BATCH COOKING: A Simple Way to Get Kids Involved
Suzanne Mulholland, The Batch Lady
The Batch Lady, Suzanne Mulholland, shares how giving kids a simple task in batch prepping can give them more of a sense of pride and ownership in a healthy meal, meaning they are more likely to give it a go! Find her top tips below.
Studies show us that kids who are involved in the prep and cook of healthy food are more likely to eat it. But the thought of the time, mess and stress involved in getting our kids in the kitchen can stop many of us from attempting it. We’ve tried to make it more accessible by suggesting small ways and single steps kids can get involved with, while still giving them a sense of ownership in the meal over on our Kids in the Kitchen page, as well as a free “Kitchen Ninjas” chart to motivate them in veg-cooking skills, no matter how small and simple.
In the spirit of small, achievable steps by involving children in small steps in the kitchen to minimise the stress for their parents and carers, we asked The Batch Lady, Suzanne Mulholland, to share an easy way to include children in healthy food prep (and save you money and time, too!) through helping you to prepare the food.
To find out more about how batch cooking can be a simple, money-and-time-saving way to eat more healthy foods as a family, visit our batch cooking guide from Suzanne here.
We all want to raise our children to be capable adults, but sometimes the actual practicalities can be tough. Life can be busy, and it’s sometimes easier to do the job yourself, particularly with teaching them how to cook, because there are so many different things you have to factor in.
When I started The Batch Lady, my goal was to show people that you can cook when you want to, eat when you want to. Preparing and cooking are two separate tasks that do not need to be completed at the same time. When teaching children how to cook, we can
split cooking into these two phases, not moving on to cooking until the first phase is mastered and the child
is old enough. In that way, you are able to halve the amount that you need to teach, allowing small children to learn to love making meals (and enjoy the satisfaction of helping to prepare meals) without any of the danger of being around a hot appliance.
Choose a few simple meals you already make and love, lay the ingredients on the table and show them how to make their own meals. It’s safe, simple and very rewarding! Using this method can be great fun for kids – it’s quick, easy and has few rules, so they can have a good time and be rewarded with the yummy treat they’ve made while you relax in the knowledge that you have taught them a skill that will help them immensely in life.
Dealing With Fussy Eaters
If you have a fussy eater, why not get them to choose a recipe or favourite meal that they think sounds good?
If there’s an ingredient that they don’t like in the recipe, give them a few suggestions for different things they could use instead. That way your fussy eater feels in control of their own food, having made it themselves to their exact requirements.
What Age Can I Start Batching with kids?
1
2-5 years
Kids as young as two can begin batching, so get them started on mixing, measuring out the ingredients using measuring spoons, and putting all the ingredients into the freezer bags. It’s a good idea to double the amount, so you can show the younger children how to do it and they follow your lead.
2
5-10 years
From when they are around five, you can start to
get kids chopping, and there are some great kids’ knife sets on the market that allow your child to chop safely. Once your child has mastered chopping, there are many recipes that they can start to make. By the age of ten, they could make every recipe in this book – because remember, we are only talking about stage one, which is preparing the recipe for the freezer, not actually cooking it.
This is a great age to start to teach food safety.
A good way of doing this is to use a recipe such as stuffed chicken breasts, so you can show them how they must wash the knife and use a different chopping board for different ingredients.
10 years and above
If you’ve completed stage one with your children, you can move on to stage two, so that they can not only prepare meals for the freezer but can now cook them. Try to start stage two with easy recipes that perhaps just need to be placed on a tray.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
School holidays are a perfect time to get kids batching – it’s a practical use of their time and it’s a fun thing to do. Through the summer holidays, you could have one morning a week when you all sit around the table batching meals. Perhaps you can add the name of the child who batched that specific meal to the bag or container before putting it into the freezer, so you can give them a shout out on the night you cook it. This sense of achievement and pride will encourage your child to want to batch more often. Teaching children young will make your life so much easier when they are teenagers – imagine being able to phone home and ask your teen to take a meal out of the freezer and cook it, ready for when you arrive home. When your kids leave home, you will have given them amazing skills that many other children could only dream of.
hand washing
It’s brilliant to think that children have made the meals you will eat as a family, but remember,
you want these meals to be prepared in the best conditions. Here is a hand washing guide to teach your child before starting phase one, to keep everyone safe and healthy.
