canned kale!!??

Well I am in SA but kale is so easy to grow.  Eden Seeds have seeds for quite a few kale varieties, I like scotch (borecole) and ornamental (purple/coloured yes you can eat it too!).  Even if you don't have a garden you can grow some in big pots.  Ornamental one looks beautiful in the garden, but I find scotch kale lasts forever, just keep picking leaves off. 

Tastes crisper & tastier fresh than bought too!

We are looking forward to the picnic & meeting those of you who we haven't yet!  I couldn't get thru to the rawpleasure email for the location details, so I hope it will be posted here?

RawNeet our friendliest magpie has become very fond of avocado since we've lived where we are! Gets his beak covered in it & has fun cleaning it off afterward!

there's obviously not many of us with children here!  so I understand if it's not time but I say YES to the forum!

CHILDREN'S STORY BOOKS - please do it!!  I don't keep children's books which feature junk foods, and occasionally find beautiful ones like one about 2 dinosaurs who help each other pick berries & mint & have a picnic!  They don't have to have topics of food, but very subtle messages via the only foods pictured/mentioned being those of nature!  Stories about fairies we find usually have fruits as a main food.  My 4yr old often talks about going to fruit parties with her fairies during the night (dreams).

KINDERGARTENS - chopping up fruit (especially different varieties) for a big salad is something kids can do & love (soft fruits/blunt knives maybe for kids who aren't used to handling sharp knives!)  
or big vegie salad - if possible ask the kids what their favourite vegies are & include them! You'd be amazed how many (non-raw) kids LOVE capsicum, parsley, or whatever.  
or fairy biscuits - apple slices, spread (eg tahini, or sweety mixture), sprinkles (dry coconut, seeds, etc.  we use pollen but beware of possible(but rare) allergies.

ADVERTISING - storm & jinjee's website - i forget the name now - in US.  They had a series of fruit - ad posters available on their site to be downloaded for this purpose.  They said how many times kids need to be exposed to advertising for it to have an effect - we can put up positive ads everywhere to balance this!

merridy
 

my favourite nori is a Spiral Foods one - they have two different nori's available so don't be confused!  One is regular toasted nori, the other one doesn't say roasted/toasted anywhere on the packet and is black/purplish rather than green, and has a different texture & taste.  I love it. Much nicer than the other type - I presume it is not toasted as it doesn't say this on packet - though it does recommend 'toasting b4 eating on one side only to reduce nutrient destruction'! - mind you it is VERY expensive!  I have bought the same stuff once in an asian supermaket - asian brand (of course I couldn't read the label!)  but I never saw it again and have now run out :-(.

Will look out for Korean nori!
 

hi Annie

All children seem to love fruit!  We start off our day with a huge fruit smoothie, which always contains greens - fresh nettles, different mint varieties, celery, grass juice or lettuce usually, ground flax, fresh carob, udo's oil, and sometimes chlorella, spirulina, pollen, maca.  So we combine sweetness with the nutrients of greens etc.

My 4yr old loves greens, mostly I think because we grow our own - we do this together and she knows the garden as well as I - just yesterday she gave some visitors the garden tour, pointing out kale varieties, lemon thyme, nettles, beans, peas, parsley varieties, green onion/chive varieties lettuces, mizuna, + heaps of other herbs.   She picks and eats all of these whenever she likes.  All these greens taste SO different to shop bought ones - even organic/bd as they are FRESH......even a few hours in the fridge after picking and they're just not the same!  

With salads, I used to finely chop her favourite greens  in food processor b4 mixing with other ingredients - now just chop small with scissors.  she is happy to eat a green salad if it contains other yummies - sweet dressing, olives, avo, steamed veg, nuts, seeds, sprouted chickpeas, occasionally grated organic cheese / eggs (her dad is not raw & we now make allowances for that.)   Nori rolls are also popular - she loves these filled with avo, greens, herbs, & the above.   Also blended soups are popular - she loves grass soup (+carrot juice, blended tomatos, herbs, etc) with olives on top.

Just experiment & try to be open & understanding - I have found fights over food  leads to food issues & hiding junk food tasting (from friends) from me.....when we are friendly, non-reactive and communicating maturely we can discuss different foods and our experiences with them, and she doesn't need to hide anything.  And when I ask what foods she wants to buy they are almost always the raw ones...durian, olives, bananas, oranges, peas etc.......  

[/QUOTE] I am finding it a bit demorilizing to prepare a meal of raw things and for him to push it around - where once he'd eat it....... ahhhhhh!

I understand the frustration!!!  I am learning that patience & not reacting negatively works best.  I want to encourage my daughter to follow & trust her body's instincts when it comes to food. placing various small dishes/ingredients on the table rather than only one helps avoid probs.  she can choose!  eating when hungry too - my daughter only eats salad when hungry - whereas junk foods can be appealing even when full!  I make food I know she likes, adding her choice of greens/fresh herbs. She is always involved in the decision process of what she eats - after all, I would be very upset if someone tried to force me to eat a big salad when I want a smoothie, or vice versa!!

Merridy
 

JANITA .... we live in Mt Barker Springs....email me & we should meet.....best if it were soonish for me as I'll be giving birth to another babe in around 6 weeks, and like to keep quiet for a bit afterwards!

best wishes, Merridy