Why it's time to shelf the children's menu

I really enjoy going out for a nice meal, with some good company.  I’m at the stage of my life where I would much rather meet friends for a dinner than to meet in a bar for drinks.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a glass or two of wine, but when you have special little people in your life, a Sunday spent with a hangover is a waste of a day!

Even if I’m not meeting friends, my weekends with my son are precious and I love to go out for dinner as a family.  No cooking, no cleaning up, good atmosphere and a chance to talk.  But the more I do indulge myself with meals out, the more frustrated I get by this idea of a “kid’s menu”.  Why is it that the restaurant industry think that just because children don’t require an adult size portion, that they need to be fed fried food, chips or pasta?

Are we insulting the parents by assuming that this is what they want to feed their children and that they wouldn’t know any better, or are we insulting our children, assuming that this is the only food they want to eat?? I have a policy in my house that my son eats the same dinner as I do.  And I don’t want to go to a nice restaurant to only have the option of Spaghetti Bolognese or Chicken Nuggets, so why should he?

I have a difficult journey with my son in terms of food.  When we were weaning, he ate anything and everything I gave to him (homemade purees though, I’m not a fan of the prepared food I’m afraid), but it had to be smooth.  Any sign of a lump and he would gag.  This continued for a long time, but he did grow out of it, eventually.  And then came the aversion to food.  If he decided he didn’t like the look of certain foods, he did not want to eat them.  He refused point blank, and if I did encourage him to “just try one bite” he would literally gag and make himself sick! But I refused to give in and feed him pasta every night just because I knew he would eat it.  I got creative and found different ways of ensuring he had a varied diet, included food he loved with foods he didn’t, making dinner times more fun, having him help me cook, choose the food we bought..you get the idea! And eventually it paid off.  I now have a five year old who loves everything from spinach to onion, sushi to salmon – he still has certain foods he doesn’t like, but who doesn’t!

So, why should my child, or any other child, only have limited, boring options whenever they go out for dinner? Should we just scrap the “kid’s menu” altogether and allow them small portions at a reduced price of any of the adult meal? Or if the most appealing thing about a McDonald’s “dinner” is that their meals come in a box with a toy, then how about we give children their food in a box with a toy…but more like a bento box than a cardboard one?? Restaurants employ chefs for their creativity and flair with food, so why not allow them to bring this skill for the benefit of our most important people? Just because they are not paying the bill, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be impressed with their dinner too!!

I think this is a sort of a period of food revolution, so let’s give our children more credit and allow them to join in, have a say in their own health and wellbeing and eat for nourishment instead of ease?? Let’s replace the sausages with salmon and the chips with some roast vegetables.  I can’t imagine it would take too much more effort to put some vegetables and fish in an oven than it would to throw food in a deep fat fryer. 

Until parents start to put pressure on restauranteurs to implement these changes, they won’t happen.  So the next time you are out for a meal with your family, ask the kitchen to prepare something nutritious for your child.  With their magic ability to make good food taste amazing, I have no doubt we will end up with a nation of little foodies! Healthy little foodies that is….

Easy baked potatoes with lentil baked beans

I have to admit, I do genuinely enjoy cooking and if I have visitors coming for food, I could spend hours pouring over recipes, trying to create the perfect menu to suit everyone, and then lose a day in the kitchen literally cooking up a storm.  But on an average weekday evening, when everyone is tired from school and work, all I want is simple, nutritious, easy to prepare dinners, that don’t have an encyclopaedia of ingredients needed. 

I know there’s many wonderful ideas out there for how to have a “batch cook” day so you just have to move prepared food from freezer to oven, or slow cooker recipes that turn from a bag of ingredients into a dish worthy of Michelin standards whilst you are at work.  But neither do I have a slow cooker, nor do I want to spend half my weekend preparing meals for during the week.

Today was one of those day’s ridiculously busy days where I hardly had time to think.  By the time I got home it was late, I was tired and my son wanted affection and some Mammy time.  I needed something that took very little preparation time, but I also needed some comfort food.  The first thing I found were some lovely white organic potatoes (I emphasise the organic part as I tend not to eat the skin if they’re not, but tuck in greedily when they are).  I gave them a quick rise, wrapped in tin foil, and popped in the oven.  I then went to change into some loungewear and helped my son do the same.  We played some hide and seek and after half an hour, I went back to the kitchen.  Looking aimlessly through the fridge and cupboard, I then decided to try to make some sort of “lentil baked beans” to go with my comfort-inducing baked potato. 

