Wholefood Recipes for Plant-Powered Families

Plant-Powered Families is a nice book by one of our favourite cookbook authors, who always uses fresh wholefood ingredients and uses a little oil and maple syrup (she’s Canadian!) with recipes that will appeal to most tastebuds. This book offers 100 easy-to-make and delicious recipes that everyone will love.

Read info by dietitians on food allergens (they say the top 8 allergens of milk, eggs, soy, shellfish, fish, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat account for around 90% of all allergens, the others being mustard or sesame seeds).

Read up on food safety for people and pets. Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps (acids may harm compost creatures).

Fully remove tinned lids (or pop ring-pulls back over holes) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

With tips for handling challenges for every age and stage (From toddler to teens), this book is the perfect book for parents raising ‘weegans’ or families looking to transition. As well as advice for helping picky eaters, there are tips on stocking a vegan pantry and making school lunches, plus dealing with challenging social situations. Includes nutritionist-approved references for dietary information.

This is a book you will use, whether you want a quick weeknight supper or a dish for a special occasion. From breakfasts to small bites to dinner and dessert, enjoy recipes for:

• Pumpkin pie smoothie
• Creamy breakfast rice pudding
• Sunday morning pancakes
• Potato-meets-egg salad
• Creamy fettuccine
• Sneaky chickpea burgers
• Mild cheesy dip
• Home fries
• Lemon-kissed blondie bites
• Banana butter ice cream
• The great pumpkin pie!
• ‘Milk’ chocolate fudge sauce

Choking Hazards for Children

Choking hazards should be avoided for children and people with swallowing difficulties (and allergies). Also keep small toys off the kitchen floor where toddlers and pets could find them.

Learn how to help someone who is choking. Foods to avoid include:

• Nuts, Seeds & Nut/Seed Butters (avoid for under 5)
• Chia seeds (soak in liquid first, if used)
• Dry Bread, Crackers & Croutons
• Crumbly Foods (pies & biscuits)
• Peas, Grapes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cherries (even sliced)
• Carrot Sticks
• Sausages (slice lengthwise & again, for older children)
• Foods with Seeds (raspberries etc)
• Boiled Sweets
• Sticky Foods (some cheese, marshmallow, mochi)
• Tough Foods (steak, bacon, skin/bone/gristle)
• Stringy Foods ((beans, rhubarb)
• Floppy Foods (lettuce, cucumber, spinach)
• Chia seeds (mix with water first, if using for others)

Does Plant-Based School Food Harm Farmers?

It’s the law for schools to offer plant-based meals to those who ask. Some MPs have complained that offering plant-based meals harms farmer incomes. But most animal-based school food is from big factory-farming brands.

Across the pond, California’s MUSE Global School serves plant-based food to children, often grown in raised beds, via a Seed to Table program. If growing your own school gardens:

Read more on no-dig gardening and humane slug/snail deterrents. If you live with animal friends, read up on pet-friendly gardens (some recommended flowers and fruit trees are not safe). Also avoid netting to protect food (just leave some for wildlife!)

Do Children Know Where Food Comes From?

A worrying survey by British Nutrition Foundation found the following disturbing answers amid primary school pupils:

• A third thought cheese was made from plants
• 25% thought fish fingers were from chicken or pigs
• A third of young children thought pasta & bread came from meat
• Almost 20% of younger children did not know potatoes grew underground. 10% thought they grew on trees!

Yet nearly all children know that we’re supposed to eat at least ‘five-a-day’ showing that information does get through, if campaigns are run well. But (wrongly), 20% of children thought canned versions don’t count (they do – a can of peas is fine if you can’t find fresh).

Years ago, all schools offered cookery classes. Yet just like first aid and swimming, learning to cook (and budget) are essential skills that should be up there with maths and English.

Learning how to make a meal with fresh ingredients (and knowing how to balance a tiny income) is far more important, than using a protractor to estimate the angle that a triangle goes up against a wall!