I have always been grateful that the kids would rather have fruit as a snack than reach for candy or chocolate. The fruit bowl is always either full or empty, there is no in between as I tend to have to fill it up a couple of times a week! When we were asked to take part in the #chileaneasypeelers challenge with Britmums I couldn’t say no to free fruit!
With year on year growth of 32% in tonnes sold in the UK, the amount of Chilean mandarins sold last season reached over 2,000 tonnes. The predictions for this year’s crop are even greater.
I showed the children how to open the orange a new way so that it was like opening a little present – food is a staple but should be exciting too!
Evie is in year 3 at school so still entitled to free school meals but she often finds that there is a lot of food that she is becoming fussy with. I have always prided myself in the fact the children would eat anything and to a point that is still true, they will try new things and tend to have favourites but I think spreading their wings means letting me know when they don’t like something anymore.
Easy peelers are low in calories, fat and a good provider of vitamins and minerals. In particular, they help to provide children with fibre, folate, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
We decided when she moved to the new school that we would try packed lunch but I have to admit to struggling a little, she doesn’t like sandwiches so we have to improvise with combinations of meats and cheeses etc in little tubs alongside boiled eggs and yogurts. One staple though that I know is always going to be eaten is the fruit!
The children are assessed on their lunches too and Evie has come home with more than her fair share of stickers from having a healthy lunch and it always containing fruit. Her favourite at the moment is orange, in particular the Chilean Easy Peelers as they are so easy for her to peel herself. We have tried oranges in the past but they would come home uneaten as she couldn’t get her nails under the skin to start the peel – no such issues here!
Easy peelers are a great source of water – they are about 87 per cent water. Children should be encouraged to drink water but eating foods with a high water content such as citrus fruit may help to keep them hydrated too. These are especially great to pack on hot or busy days, or when children are taking part in sports, to help keep hydration levels topped up.
We all now know that after school until teatime they are allowed one snack otherwise they would never eat a full meal so the thing they reach for most are the easy peelers and yogurt!
A simple snack but something that keeps them full up until dinner is ready – healthy too!
XOXO
Debbie
*This post is an entry for the BritMums #ChileanEasyPeelers Challenge, sponsored by Chilean Citrus Committee.