Fast Food for Active Families

Active families need to learn how to eat well ‘on
the run’ to perform at their best each day. In this
cookbook I have indicated which recipes are best
for specific times – for example every day eating,
eating the night before sport, during carnivals and
after a hectic day of sport.
The recipes have been developed and chosen to be
tasty, convenient, quick and healthy for you and
your active family.
You may wonder why I have included many
canned, frozen and packaged ingredients in my
recipes. There are several reasons, the first being
that this is what I always do in my own kitchen.
What I believe is good for my family should suit
just about everyone.

When combined with fresh foods, canned, frozen
and packaged foods contribute to a nutritionally
sound diet as the processing does not destroy the
nutrients in the food.
In fact, the heat process used to sterilise canned
products ensures the food stays safe until the can is
opened. No artificial preservatives are needed or
used as this process preserves the food naturally.
I also really like the way canned foods are reliable
in their consistency of taste and texture and find
their portability makes them especially suitable for
use away from home such as at sporting events.
If they aren't needed at the time we simply bring
them home again for later use – so no wastage.
You may notice I've not included lots of recipes for
soup although my family love it as a warming and
nourishing snack especially during the winter
months, with a slice of toast or as a welcome start
to a meal. Canned soups are a quick and easy
alternative to home made soup, and also make a
great base for casseroles and quick meals.
I believe in saving time where possible for all the
important things in life and you will find there is a
huge variety of tasty, nourishing soups, from
family size to single serve snacks on your supermarket
shelves.
I do encourage families to look for the ‘salt
reduced’ and ‘no added sugar’ varieties when
purchasing processed foods. This will help you to
meet the Dietary Guidelines for Children and
Adolescents which include recommendations on
choosing low salt foods and those foods containing
only a moderate amount of added sugars.

Ruth Logan with her three sporty kids (photography by Tony Coonan)