I quickly chopped up one glove of garlic and added to a pot with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and left to simmer for a minute whilst I chopped a white onion.  I added that to the pan and sautéed until soft and fragrant.  I then added in about 100g split red lentils to pan, and stirred to mix all the ingredients together.  I poured in 300ml of vegetable stock and added 2 tbsp. of tomato puree and left to simmer for 20 minutes whilst I returned my attention to my son. 

At that stage I gave everything a stir and added in a tbsp. of soy sauce for that extra saltiness. I took the potato out, sliced down the middle and filled with my lentil “beans”.  I always feel guilty if I don’t have something green on my plate, so I quickly chopped a handful of baby spinach and put this on top.  Once it was mixed through the lentils, the heat wilted it and it was actually a nice accompaniment. 

Not the prettiest of dishes but so comforting, wholesome and filling! And the icing on the cake – there was plenty of leftovers for another day.

How to get adequate calcium with a dairy free diet

We are continuously fed information about the “importance” of dairy products for our overall health, in particular the value of milk as a source of dietary calcium.  The truth is, for the 75% of the population with dairy intolerances, the consumption of milk and dairy is impacting on their overall wellbeing and not leading to improvements in bone health.  In fact, in countries where the least amount of dairy is consumed, the occurrence of osteoporosis is also reduced.

Calcium is certainly a very important mineral, and according to the Food Safety Authority in Ireland, we require about 800 mg/day to maintain bone health, with an increase to 1,200 mg/day for teenagers, pregnant and lactating women.  So if we cut milk and dairy products from our diets, where can we then get the necessary requirements for calcium? It’s easier than you might think.

A 200ml glass of whole milk provides approximately 236 mg of calcium.  So in order to obtain the required daily amount, you would need to take in about 680 ml of milk per day.  That’s quite a lot of milk! But using calcium rich foods as a source and can simultaneously ensure a varied diet, rich in other nutrients.  These are just a few sample menus, but do bear in mind that different brands may have more or less calcium:

Non-vegan/vegetarian:

Breakfast

1 slice calcium fortified bread – 175mg

1oz almond butter – 80mg

8oz glass calcium fortified orange juice (not from concentrate) – 300mg

Snack

2 kiwis – 100mg

Lunch

60g canned sardines in oil – 240mg

1 slice calcium fortified bread – 175mg

1 cup raw Kale – 55mg

Snack

½oz whole roasted sesame seeds/hummus containing 1tbps tahini – 140mg

Dinner

Burrito, including the following:

2 corn tortillas – 85mg

1 cup pinto beans – 75mg

1 cup brown rice – 50mg

Approximate Daily Calcium Intake = 1,475 mg

Vegan/Vegetarian:

Breakfast

30g Instant porridge oats – 125mg

200 ml calcium enriched soy milk – 240mg

Snack

1 slice calcium fortified bread – 175mg

Lunch

Salad prepared with the following:

120g raw cress – 188mg

120g raw broccoli – 112mg

10g wakame – 15mg

Snack

30g almonds – 75mg

Dinner

Stir fry, including the following:

120g tofu – 126mg

1 cup cooked spinach – 240mg

Approximate Daily Calcium Intake = 1,296mg

Also of note is that both Vitamin D and magnesium are necessary for calcium absorption.  If we were exposed to at least 30 minutes of sun per day, our bodies would make the necessary Vitamin D and we wouldn’t have to worry.  In Ireland, due to both our weather and lifestyles, this isn’t always possible.  For non-vegans, sources of Vitamin D include eggs, fatty fish and liver, and for vegan diets, fortified foods such as non-dairy milks, orange juice and cereals are good sources.  In terms of magnesium, almonds and cashews are good sources, along with dark leafy vegetables and whole grains. 

When considering you daily requirement for calcium, do give consideration to the fact that salt and caffeine can decrease calcium retention.  If you have a diet that is high in either of these, it may be worth increasing your own personal intake of calcium to ensure you have an adequate supply.

Restaurant Review: The Gatehouse, Maynooth, Co. Kildare

Anyone who is familiar with Maynooth will agree that for a relatively small town, it has an abundance of amazing restaurants.  There seems to be something on offer to suit everyone's taste and pocket.  Situated in its own little corner just off the main street, The Gatehouse opened its doors a couple of years ago, and is the first solo venture for its owner Alan O'Regan.  