- Turn on the tap.
- Wash your hands with water.
- Apply one or two squirts of hand soap.
- Rub your hands together.
- Wash the soap off of your hands.
- Use a towel or elbow to turn off the tap.
- Dry your hands.
Extracted from The Batch Lady Grab and Cook by Suzanne Mulholland (Ebury Press, £22). Photography by Andrew Hayes-Watkins.
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How to Make Veg Fun!
Claire Wright
Veg Power Editor and recipe creator Claire Wright shares our top tips to making veg fun and playful instead of a chore for kids using Eat Them To Defeat Them.
Veg and fun are perhaps not two words that we as parents naturally put together. Our kids certainly don’t seem to associate the two. But bringing play into engagement with veg and adding fun can turn something that can often feel like a battle into an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
The main reason why multi-award-winning campaign Eat Them To Defeat Them is so successful in getting kids to eat more veg is that it is fun! Kids love the story, the silly catchphrases, being on the same side as their parents as heroes, and the play involved in the game-like campaign. Bringing that play into mealtimes more can be the difference between a veg being tried or refused.
On top of the fun theme, Eat Them To Defeat Them brings in an ad campaign and celebrity support to build on excitement – meaning they want to eat veg so they can be involved! Schools taking part in the schools’ programme start the play by bringing in the story and some fun goals, and finding tasty and enjoyable ways to try particular veggies, rewarding with stickers.
Repeating this fun and rewarding at home with our sticker and reward chart packs means that trying and eating these veg becomes the norm, developing long-term healthy habits!
This year, we’ve introduced a new way to make eating to defeat them fun with The Big Chomp! We are encouraging schools, families, and all the kids involved in the campaign to have fun making their veg-chomping entertaining and over-the-top, and sharing their “big chomps” with us and their families and friends. This is all about making the act of eating veg fun, and that playful attitude turns veg-eating into a positive experience for all.
What if my children’s school isn’t taking part?
Don’t worry, there’s still loads you can do at home to capitalise on the campaign!
1
Watch the ad
A great place to start if you haven’t already seen it on TV – watch the multi-award-winning campaign that started it all with your kids to encourage them to Eat Them To Defeat Them!
2
Download a reward chart
We have free ones you can download and colour in (or just buy a cheap pack of stickers for) so they can still get rewarded for eating to defeat the veg.
Go on a tea-time adventure
Whether you are using our basic recipes, or just adding a little veg to the meals you already make, we have some stories, silly names and catchphrases, and tips for family favourite meals to make tea-time a playful adventure.
Serve with a battle cry!
Add one of our Eat Them To Defeat Them featured veggies to a meal and serve with an “Eat Them To Defeat Them” battle cry to get the kids having fun around a meal.
Be crafty
Download one of our free Eat Them To Defeat Them arts & crafts resources to keep the theme going in your house and encourage the fun around eating those veg!
And of course, just because the campaign runs in February and March doesn’t mean you are limited to this time of year for the fun that Eat Them To Defeat Them has to offer – these resources are available year-round for you to bring more fun to the table!
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Winning with Reward Charts
Dan Parker
Chief Executive: Dan Parker has worked in marketing and advertising for 25 years for many of the world’s largest food brands. As Chief Executive of Veg Power he now uses that experience to encourage kids to eat more vegetables.
Rewards charts can be a very effective way to encourage kids to try and keep trying a new vegetable until it just becomes habit. Read on to learn the most effective way to use a reward chart and a few pitfalls to avoid.
What message does an offer of dessert as a reward for eating vegetables give? It says that vegetables are “disgusting”, a chore, and that sweet treats are a prize to cherish. You may get your child to eat a little more broccoli today but you’re teaching unhealthy food habits they might keep for life.
