Friday, July 31, 2015

Thursday, Week 2 - Flapjacks and Fruit Kebabs

Today was another amazing day.  We made so much stuff it was ridiculous.  We started out making more fruit kebabs because they were such a hit yesterday and a lot of the kids have been asking me to make flapjacks, so that is what we did!  Today, I had a couple of girls helping until their mum picked them up early and several boys - maybe 6 or 7, at different times throughout the session.


EVERYONE wanted to help make the flapjacks today.  We made four batches of this recipe:

8oz Scottish porridge oats
4oz Pure Dairy Free Spread
1oz brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup

Half of one batch ended up on the floor as it was being stirred up.  Never mind.  And another batch ended up not sticking together once it had cooled down, but we still had enough for everyone, and I put the flapjack fail on a baking tray and onto the picnic table for anyone to take.  It was all gone in 5 minutes and a lot of the kids asked if we could make it again.  It looked a bit like cereal.  I wonder what it would have tasted like in a bowl with some soy milk.





After the fruit kebabs were all made up,  we still had a couple of watermeons left over.  So we had an idea to chuck it in the blender to see what would happen.  In it went and out came some really nice watermelon juice.  We put it in the freezer so by the time it got served at snack time, it might be slushy-like.  Some of the kids tried it.  Most who tried it, liked it, and I had a conversation with some kids who said they liked the taste but not the seeds... So maybe next time we get the seeds out with a strainer.  Another suggestion was to make ice lollies with the juice so we can try that next week perhaps, if we are lucky enough to get more fruit in our Tuesday delivery.

Two of the boys went into the garden to see if there was any ripe fruit or vegetables to eat.   They came back with a few apples that had fallen on the ground and they asked if they could make juice.  They chopped up the apples and put them in the blender, but they would blend.  So.. we put them in a pot and cooked them for 10 minutes to make them softer, and then put them in the blender and they blended up beautifully.



The mixture was too hot to do anything with before leaving for the day, so we shall see what we will do with it tomorrow.

I also wanted to mention a little story about a little boy who loves to chop things up.  He REALLY wanted to cut some things up and was practically begging, so there were a couple of red and yellow capsicums in the fridge that I took out so he could chop them up.  He did a really good job.  I gave him a bowl to put them in, added a little oil, vinegar and tahini and he ate all of just before going home. My feeling is that he ate it because he took part in making it.  If I had chopped them up and handed him the bowl, there is no doubt in my mind, that he would have said "No, thank you." It is the excitement and the thrill of it - the fun and the play - that makes it work - that compels these kids from the inside, to try and enjoy these new experiences.


I also said in a previous post that I would take some photos of the garden at the centre.  Here they are:













Oats are a really healthy option.  They are really high in the B vitamins and folic acid.  They have a low GI, lots of fibre  - the beta-glucan actively lowers your cholesterol - and keep you fuller for longer, which helps to prevent obesity.  Oats contain lots of carbohydrates, an important source of energy and they are high in protein too.

Wednesday, Week 2 - Berry Muffins and Fruit Kebabs

Today was great.  Every day is great.  I love making food with the kids.  I love their enthusiasm and I love that although most of the food we make might be "new" to them... they give it a go and at least try it,  maybe with a little bit of a carry on -  but that is their play and that is okay!   Most of the time, they actually like it, too! Good on them, for trying new things.

Today we made blueberry and raspberry muffins and fruit kebabs.  We got so much fruit from the delivery yesterday by FareShare London - Watermelons, madarins,  grapes, nectarines.  So we used a lot of it making the fruit kebabs.  The only extra thing I bought for the kebabs were strawberries.  The boys who helped me were just amazing!  They liked making their own patterns with the fruit and seeing how many different ways the fruit would stay on the stick.

Fruit Kebabs

Mandarins
Watermelon
Grapes
Strawberries

Wash them and chop the watermelon into bite size pieces.  We put whole mandarins on and just cut the green tops off the strawberries and obviously just threaded the grapes on whole as well.  They were so colourful.  I think that colour can be a major draw card in getting the kids to try the food.













While a couple of the boys were making the fruit kebabs, the others made the muffins and then they swapped.  

Blueberry or Raspberry Muffins

200g flour
180g brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
200ml soy milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
60ml oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon extract
half carton of frozen blueberries, raspberries or other berries you might have in the freezer.  

