MANILA, Philippines – Perhaps one of the biggest challenges parents have to face in raising their children is to get them to eat healthy. Temptations pop up everywhere in this fast-food culture: french fries, potato chips, sodas, candies, “energy-packed” biscuits doused in chocolate. The good thing about this is that you still have complete control over what your young kids eat – even in school. All you need to do is keep their lunchbox packed with baon fortified with all the good (read: healthy) stuff.

But how do you do that, you ask, when your kids won’t touch anything green or leafy in their dinner plate, want their sandwiches drowned in mayonnaise, and eat only anything that’s been fried?

“There’s no need to make special healthy recipes,” says Center for Culinary Arts chef instructor Trisha Ocampo. “The trick is to just sneak in the healthy stuff.”

Like a mommy spy

You may feel a bit guilty going behind your child’s back, sneaking things into her food – things that you know she doesn’t like. But think of it this way: you’re doing this so that your child will grow to be strong and healthy.

Chef Trisha, a mother herself, has many secrets to share. “Use crushed (unsweetened) cereal instead of bread crumbs. Using a grater with the smallest holes, grate carrots and add these to salads, hamburger patties, or dishes with sauces. The carrots will add a crunchy texture to your dish, and kids love crunch.”

For baon that has sauce, such as spaghetti, puree carrots and squash together, suggests Chef Trisha, and add that to the spaghetti sauce. She also adds rolled oats to burger patties.

Making sandwiches, Chef Trisha suggests you use avocado instead of butter. And for salads, toss in some fresh fruit, such as a ripe mango into a chicken salad, or an apple into a potato salad. It boils down to mommy’s kitchen creativity.

And you’re not alone, mom. Supermarkets have begun offering healthy alternatives to their usual fare. Now, instead of flour tortillas – which are “perfect to wrap salads in kids’ lunchboxes,” says Chef Trisha – parents can get the healthier whole wheat variety, just like for sliced bread for sandwiches. So far, Chef Trisha’s biggest supermarket discovery is the malunggay powder. “Sprinkle that over rice, salads, anything,” she says. “It’s very healthy; adds fiber.”

Pantry mainstays

It would be a big help if you fill up your pantry with healthy ingredients. Preparing a healthy baon for your child really is a chore – especially for working mothers. So keep the healthy stuff within reach; it will make it easier to whip up something healthy, and you’ll have one excuse less to just toss frozen chicken nuggets into the pan and deep fry everything.

Chef Trisha rattles off a list of her pantry mainstays: cheddar cheese (“Make sure you read labels before you buy anything,” she says. “Some cheese are really just processed cheese food and not the real thing.”), eggs, and fruits like avocadoes, mangoes, and bananas.

She also has her baon go-tos, which are stuff that are easy to make and healthy. “Egg salad is very healthy because of the egg and cheese in it,” says Chef Trisha. “You can serve it as a sandwich or as a tortilla wrap.”

Tips from the chef

As a working mother to children who go to school and need their daily baon, Chef Trisha understands the importance of preparing baon early. She suggests to prepare as much of the baon that you can the night before. “And just freeze it overnight,” she says. This includes your child’s drink for the next day. It will thaw in the lunchbox and when your child’s ready to eat at recess or lunch, the drink will still be chilled by then. It will help if your child uses an insulated lunchbox to keep things inside either warm or cool.

Prepare sandwich fillings – such as egg salad or tuna salad – in big batches, keep them in the refrigerator for a week, and just take them out to make sandwiches.

Chef Trisha also suggests an alternative to frying. “Bake it instead of frying it,” she says. “Or you could use the microwave.” If you’re serving hotdogs, slice a bit through, put them in a bowl with a little water, and pop the bowl in the microwave.

But really, in your quest to give your child a healthy baon, try to lay off the processed food. Using Chef Trish’s suggestions, serving fresh won’t be as difficult or an inconvenient as before.

Lunch Box Treats

Try out CCA Chef Trisha Ocampo’s tried-and-true healthy recipes to fill up your child’s lunchbox:

Chicken Mango Salad Wrap
Ingredients:
½ c ripe mango, diced
1 pc chicken breast, shredded
2 tsp red onion, minced
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce, shredded
1 pc 10” flour or whole wheat tortilla

1. In a mixing bowl, put together mango, chicken, onion, and mayonnaise; mix well until blended. Put in salt and pepper.
2. Put lettuce and about 3 spoonfuls of chicken mixture on top of the tortilla. Roll like a burrito.

Kiddie Burger
Ingredients:
1 pc red onion, minced
2 pcs garlic cloves, minced
300 g ground beef
100 g rolled oats, ground
¼ c pureed squash and carrots
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3 pcs hamburger buns
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 pcs cheddar cheese slices
1 pc tomato
250 g iceberg lettuce

1. In a medium bowl, combine onion, garlic cloves, ground beef, rolled oats, pureed squash and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix everything using your hands – but make sure they are clean. (Your child will have a kick helping you out here; just make sure he or she doesn’t eat the raw mixture.)
3. Divide meat mixture into 3 balls (100 g each) and flatten each into hamburger patties.
4. Heat griller and grill hamburger patties or pan fry in a skillet flipping on both sides.

Kiddie Sloppy Joe
Serves 6
Ingredients:
500 g lean ground beef
½ c chopped onions
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp yellow mustard
¾ c ketchup
¼ c pureed squash and carrots
1 Tbsp tomato paste
3 tsp brown sugar
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
6 pcs hamburger buns

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic; drain liquids.
2. Stir in the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, pureed squash and carrots, and tomato paste; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Assemble in hamburger buns.

Tuna Salad Sandwich
Ingredients:
1 can tuna in brine, drained and flaked
1 Tbsp red onion, minced
1 pc hardboiled egg, shredded or grated
¼ c mayonnaise
1 tsp honey mustard
1 tsp dill pickle
1 tsp grated carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Whole wheat sliced bread

1. In a mixing bowl,put together flaked tuna, onion, egg, mayonnaise, honey mustard, dill pickle, grated carrots until well blended. Put in salt and pepper.
2. To assemble, lay down bread, put cheese, and scoop tuna mixture on the bread.