REWARD CHART TIPS
Get your own house in order
Parents, carers and members of a child’s home set an example, good or bad, that a child will see as normal. So, the first step to healthy veggie-loving kids is healthy veggie-loving adults. Everyone tucking in and enjoying a wide variety of vegetables will lead the way.
FIND A REWARD CHART
First thing you’ll need is a reward chart. We have a couple you can download and print. One from our popular Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign which is excellent for kids who eat little veg and another featuring Shaun the Sheep eating the rainbow which is useful for increasing variety of veg. Of course, you or your child can make your own, they can just be a very simple grid or path for stickers.
Getting started
Find a time when the kids are not too tired or distracted, ask them if they want to play with the chart and what rewards they might like – and if you don’t have a dinosaur handy, then maybe ask them again.
Pin up the chart
Pin the chart up in a prominent place. Whether they are adding stickers or colouring in, make sure you watch and congratulate your kids as they complete each step.
Small steps
You must take the pressure off, however frustrated you might be, if the child feels pressured, they will likely push back or clam up. You know your child – if they are very reluctant to eat veg then give them their first step on the chart for just having the veg on their plate, better still just a sniff, maybe lick. Progress to a mouthful and then on to a portion.
No tricks
Don’t rely on hidden veg. Again, you might score a quick win today but you’re not teaching your child good food habits for life.
Rewards work, but choose them carefully
A “well done”, a big hug and a smile from parents or carers is the most important reward you can give – and the most important advice we can give to you. You can also encourage kids to collect towards a prize they would really enjoy such as a new toy, or a trip to the park, the beach, a day out or just time with you – just make sure that you never use food as a reward. You know your kids and what will motivate them.
Acknowledge success
Our Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign makes veg fun – so join in the fun! Say things like “you really defeated that broccoli” or “you’re going down peas”. Also make a big deal of success, try to avoid pushing your children too hard or criticising any failure – you can always try again tomorrow.
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Take a veg pledge for 2024
Rebecca Stevens ANutr
Veg Power’s registered nutritionist and mum of three Rebecca shares simple, realistic ways to make a pledge for more veg that will stick in 2024!
And here we are in January, with all the festive fun of December sadly behind us. Don’t be dismayed, this month, why don’t you channel your energy into improving your family’s health by committing to one of our Simply Veg pledges?
While many of us know what we should be aiming for in terms of healthy habits, we don’t always manage to achieve them. Let’s take the 5-a-day message. Awareness of this is very high, but in practice many of us aren’t meeting this target. We do understand – life is busy, life with kids is even busier! To help get you back on track, you could start 2024 with actioning an achievable, affordable New Year’s pledge that can get your family closer to the healthier lifestyle you are seeking.
Let’s start with eating vegetables (and not just because we love them)! Eating veg is part of a healthy, balanced diet and the nutrients from veg support our bodies in lots of different ways – including supporting our immune system. That’s especially important in the winter months. Remember, the greater the variety of veg you eat, the wider the range of nutrients you’ll be consuming.
Ask yourself these simple questions:
- Is your family eating enough vegetables? If you aren’t sure, try our guide to understanding portions.
- Is your family eating a sufficient variety of vegetables? To find out more about eating a rainbow of veg, try our Eat the Rainbow guide (including a free eat the rainbow chart).
If you answered NO to the above, here are some suggested pledges that you could add to your 2024 goals.
Rebecca’s Top Tips for Veg Pledges!
I pledge to get my kids eating some veg
If your children are struggling to eat any veg, try this video.
I pledge to get my kids eating more veg
Whether it’s increasing the amount or the variety, we’ve got lots of advice and tips to help you along the way. Why not start with our Understanding Veg section to help you know where to start and what veg will work best for your family.