We made four batches so all the boys got to have a go.  Each batch made about 12 muffins.  We cooked them at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes although I did start checking to see if they were done around the 20 minute mark.  The thing about making these right, is to mix the dry ingredients together first, then add the wet ingredients, stirring a minimal amount.  You don't need to stir this a lot because it doesn't contain eggs and stirring too much will affect the way they cook in the oven.  These should have flat tops when they come out and cool down.  






Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each day is to be aimed for so that you get all the associated benefits, such as lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, lowered risk of cancer,  decreased risk of high blood pressure.  Red, blue and purple fruits provide lycopene, which helps decrease your cancer risk. 

Blueberries are one of nature's superfoods.  They are low in calories, rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, fibre, manganese, and flavanoids, most notably anthocyanins, which enhance the health promoting qualities of food.  Some doctors say that if you make any changes to diet, make sure it is to add blueberries to them.  



Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Tuesday, Week 2 - Bliss Balls, Milkshakes and Whole Fruit

Today we made bliss balls, milkshakes and handed out heaps of peaches, nectarines and mandarins.  It was a less stress day in terms of washing up and I felt like I had loads more time to get other things done too - I planted some basil, coriander and mint in the veggie garden.  There are so many plants in there now - it's just awesome and it has this wild kind of feel to it, like I'm in a forest fairy world.  I will take some photos and post them up later in the week.



I had four kids with me again today.  It was different in the way we did things today too.  I gave them a bowl each and a packet of dates.  They emptied their dates into the bowls and covered them in hot water.  They sat for 10 minutes.  We emptied the bowl of water and put the soaked dates into the blender.  Adding the rest of the ingredients and blitzing them.

Bliss Balls

1 packet dates
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons chia seeds



After they were blitzed and smooth-ish, the mixture was emptied out into a bowl.  They made balls with the stuff, then rolled them in a bowl of desiccated coconut and put them on a serving plate.





We washed everything up and then everyone came back into the kitchen to help make milkshakes.

Milkshakes

1 litre soy milk
1 banana
1/2 packet frozen berries (we used blueberries and raspberries)

Blitz all the ingredients and then pour into cups.  The frozen berries act like ice in terms of making the drink cold so we didn't add extra ice to the mix.  Unfortunately I have no photos of this part of the day, but it was a lot of fun.  Cleaning up took half as long this afternoon as there were no plates - just cups to wash.  Now... how can I make that a regular occurrence?!



Dates are low in fat but high in fibre so they are good for your digestive system.  They are rich in vitamins A and C and the B vitamins too.  They are high in protein, iron, potassium, calcium manganese, copper and magnesium, which can reduce blood pressure and therefore heart disease.  Dates are also high in sugar, but forgive yourself; they are natural sugars - not the kind you want to eliminate from your diet, like refined and artificial sugars.

Chia seeds also pack a powerful nutritional punch.  They are high in fibre, protein, calcium, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.  They also have good amounts of the B vitamins, potassium and zinc.  Chia seeds also contain Omega 3 fatty acids which are crucial to brain development and have blood markers which can decrease your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Monday, Week 2 - Pizza

Today was pizza day.  So many of the children wanted to help make it, but four little ones are enough in the kitchen.  I had promised one of the boys - a young volunteer - that he could help me make the dough, so that is what we did.  As soon as he saw me walk in the door, "Saraaah, Saraaah! Can we make the dough?!  Can we make the dough?!"  So of course we got straight to work.

Pizza dough

1kg self raising flour
1 tsp salt
2.5 cups warm water
4 tablespoons oil (olive oil if you've got it, but any will do)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 sachets yeast



Add the water, oil sugar, yeast together and stir.  Leave for 10 minutes.  Add to bowl of flour and salt.  Mix. Knead - add flour as necessary.  Put back in bowl.  Cover. Leave for an hour or two.  We left it to rise for an hour.




We also made the pizza sauce from scratch.  I diced up an onion and put it in a pan with a little hot oil.  We added a tablespoon of coriander and one of cumin and a tablespoon of sugar and stirred it all together.  After it started smelling amazing, we added 4 tins of chopped tomatoes and let it cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.



Now for the veggies.  I really wanted a rainbow of colours but didn't quite get there although it was pretty colourful:  I had a big bag of red and yellow capsicums - 5 of each colour and they diced them all up.  2 heads of broccoli, cut into teeny tiny florets.  A big bag of cherry tomatoes halved.  The kids helping today really took great care in chopping them up - better than I would have done it myself.  They were fab, paying close attention to detail.



