There has been no study (as far as I know) that says that the way we cut vegetables will inspire children to eat their greens… but I am almost certain of it!…Is this how to get kids to eat veg?!!

Take a carrot for example; it’s much easier to manage both physically and psychologically if it is cut into thin(ish) slivers than if it’s presented as a whole. The same applies to cucumber and tomato too.

Things like broccoli and cauliflower are also more palatable in bite-size chunks.

Now this may sound pretty logical to y’all (and it is) but when I was a kid my mum’s version of a salad was cutting a cucumber into three – one apiece for me and my brothers.

Carrots were delivered whole (never peeled), beans were dished in bunches, tomatoes cut only in half (if we were lucky), and I am sure (but I could be wrong) that mum even used to tear the lettuce into three – a hunk each.

It was a little barbaric (I love you mum) but my brothers and I have grown up with a healthy appreciation for vegetables so there was clearly some method to mum’s madness.

We knew that we had to eat our greens if we wanted to leave the table, and that was it; we obeyed.

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I don’t know about y’all but I operate at warp speed throughout most of my day – work and children; it’s hectic. Barely…have…time…to…breathe.

One thing that makes my life a whole bunch easier, is quick fix lunches. I have a three-year-old whose favourite thing in life is a peanut butter sandwich and who is a fruit-a-holic – thank heaven for small mercies.

And then I have a one-year-old; kids this age can be tricky because they usually don’t have any molars and so we have to choose softish foods that still need some chewing but won’t induce choking. So, what’s quick and easy? Here’s my list of quick lunches for hungry toddlers:

• Avocado – my lifesaver! Mash it up and mix it with some mango or banana (basically any ‘mashable’ fruit, stewed or fresh) and yoghurt too. Yum!

You could also cut it into ‘holdable’, chewable pieces – whatever your little one prefers.

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The best meals are the home cooked kind. Delicious and mouth-watering with a touch of mum (or dad) for some extra yummy – there’s nothing quite like a meal made with oodles of love.

But sometimes we have to fake it. Busy lives and mad jobs make kitchen time a luxury, in which case we have to opt for the next best…

Miniscoff is one option.

Organic ingredients, locally sourced (where possible) with no preservatives, artificial additives, colouring, fillers, GMOs, sweeteners, reconstituted meats unnecessary salt or sugar, Miniscoff meals are healthy alternatives to the meals we haven’t had time to prepare.

The Miniscoff range of organic ready meals for children includes Mr MacGregor’s Pie (cottage pie), Salmon Ocian Pie, Chilli Yum Yum, Ali Baba’s Shepherd ’s Pie, Planet Spaghetti (meatball dish), Curly Wurly Chicken (bolognese), Broccoli Bill’s Pie, Creamy Salmon Pasta and Jolly Spag Bolly.

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I know you don’t need me to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and how important it is for children to head out for school with a fuel tank full of energy for the day ahead.

But if your family is anything like mine, despite all your best efforts, you will still have the occasional morning when the routine slips away from you, and the clock is chiming late bells before you’ve so much as reached for the milk.

To help us cope, Parenting magazine’s website has published 15 recipe ideas for kid-friendly breakfasts that can be eaten on the run.

Here are a few of my favourite breakfast ideas for busy mums!

Dressed-up Yogurt

What you need:
7 oz container plain yogurt (I recommend Greek yogurt)
1 Tbsp. raspberry jam (or any other favorite – raspberry just happens to be mine)
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. toasted almonds, roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients in the yogurt container. Grab a spoon and go!

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Living in the UK teaches denizens one thing; there is no need for hot weather to enjoy a delicious ice cream. We eat ice cream all year round – rain, wind, snow and the occasional shine.

And our kids know no seasons – ice cream is… well, ice cream. Which can become costly.

Maybe homemade is the way forward, and getting the children involved is a great idea. A kids ice cream maker is just fun! Lakeland sells a Churn & Chill Ice Cream Maker that churns out ice cream or sorbet in just 15 minutes.

All you do is freeze the mixture in the ice cream bowl beforehand, pour the ingredients into the ‘wafer’ tunnel and let little Johnny turn the handle to churn the mixture into ice cream or sorbet –a 600ml bowl makes up to 300ml ice cream.

The kids ice cream maker fits together quickly and easily, and comes with instructions (just in case) and six recipes.

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