The Gatehouse is small but does have the benefit of having an enclosed courtyard outside for those elusive Irish summer days.  The tables are tightly packed inside, meaning on a busy evening you won't have much room for privacy.  The decor is bright, clean and simple with white wooden chairs to match the wall panelling, and dark wood tables to complement their dark wood floors. 

The philosophy of the restaurant promises quality, locally sourced ingredients at affordable prices, and the menu reflects this.  They offer everything from pizzas and pastas to teriyaki salmon, chicken cassoulet and burgers.  Unfortunately for me, but not surprisingly, they don’t include any vegan options in their menu.

I had the pleasure of dining here both for dinner and a subsequent lunch, and was not disappointed with the food on either occasion.  As their evening menu didn’t include any vegan options, I asked the waitress to check with the kitchen to see what they could offer.  Fortunately I’m not a fussy eater, as I wasn’t even informed what that offering would be, but was presented with a large bowl of broccoli and green lentils, cooked in garlic.  If anything else was included, I couldn’t tell.  The dish was simple and tasty, and it was certainly a very generous portion, but I did feel that after a few mouthfuls, it became a little monotonous.  Regardless, I did appreciate that the chef had prepared the dish specifically to suit me, but as the restaurant wasn’t busy (there were only three other tables occupied), I can’t vouch for whether they would be as accommodating on a very busy Saturday night.  I can only assume that they would.

When I asked for the bill, I was very pleasantly surprised to only be charged €9.95 for my meal.  For a main course in any restaurant, this was extremely affordable, and given it was at my request, it was a very fair price.  They certainly lived up to their philosophy of affordability on that occasion.

My return visit I found to be just as pleasant.  It was a beautiful summer’s day so I decided to pop down to see what their lunch offering was like and decided to bring along my 5 year old.  We sat in the courtyard, and drank copious amounts of water.  Their children’s menu could easily be described as standard.  Chicken goujons, sausages, pasta and more pasta.  As we were just out for lunch, and I knew I would be cooking a dinner later in the evening I just asked for some soup for my son instead.  I asked the waitress could I just have a green salad with some vegetables, and dressing on the side and she said she would check with the kitchen.  Again, it was no problem to them to do this for me. 

The salad that arrived was fresh, crisp and included a decent selection of vegetables – lettuce, cucumber, olives, broccoli, red pepper and cucumber, and it came, as requested, with a little dish of balsamic vinegar on the side.  The soup that came for my little diner was an adult portion, served with one side of what appeared to be homemade brown bread.  We both tucked in gratefully, and neither one of us could finish what we were given.

The bill for the meal came to €15.45, which was €4.50 for the soup and €10.95 for my ‘chicken salad’.  Whilst I had no problem paying this price for what was given to me, knowing that I was charged a euro less for a dinner and knowing that chicken is significantly more expensive than fresh veg, it did seem a little unfair. The majority of their lunch options cost significantly less than €10, including a regular Caesar salad, but if that’s the price I have to pay for diverging from the menu, then I don’t really mind.

All in all, the restaurant deliver what they promise.  Affordable quality food.  It’s well worth a visit, especially if the sun is shining.

www.thegatehouse.ie

A vegan in Cannes - a few tips and recommendations

French people are renowned for their high consumption of white bread and rich red meats and cheeses, and yet when it comes to levels of obesity, Ireland ranks number 21 in the world, and France falls in 10 places behind us at number 31.  The French paradox!

Before travelling to the South of France this year, I was apprehensive about whether their love of meat, fish and cheese would impact on my desire to follow a mostly vegan diet.  I quizzed friends about how to explain to restaurant staff in my pigeon French that I didn’t want meat, fish, cheese or eggs, and I prepared myself for eating a lot of green salads and French fries.  My fears were unfounded!

As with a lot of restaurant menus, in particular ones that offer a “tourist” or set-menu, most options will include either meat or fish and the vegetarian option will generally include cheese.  So my first piece of advice is to find a restaurant with a full à la carte menu.  This will generally mean they have a greater selection of fresh food to choose from. 

