Wholesome Food for Busy Parents

Modern life is fast paced and busy, making being a parent all the more challenging. Feeding children healthy food can seem time consuming and difficult.

When my children were young I followed the guidelines for feeding them by the maternal welfare nurse for fear of being subjected to her wrath. I will be the first to admit, food back then was quite boring, there simply wasn’t the range (or recipe ideas) available to us and what I fed my children when they were babies and toddlers was very bland. Rice cereal, mashed potato, custard with pureed fruit, mashed pumpkin, canned spaghetti, vegemite toast, scrambled egg – memories of preparing these foods over and over still haunt me – and more than likely, eating those foods constantly, haunts my children even more.

Of course there is nothing wrong with those foods, they are still good quick meals for anyone but when it is the same thing over and over and over – boring!

Most young children these days have tastes for food that I didn’t develop until I was an adult. Avocado? When I was young I had never heard of such a fruit. Kale? What on earth is that? Even things like satay chicken, enchiladas, lamb koftas, cous cous – all every day foods now, were unheard of to most Australians years ago.

I like to pride myself now on being a pretty good cook. I adore recipe books and I love making new recipes and trying new foods, but when it comes to feeding my grandchildren I can often find myself at a bit of a loss.

Straight away my mind goes back to the old pureed fruit with custard, but the little people in my life have much greater expectations than that!

I want to prepare them food that is delicious, even when they are having ‘fussy’ days, but I don’t want feed them something boring, or high fat, or salty or worse still, something that will hype them up to a state of frenzy!

Cassandra Fenaughty has compiled a collection of quick and easy recipes that contain wholesome, fresh and inexpensive ingredients that kids will love. The added bonus? The recipes can be made in advance so you always have ready-made meals on hand, and while Wholesome Food for Busy Parents is aimed at parents, grandparents can benefit greatly from it as well.

The recipes include snack options for children to enjoy at all times of the day, as well as meals for the whole family to enjoy together. They are quick, easy, tasty for all, and each recipe states the quantity it will make and feed in adult and toddler/young children serves.

Cassandra is a qualified health coach and founder of the motivational cooking program for parents, Easy Grub Healthy Bub. She provides health coaching and meal planning for families and has completed studies in Nutrition and Diet. Working with Community Centres, Community Organisations and Marketplaces, Cassandra teaches parents how to cook efficiently within time and budget constraints, and to explain the importance of good nutrition for children.

Wholesome Food for Busy Parents is full of beautifully photographed meals that will get even the fussiest of little eaters inspired to ‘taste’ and ‘try’. With easy to follow recipes the meals will free up time in your busy life so that you can spend it with your family, appreciate the food and enjoy each other’s company.

“It may be difficult at the start, but stay strong and like other parents who tell me how their children’s behaviour has changed for the better, you too will find these types of changes, while saving money and feeling better yourself.” – Cassandra Fenaughty

Wholesome Food for Busy Parents is published in paperback format by New Holland Publishers Australia – RRP $29.99