Michael Borisko
Dinnertime at Luci Anderson’s house is a whirl of activity that includes
the children playing an important role in choosing meals and helping to prepare them.
Health
June 23, 2008 02:56 PM
beingwell magazine Summer 2008
By: Kim Goggins
There is a rule at Luci Anderson’s house that is closely adhered to: Each of her children must choose one sport and one art activity, as well as perform a community service.
For 12-year-old Carter, it’s hockey, soccer, tennis and the drama club at school. Cameron, 10, plays the drums, Triple-A hockey and soccer.
Six-year-old Peyton takes gymnastics and Irish dance, while Calli, who is about to turn three, loves gymnastics. Last Christmas, the siblings adopted a family and in lieu of birthday gifts, they ask those who attend their parties to donate library books for their school.
Sounds like the perfect family, right?
Hardly, laughs Ms Anderson, who admits scheduling activities and ensuring they eat nutritious food when they are on the go can be challenging.
When most evenings and weekends are spent in the family van, going from one activity to the other, eating well can be problematic and although Ms Anderson is known for her cooler of healthy snacks at games and tournaments, she admits to relying on the drive-thru in the past.
It’s been trial and error; I’ve made so many mistakes, says the busy mother who also has a demanding job as the director of major gifts at Providence Health Care Foundation. I’ve driven through and then thought, what am I doing, putting crap into these beautiful little creations I have?
So, I started looking at it in terms of the fuel I’m giving them. I want high-octane fuel going into my little gems.
She credits meal planning for helping her provide healthy meals and snacks for her children, whatever the situation. Each weekend, she sets aside time to plan meals for the week, shops for groceries and then does the cooking on Sunday. Since the birth of Calli, Ms Anderson and her husband Ken hired a live-in nanny, who helps with the meal planning and preparation.
I like to be prepared because I find it starts to tear away at my time that I have with my family and the quality of time, she admits. The weeks that I’m not prepared, that I don’t get to that white board on Sunday and I don’t get my meal plan in place, I just pay for it the whole week long and I pay for it with the kids. I’m irritated, I’m on edge, I’m not feeling good about what I have going on. So, (being prepared) is sanity for me.
On Saturdays, the children get to choose dinner, anything from order-in pizza to breakfast-type food for supper is okay, and chips are allowed while watching a movie on the weekend.
Having the occasional, less healthy treat in the house is actually a good thing, notes Mary Turfryer, a public health nutritionist with York Region Community and Health Services.
You don’t want to not have those kinds of choices because that just makes it more desirable to the kids. It’s a good idea to limit it and not have a lot of (junk food) in the house, she suggests.
Maybe when you do the grocery shopping for the week, have a treat and when it’s gone, that’s it. And then from then on, it’s the other, healthier snacks.
Once or twice a week, Ms Anderson will also try to include her children in baking a treat so there is less reliance on costly and unhealthy store-bought snacks.
The fun thing is the kids have really taught me about packaging and all that stuff. We re trying to cut out the foil and the wrap and the containers, she says. When we are away on tournaments and trips or heading out to the soccer field, I try to get the kids involved in cutting up fruit or making things instead of relying on store-bought.
It’s out of necessity, she adds. Those things aren’t cheap. Don’t get me wrong my kids love them. I can’t tell you how many times they go to other people’s houses and come back and say, they’ve got the good stuff.
Getting the family together for dinner is a top priority for Ms Anderson and she says even their hectic schedules can usually allow for dinner together five out of seven nights.
If we cannot sit for dinner then we have post activity, pre-bedtime fruit snacks and all get around the table and chat, she says, noting it’s a great way to find out what’s happening in the kids lives, good and bad. One big breakfast every weekend is sacred, where everyone pitches in. Sometimes, we end up defaulting to breakfast for dinner if we have a busy weekend, just to have that time together.
Cooking with the kids to instill a healthy attitude toward food is the idea behind learning to cook on Sundays at Kathy Dermott’s house, where she, her 12-year-old daughter, Renee, and 14-year-old son Marshall can be found in the kitchen, preparing the Sunday night meal. Every week, they each rotate between making a main dish, a side and a dessert.
They were a little uninterested at first and I do have to quarterback but they re doing great, Mrs. Dermott reports. The rule is that everyone tries something. It’s been a very good experience. Things did start off a little elaborately with desserts so rich no one could eat but has settled down to some real practical kitchen skills. The idea is that they will leave home and know how to feed themselves a healthy meal.
This type of positive role modeling is important for teaching children the value of healthy living, notes Mrs. Turfryer, adding that being active with children is also a key ingredient.
Luci Anderson s efforts seem to be paying off. Keeping the kids on the right track when it comes to eating and exercise is allowing them to notice for themselves what happens when they do indulge.
I think the boys recognize that it’s a treat but after that indulgence, they feel like crap, she says. I ask them, Can you imagine feeling like that every day?
Quick morning fixes
We ve all been there & everybody’s running around, grabbing socks, briefcases and coats in the mad dash to get to school and work. Somewhere in the rush, breakfast might become a casualty. But there’s still a way to get some much-needed nourishment into your loved ones so that they have the fuel to motor through their busy days.
Here are a couple of recipes that are quick to make on the spot or to have as a backup to hand out as they re running out the door.
Beta Boost
O cup freshly squeezed orange juice (125 mL)
º cup carrot juice (50 mL)
O cantaloupe
º cup chopped dried apricots (50 mL)
º cup soft tofu (50 mL)
Throw it all into a blender until smooth. Makes one serving.
Apricot Granola Biscuits
Whole grains, nuts and fruit are high-energy and nutritious. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
O cup rice or soy milk (12 mL)
1 large egg
2 tbsp. olive oil (25 mL)
2 cups whole-grain granola (500 mL)
O cup whole wheat flour (125 mL)
º cup chopped apricots (50 mL)
3 tbsp. organic cane sugar (45 mL)
º cup unsweetened shredded
coconut (optional) (50 mL)
1. In a large bowl, beat milk and egg together until frothy. Beat in oil. Stir in granola, flour, apricots, sugar and coconut, if using. Drop by the tablespoonful (5 mL) about one inch apart onto lightly oiled baking sheets. Flatten slightly with fork.
2. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Makes about 42 biscuits
Beta Boost recipe from From The Juicing Bible, by Pat Crocker. ISBN-13: 978-0-7788-0181-8. Apricot Granola Biscuits from The Vegetarian Cook s Bible, by Pat Crocker. ISBN-13 978-0-7788-0153-5.
Both recipes reprinted with the kind permission of the publisher Robert Rose Inc.