I pledge to get my kids cooking more
One of the best ways to develop a love of veg in kids is to get them in the kitchen and involved in the prep. Not only is cooking an essential life skill, it’s a great bonding experience. It doesn’t have to involve them cooking a whole meal with you and leaving you with stress and mess – just giving them one simple task to do in a recipe is a great, achievable start! For ideas, a free Kitchen Ninja skills chart, and inspiration head to our Kids in the Kitchen page.
I pledge to reduce my family’s food waste
Reducing food waste is a relatively simple way to help reduce your family’s impact on the environment and save you money at the same time. Have a look at our resources to support you with meal planning, batch cooking and simple steps you can take to reduce food waste and stop putting money in the bin!
I pledge to incorporate more veg into my family favourite meals
Many of us are creatures of habit and eat the same meals on rotation. How about making those meals a little healthier with – you’ve guessed it – more veg in them! Our recipe collection featuring 15 of the UK’s family favourite meals is definitely worth a look at for inspiration and tips on small steps to adding more veg.
If you answered YES to the questions above, that’s fantastic! Perhaps some of the pledges above immediately resonate with you, but if not, you could use them as a jumping off point for creating different ones to suit your family if you prefer.
Whichever pledge you focus on, remember with behaviour change the important thing is consistency not perfection. Keep working at it and any small improvements should be celebrated. We’re proud of you for taking this on! Good luck and keep us posted!
Simple BEETROOT
Our Veg Pages have loads of simple ways to add more veg into your family’s meals. Why not start with one of these simple sides for beetroot?
Rebecca Stevens ANutr
Campaign & Communications Manager: Rebecca is a registered Associate Nutritionist and part of the Veg Power team supporting on campaigns and communications. She started her career in healthcare PR but more recently completed an MSc in Human Nutrition. Rebecca enjoys combining both skillsets in this role and is always on a mission to increase her children’s vegetable repertoire.
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Simply Veg saves Christmas!
Claire Wright
Veg Power Communications Manager and recipe creator Claire Wright shares our top tips to save you money, stress and time (and add a little more veg) this Christmas!
Food at Christmas is about so much more than Christmas lunch. If you’re not careful, you can be a slave to the kitchen conveyor belt and so much food can go to waste.
Simply Veg is all about eating a little more veg in a simple, affordable way. We’ve gathered some seasonal tips to show you how to save time, effort and money when it comes to Christmas food this year.
“How do I get the amount right so I don’t overspend or end up throwing food away?”
The single most important step you can take to be more Christmas savvy is to plan for it. Ask yourself:
How many people am I feeding?
Are there any dietary restrictions?
What are the foods I must have on my Christmas dinner table? What can be cut to save money and stress?
What is a portion and how many do I need? WRAP have a great guide on this here!
Check recipes to see how many servings it lists – most recipes can easily be halved if it’s too much! Order or go out and buy only what you need, and keep costs down. Over-ordering can lead to food waste and money in the bin, so a list is your best friend here!
“I feel like I miss so much of Christmas Day as I’m stuck in the kitchen!”
A delicious Christmas dinner is a lovely thing to share, and there are a lot of expectations wrapped up in it, but the first thing to remember is that a lot of it is hype and you don’t necessarily have to make 3 different sauces, stuffing, 4 different sides and all the trimmings. So don’t heap pressure on yourself and just pick a few things you will be able to make well.
Next, think about where you can cut corners. Perhaps you can save the hassle of loads of separate dishes and washing up with a one-tray Christmas dinner (or 2 trays if doubling) like this one or this one. Or perhaps you just want to take the stress out of sides with a one-tray trimmings dish.
Ask for help. If you have guests coming, ask them to bring the pudding, or a couple of sides, or drinks. It means less to think about, spend on and do on the day.
Finally, keep it simple! Veg sides are the easiest bit to simplify with options like pre-cut fresh or frozen veggies you can just pop on a tray with a little oil and salt to roast, picking just the simplest of sides that have barely any prep, or prepping in advance by trimming sprouts, cutting root veggies, or slicing cabbage.
“I’ve barely finished tidying up Christmas lunch and the kids are already asking what’s for tea!”