Once the dough had risen, it was rolled out to fit the pan, placed over it and then cut around the sides so it fit nearly perfectly.  The tomato base was spread over the dough and then we had a bit of a conversation about which should be put on next: the vegan cheese (we used Redwoods Supermelting Mozarella Style Cheezly) or the veggies. In the end, I felt defeated and gave in, as the kids kept telling me that the toppings go on first and then the cheese.  I have always done it the opposite way.  So I let go of my control and they did it their way - it quite hard to let it go ;-)  Then we sprinked a teeny tiny bit of salt over the top and put it in the oven.  180 degrees Celsius for 12 - 15 minutes.  We cooked ours for 15 minutes.





We made two big pizzas and had enough veggies left over to toss in a bowl with some grated carrot for a salad.  We had quite a bit of dough left over, so we made some garlic bread.

Garlic Bread Spread

3 tablespoons Pure Dairy Free Sunflower Spread
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
a little salt

Put all ingredients in a bowl and microwave til it has melted - about 30 seconds or cook on stove til melted.

Roll out dough and spread the spread all over.  Cook in oven for 15 minutes.  Tastes amazing.






The best thing for me was that the kids loved it.  A lot of them came back for seconds.  And the garlic bread was divine, especially dipped in the left over pizza sauce.

Tomatoes are one of the lowest calorie vegetables out there.  They are high in antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals and are rich in potassium.  Lycopene, an antioxidant protects against UV radiation so offers some defense against skin cancer.  Tomatoes contain high amounts of vitamin A and C and also have small amounts of the B vitamins, iron and calcium.  You can't go wrong with tomatoes and homemade pizza can be a healthy way of getting them into you.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Friday, Week 1 - Avocado Chocolate Mousse, Guacamole, Hummus and Crumble

It was pouring with rain and by the time I got home, I was seriously drenched, but it was a good day.  I got in, having not been in since Monday, wondering what had been delivered on Tuesday and also how Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday had gone without me being there! 

Jodi, my colleague, did a great job and had made a crumble using the ripe damson from the damson tree in the garden on Thursday.  It was waiting to be eaten today.  On Monday I had bought a bunch of avocados from Brixton market to be made into guacamole, but the pallet had loads of fruit so Wednesday the kids made fruit cups and Tuesday they made a pasta bake.  So, the avocados:  I thought we could make a chocolate mousse to go with the crumble.  So, that is what we attempted! We made two batches.   It made about 4 cups. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

3 avocados
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Use a blender to mix up all the ingredients and then refrigerate. 



We had enough avocados left over to make guacamole, but we didn't have any tomatoes and although we had a red onion, I thought I should leave it out - children tend to shun them.  So, we mashed the avocados, added half a lemon and salted it to taste. 

Avocado dip

3 avocados
1/2 lemon - squeezed
salt to taste






We also had chickpeas and the kids helping me today love chickpeas, so I thought we could make hummus.

Hummus

2 tins chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 lemon
4 or 5 garlic cloves
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in the blender or whizzer thing and whizz it to a smooth paste. 





We also chopped up loads of veggies for dipping - carrots, celery, red capsicum, cucumber.  It was a busy and fun afternoon. 


The kids plated everything up.  The delivery on Tuesday had left us with what seemed like hundreds of those little gem lettuces, so the kids used the lettuce leaves as a plate for the dips.  It was nice to see them use their initiative on that one.  They did it all and I am so proud of them because it was a lot of work. 





The plates went out.  Some of the kids enjoyed it all, others wanted only crumble and chocolate mousse, others only wanted the veggies and dips and a lot of them came back for more - which made me feel like I did something right.  Avocados are one of my favourite foods, but they are not a regular part of everyone's diets, so I am glad them, in both savoury and sweet form.  I am also really pleased with our hummus made from scratch.  It was total awesomeness. 

Avocados are a fruit, high in healthy fat - omega 3 fatty acids.  They are also a good source of vitamin B5, vitamin K and fibre.  They also contain high amounts of magnesium and iron and have more potassium per gram than bananas. 

Chickpeas are a gluten free food.  Low in fat, they are also high in fibre and protein and are a great source of antioxidants, important in the prevention of cancer.  They contain alpha-linolenic acid which is vital in the production of omega 3.