After that, don’t be afraid to divert away from the set menu items either.  If you see a dish that takes your fancy, but it includes animal products, ask the waiting staff if the kitchen can accommodate to make it without.  Salads in particular are usually a fairly safe bet – they are put together before serving so really easy to omit something and replace with an alternative vegetable or grain.  Just request the dressing on the side if you don’t know what it is.

Another good tip I found useful was to make the effort to learn how to communicate your needs in simple terms, but in the local language.  It will be noticed and appreciated and especially in France where vegetarian (végétarien) and vegan (végétalien) are very similar words, the ability to say what you want, for example “pas d’fromage/sans fromage” (without cheese) etc., will make ordering easier.  

So if you do happen to be travelling to Cannes in the foreseeable future, this is some of the best places I found:

Riviera Beach - http://www.rivierabeach-cannes.fr/

A beautiful restaurant by day and night, this is literally set right on the beach and at the weekend they literally set up in the sand.  I ordered a salad called the “L’Eclatante Riviera Beach” (this means The Sparkle of Riviera Beach) and it included marinated peppers, tomatoes, artichokes, pickled courgette, mushrooms and a green salad.  It is traditionally served with cheese, but I just requested it without. Beautiful, light, tasty and nutritious.  I would highly recommend this restaurant. 

Sushi Kan - http://www.sushi-kan.fr/

Set away from the main thoroughfare, this little gem is in the heart of Cannes city in a little pedestrian plaza with other restaurants.  The staff were so helpful, and as is typical with Japanese cuisine, it was easy to pick some vegan options from the extensive sushi menu.  Here I had some edamame beans, a seaweed salad, a fabulous cabbage salad (they called it ‘Salade de chou’, which literally means coleslaw but I was assured it had no dairy), and some avocado and cucumber maki rolls.  I almost had to be rolled home myself – the food was divine and there was a wonderful buzz about the plaza at night. 

Villa Azure - http://www.villa-azure.com/

This is located just across the road from the beach, but as the front of the restaurant is completely open, there are amazing views across the water in the evening.  The décor is also beautiful, very French chic with a modern touch.  This meal was probably my most difficult of the holiday as the waiter tried to offer me a few different salads that all included cheese a few times before he understood what it was I wanted. The menu is comprehensive, with lots of fish, meat, burgers and pastas but not much variety for vegans, or even vegetarians for that matter.  I eventually just asked for a green salad with vegetables and I got exactly what I ordered.  Nothing too fancy but some roasted Mediterranean veg and an olive oil dressing.  I enjoyed the surroundings more than the food, but the rest of my party went home with happy bellies full of moules et frites!

Beach Kiosk – Le Scoobie Doo

Scattered along the boardwalk at the beach in Cannes is a number of these food kiosks, rented off the Cannes city council for the summer.  They are small and simply and independently run, and you just order and grab a table if you can or take your food with you.  They generally stock a lot of ice creams, cold drinks, espressos, baguettes, paninis and salads and some are better than others, but they are all extremely reasonably priced.  We ate from one of these called ‘Le Scoobie Doo’, which was closest to where we had positioned ourselves on the beach and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I just asked for a green salad with vegetables, and that is exactly what I got.  But it included lots of lettuce, aubergine, tomato, courgette, pepper and a gorgeous peppery olive oil dressing.  For €6.50, I thought this was exceptionally good value.

Cristal Beach - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cristal-Beach/1611974129018503

This was another restaurant set on the beach, where you can have an aperitif in their gorgeous beach bar, before heading up a few steps to their more comfortable dining area.  The views from this restaurant out to sea and down the coast to Mandelieu are quite literally breath-taking.  The menu is varied with some traditional French cuisine along with some Japanese platters.  I opted for sushi, and had a simple but tasty selection of vegetable maki rolls.  As its not a fully Japanese restaurant, the options were fairly limited but the dishes were tasty all the same.

Caffé Roma - http://www.cafferoma.fr/

This is situation right along the busiest street in Cannes, La Croisette.  A busy and big bar and restaurant, this definitely has a very touristy feel to it.  We went for cocktails and stayed on for dinner and I was taken aback by the variety of food they had on their menu.  For me, this was a really enjoyable meal as it was one of the only cooked meals I had during my holiday, and even in the sun, sometimes we all just need a warm, comforting dinner.  I ordered the vegetarian stir fry, which was actually vegan friendly as it was just a large selection of vegetable strips, cooked in soy sauce.  It came with noodles but I was afraid these may have been egg noodles, so I just took the easy option and requested boiled rice instead.  It wasn’t a problem for them and perhaps if I had asked, the noodles may have been ok too.  Regardless, it was really tasty and filling.  Simple but good food.

