The beginning of another school year means, for most parents, mornings spent preparing packed meals for their kids.
While sending children off to school with home-cooked meals instead of letting them buy their own food is the healthier, more cost-effective option, doing so could be time-consuming and inconvenient.
But it is possible to prepare healthy packed meals for children without it taking much of your time. Appliance brand Electrolux Philippines shares some “baon-making” tips that can help the parent navigate their way through another school year.
Plan the meals
Although it may seem tedious at first, meal planning is one of the best ways to save money and be more efficient in preparing packed grub.
Meal planning is best done on the weekend. Start by making an inventory of everything in your refrigerator and pantry. By knowing what you currently have, you can determine what meals to make or what additional ingredients to buy. Interactive tools like meal planning apps and websites can help make this task easier to manage by helping you create grocery lists, choose recipes, and track your children’s calorie intake.
It’s best to pick recipes based on common ingredients or things you can easily get from the store. Choose balanced recipes with a good mix of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
Be creative with veggies
Most kids are not fond of their greens. One way to make them eat vegetables is by using creative preparation and presentation, like making vegetarian sushi. Combine all kinds of vegetables with rice and seasoning to create tasty sushi rolls.
Another way to serve veggies is to turn them into kebabs. Marinating and grilling vegetables with herbs, garlic, and balsamic glaze, give them a deliciously tangy taste. Put them on skewers with some chicken or shrimp for a healthy, filling lunch.
Cook various vegetable recipes using Electrolux Tabletop Microwave Oven with Grill and Convection, a 4-in-1 appliance that combines the convenience of a microwave and the performance of an oven.
Switch to healthier alternatives
The simplest way to make any meal healthier is by opting for the “better” alternatives. Instead of sending children off to school with packaged sweets and chips, give them peanut butter sandwich with sliced fruits or grilled chicken sandwich with baked potatoes instead. Not only are “better” alternatives healthier, they are more filling and nourishing as well.
Save more time using Electrolux Built-In Induction Hob to cook meals. Induction is faster and uses much less energy than other cooking technologies because it heats the cookware directly while the cooktop remains cool in the process.
As for drinks, pick homemade juice or smoothies over packaged beverages. This way, you will be sure what goes into your child’s drinks. Better still, have a juicer or blender and let the kids pick out the fruit they want to drink for the day.
Let nothing go to waste
Cooking or preparing meals in big batches helps you save a lot of time. Bake, grill, and roast food in your Electrolux Built-In Oven, which comes in a 68-liter capacity that can be extended to 74 liters to give you plenty of room to cook multiple dishes in one go.
Make sure to store extra servings in the refrigerator or freezer to preserve their freshness, and just heat them up when needed.
The Electrolux NutriFresh Inverter Refrigerator is equipped with technology that stabilizes temperature, deodorizes, and minimizes water loss, ensuring fruits and vegetables stay fresh for up to a week.
Meanwhile, to make use of leftover ingredients, try making “one pot meals” such as stews or pasta that can be made by putting together all ingredients in one pot. The great thing about these meals is that you can be as creative as you like as long as the ingredients complement each other.