The change of season is always an exciting time for me here in the kitchen at Choklits. It won’t come as a surprise to those of you that know me but once again I’m super excited to present our new spring menu for all our Choklits children! As you can see below, I’ve added many new dishes to complement the warmer weather as the children start to move back outside and share their meals together in the open air.
Our Plant to Plate program has continued to be a great success and both the children and I will be incorporating many of the fruits, vegetables and herbs grown here at Choklits in our meals through spring. I’ve had lots of great feedback about our food curriculum from parents who have cooked selections from our menu at home and noticed significant positive changes in their children’s attitude towards food. I must admit I do love hearing your stories so please come and share your experiences and feedback, you’ll find me in the kitchen!
Occasionally I make a little extra food for our Choklits community to try so don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram so you know exactly when I have something for you too try.
BTW, I’ve written a cookbook!
If someone had told me 8 years ago on my first day here at Choklits that I’d put together a cookbook, I think I would have dropped my wooden spoons and cheese grater (or whatever I could have been holding at the time). However, it is true and you can get your very own copy for free here!
We wanted to make it easy for parents to take a little piece of the Choklits cooking home with them so I put together our 9 most loved dishes in an easy to follow guide. Make sure you grab a copy, there are many nutritious meals and snacks to choose from and it’s really easy to follow. We have even provided some ideas for optional paring music so you’ll have plenty of fun if you invite your children into your kitchen as I do.
Stay tuned because I do intend to add a few more recipes to over the next few months.
No packet, no sugar policy
We all work continuously here at Choklits to ensure we improve the way we do all things every day, that includes every room and extends across the Choklits grounds.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been further refining my own and practices and skills to ensure we are serving a variety of meals inline with our no packet, no sugar policy. And, I’m pleased to share that I’ve finally perfected a sugar-free tomato sauce for our children. Rather than simply ban sauces and condiments which are notoriously filled with cheap food additives like salt and sugar, I try to think in terms of healthy alternatives and provide different options for the children to choose from. I’m really excited to be able to actually encourage the children to begin to learn about condiments and try my new sauce knowing that the sauce itself is beneficial to their overall wellbeing.
New editions
Rissole wraps, pork curry, beef chilli con carn and chicken mince san choy bow are a few of my favourite dishes you’ll find on the new spring menu. We like to mix things up with the change in seasons and I’m excited to get the children’s feedback on these new editions.
One of the perks of working in the kitchen here is getting to talk directly with the children about their food. I have a few regulars standing at my kitchen door with questions about the day’s cuisine. You can rest assured, I get plenty of feedback about the food I cook and as I’m sure you can appreciate most of which is completely unfiltered. There’s nothing quite like a hungry 4-year-old when it comes to honest food feedback! I do love the way their inquisitive minds work and it always makes me smile.
Hidden gems
I think we can all admit that from time-to-time we are not very enthusiastic about eating vegetables, even though we know they are an essential part of a good diet and they can taste fantastic with crafty preparation. For that reason, I’ve been hiding vegetables in meals for years now to ensure even the fussiest of eaters get their required vitamins and nutrients.
However, with the success of our Plant to Plate program that has begun to change as the children have grown fonder of growing their own vegetables and eating them. I’ll continue to hide the vegetables when necessary but it’s pleasing to know that our food curriculum really is having a positive influence on their young minds.
Thank you
Once again, thank you all for the opportunity to cook for your children. I really look forward to working with them this spring season.
My kitchen door is always open and we encourage everyone to be involved, so please come in and say hello if you have a spare moment.
Please enjoy our 2019 spring menu…
Helen Rooney,
Choklits Chef, Choklits Childcare Centre in Ringwood, Melbourne
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