5 minute breakfast/lunch - sweet potato toast

This is my go to breakfast when I crave something satisfying in the mornings or for a quick and easy lunch.  There are literally 5 ingredients and it takes 5 minutes to prepare:

1 slice of sweet potato
1 Tomato
1/2 Avocado
2 tbsp. hummus
Handful of baby spinach

Cut a relatively generous slice out of a large sweet potato and pop in your toaster - it may take 2 turns to cook through, you'll know if its cooked by pricking it with a fork right in the middle.  It should feel soft.
Whilst that's cooking, slice up a tomato and half an avocado.  Once the sweet potato is cooked, layer the hummus, tomato (I sprinkled a little black pepper on mine but that's just my preference), avocado and top with spinach.  Easy and nutritious!

What to look for when choosing formula milk

I’m not ashamed to admit that I am completely pro-breastfeeding, including breastfeeding to full term, which the World Health Organisation advises is 2 years and beyond.  I myself fed my own son to term, and am glad that I did.  But that doesn’t mean I’m “anti-formula” either.  So what happens when a mother can’t breastfeed or chooses not to? These days there are exclusive support groups available for breastfeeding mothers, but little or none that are exclusively for formula feeding mothers.  So how do they then decide what formula to choose? From my own personal research, it seems mothers don’t really know what exactly to look for in formula milks.  No one helps them to make this decision, it is either based on what the hospital gave them, what other friends have used, the marketing or price point of the formula or which the baby took to best.  But in reality, there are other factors that really should be considered but don’t seem to be discussed.  So I’ll try my best to help.

In the umbrella of “formula milks”, there are three different types – the most common is cow milk based made from altered cow’s milk, soy based for vegans or babies who are lactose intolerant and protein hydrolysate formulas for babies who can’t tolerate cow or soy milk or who have a protein allergy.  For the purposes of this article, I’m only going to point out what to look for when choosing a cow milk based formula, as this is the most widely used type of formula.

So when choosing a formula based on cow’s milk, one of the most important factors to consider is the protein content of the formula.  There is evidence to suggest that a lower protein content may be more beneficial to an infant in the long term, and prospective studies in the area show that high protein intakes during infancy can result in increased weight gain and a higher risk of obesity in childhood.  In the simplest terms, it is proposed that this induced weight gain happens when metabolic protein requirements are exceeded, leading to increased levels of insulin-releasing amino acids, and subsequently encouraging insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 secretion.  Whilst the protein content in breastmilk naturally diminishes over time, from 2.09g/100kcal initially to 1.24g/100 kcal by 9 to 12 months, EU regulations set a minimum level of 1.8g/100kcal for formula and most manufacturers actually exceed this. 

Along with the protein content, the other element of formula milk to look out for is whether it is supplemented with prebiotics or oligosaccharides.  Breastmilk has the ability to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the infant gut and some infant formulas try to mimic this effect using prebiotic supplementation which can decrease the pH of faeces and bring the consistency closer to that of breast fed infants.  The different types of prebiotics used include galacto-oligsaccharide, fructo-oligosaccharide, polydextrose and a combination of these.  They are not digested by the small intestine but are primarily used as a fuel source by the healthy gut bacteria.    As little as 4 g/L of oligosaccharides can increase the abundance and proportion of Bifidobacterium (the microbiota that dominates the human milk fed infants) and 08g/dL fructo-oligosaccharides has been found to promote a gut microbiota closer to that of breastfeeding.  Furthermore, a trial in 2012 with formula containing prebiotics found that this guaranteed a similar growth to breastfed infants, that it was better tolerated and had a protective effect against the development of atopic dermatitis.   The gut environment in early life may have consequences for the metabolic, immunologic, and even neurologic development of the child.

The reality of formula feeding is that it will not and cannot ever replicate human milk.  Breast milk is complex and variable, and some bioactive components simply wouldn’t survive a shelf life and so cannot be included in formula milk.  But research is progressive and continuous, and manufacturers are constantly updating and improving their formulas.  For the moment, however, keep in mind the above two factors when making your choice and most importantly, just cherish every single moment of life with your baby – time passes and they grow so quickly.  As a mother to a five year old, I am certain of that much!