Home-made chicken nuggets
These home-made chicken nuggets are far healthier than the shop-bought and takeaway versions. The wheatgerm used for the coating provides essential B vitamins (thiamin and niacin), iron and zinc. They’re baked rather than fried, which reduces the fat content and makes them tasty without artificial flavour enhancers.
makes 4 servings
• 3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinned
• 85 g (3 oz) wheatgerm or breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• 1⁄4 tsp (1.25 ml) garlic powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 90 ml  (3 fl oz) water
• 1 egg white
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F/ Gas mark 6.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into small chunks.
3. Combine the wheatgerm, salt, garlic powder and a little pepper. Place the mixture in a large plastic bag.
4. Combine the water and egg white in a bowl. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then drop into the plastic bag. Shake until the chicken is thoroughly coated.
5. Place the coated chicken pieces on an oiled baking tray. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning once midway through cooking.
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Menu plans for balanced eating
Variety is the key to healthy, balanced eating, so aim to use the following menu plans as a basis for developing your child’s daily diet. These menus are in line with the dietary recommendations of the children’s food guide pyramid and provide a good balance of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

There are two seven-day menu plans for 5–10-year-olds and two seven-day menu plans for 11–15-year-olds, each including a vegetarian eating plan. Judge the portion sizes according to your children’s age, activity and appetite.

Encourage your children to drink six to eight glasses of fluid (water, diluted fruit juice or milk) daily, and more during exercise or in hot weather.
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Kids in the kitchen
Cooking can be great fun for children. Creating their own dishes gives them a sense of achievement, and can be a superb way to motivate fussy eaters to try new tastes and gain confidence with food. Preparing meals can also be educational; children quickly pick up new skills when they’re enjoying themselves they’ll learn about weighing, measuring, mixing, spreading, cutting, organising and following instructions, as well as finding out how ingredients work together.

Try these eight recipes; they’re easy enough for older children to make on their own. (Younger children may need help from an adult.)
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Healthy eating is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. Activity, like a good diet, needs to be part of children’s lives too. It’ll help keep children slim, fit and full of energy.

Exercise is good for boosting children’s self-esteem and mental well-being, and teaches them numerous extra skills such as balance, coordination and concentration. Being more competent at basic physical skills increases their confidence and helps them feel more positive about themselves. Surveys by the Qualifications and Curriculum Agency have shown that sporty pupils achieve higher grades and are better behaved at school.

However, a Health Survey for England found that one-third of boys and girls aged 2–11 years don’t get the minimum exercise they need (60 minutes of physical activity a day). P.E. lesson cutbacks, loss of school and community playing fields, too much watching television and playing on computers are blamed as is being driven to school.
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It’s a daily challenge: who doesn’t struggle for inspiration on what to put into their child’s lunch box each morning?

Who doesn’t wonder whether the food they’re giving their child for lunch provides enough nutrients?

And what parent doesn’t suspect that it may come home uneaten anyway?
The main things to remember are that a healthy lunch box should be enjoyable, filling and provide enough energy to sustain your children over several hours of work and play.
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