Ingredients:
1 can of Tuna
3 or 4 large boiled potatoes (sliced)
1 boiled egg (sliced with an egg slicer)
Some black olives
Some green beans
Lettuce
Cucumber (sliced)
Tomatoes (sliced)

Method: Put lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes in a large salad bowl (in that order). Then add the tuna, potatoes, olives and green beans. Toss. Add the sliced egg on top for added decoration.
Angel Starr gets so excited about this salad that she doesn’t even want salad dressing or mayonnaise or anything (sometimes a bit of hummus). I add a bit of olive oil and lemon juice to my portion of the salad. Try this salad with your kids. It’s healthy and filling, thanks to the potatoes. Bon Appetit.

Midweek Mommy Tip # 1

Freeze, freeze freeze!! I have recently discovered (yeah, I’m a slow learner) that making meals ahead of time and freezing them is the only way to stay on top of things AND give your family healthy, nutritious meals. There just isn’t enough time in the day to worry about cooking as well. Just freeze the basics for a week or so and you’ll see a huge difference, time management wise. By making your own meals and freezing them you are able to give your family healthy, nutritious meals and avoid those high salt, high fat, additive and trans fat ridden microwave TV dinners. I’m a big fan of Annabel Karmel and like her child and family friendly recipes. I agree with her that your child can eat what they like (OK, to a point!) as long as you make it. This helps cut out the high salt and additive content from your family’s diet. It’s also a lot of fun to get in the kitchen (while someone’s minding the kids for you) and cook up a storm. I’ll be the first to admit it, cleaning up is a bitch, but such is life!