After all the kitchen stress of Christmas dinner, it is best to have a simple tea. Either prep ahead or buy some ready prepped crudités veg and dips. Maybe put out a little cheese and crackers as well. Keep it light, minimal in prep, and easy. Something you can pull out of the fridge and put straight on the table.
“After a day of cooking, the last thing I want to do on Boxing Day is get back in the kitchen!”
Boxing Day kitchen stress is best avoided one of two ways: prep ahead or use your leftovers. Prep ahead by batch cooking one of your favorite meals you are making in the few weeks before Christmas. Just double up and pop one in the freezer to pull out for thawing and cooking through.
Leftovers from Christmas Day can be served as is (most are just as good cold as reheated to piping hot), or popped in a sandwich. Or you can grab a roll of puff pastry and put some leftover turkey, gravy and root veg in a pie dish with a sheet of puff pastry over and bake to create a simple leftovers pie if you like variety.
What to do with leftover turkey
Got more turkey than you know what to do with? Here are some of our favourites:
- Wrap it – Try this leftover turkey wrap – it even uses up leftover veg and sauces, perfect for a Boxing day lunch.
- Layer it – Who doesn’t love nachos? Try these turkey ones and serve with some shredded lettuce or avocado over the top for a little extra veg.
- Mix it – Use up leftover turkey and veg with this turkey casserole to make a simple, but tasty (and different!) turkey meal of Christmas leftovers later in the week.
Find more ideas here.
“What if people pop round over the Christmas period and I need to offer them food?”
Try simple snack platters like crudités veg and dips, cheese and crackers with raw veg and fruit, or similar pre-prepped or minimal prep snack foods. If you need something more, Christmas leftovers or batch-cooking a couple of dinners in the weeks before Christmas just by doubling and freezing food makes it a cinch to feed people at short notice without needing to get back in the kitchen for ages!
“I made too much food – how do I avoid it going to waste?”
If you have a freezer, you can freeze cooked meat, root veg, stuffing and most sauces for a couple of months if you don’t want to throw away food but also can’t face eating the same food for the next week!
Make use of leftovers by shredding leftover meat and popping into sandwiches, salads, tacos or anywhere you would normally add cooked meat; re-use root veg in salads, reheated as a side to a new meal, or served with dips or chopped into sauces and stews; or pop mixed leftovers into a pie if you are feeling a little more creative.
Other tips for a veg-packed, smart Christmas:
1
Check use-by dates
Best before dates are guidelines, but use by is more definite, so make sure you keep an eye on what needs eating/cooking when and make use of your freezer if needs be.
2
Plan for after Christmas as well as the day itself
Christmas Day can take so much energy we forget to think about the days after it. Pick a couple of simple leftovers recipes or ideas, maybe batch-cook a dinner or two ahead of time, or plan some simple suppers so you have what you need knowing full well that those should be low-energy dishes!
Swap with friends or neighbours
Save yourself making multiple dishes, and share the load with a friend or neighbour. Pick one or two things you can each make a double batch of and swap!
Pick veg that cook in similar times
Roast them all on one tray. Try halved sprouts, carrot coins, and small chunks of parsnip that can all roast in 30 mins. Or cut bigger root veg shapes and just add the quicker cooking veg like sprouts for the last 20-30 mins. One-tray dishes are a lifesaver here!
Claire Wright
Communications Manager: After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English Literature, Claire worked in various fields ranging from youth work and charities to publishing, before starting up a food-focused website when her first child was born. After being asked to project manage the publication of Veg Power’s Crowdfunder book, Claire came on board as a fully-fledged team member in 2018 to take on the role of Communications Manager, looking after Veg Power’s website and social media platforms.
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
SIMPLY VEG
Need to get your kids eating more veg?
Our only goal is to help parents and carers serve up affordable, simple food their families will love. We know that takes more than a few recipes, so we've got all the hacks and advice you'll need. Join now. It's 100% free and 100% simple.
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