IT can be hard knowing what to cook your kids each night but one mum would certainly be up for parent-of-the-year thanks to her dinosaur-themed creation.
The mum shared how she made a Jurassic Park dinner that must have been a truly unforgettable experience for her young kids.
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On her @lynzdargon account, she showed how she made a “volcano” out of mashed potatoes and revealed how she used a vase wrapped in foil underneath and moulded the spuds to it.
The mash turned into a “river” stretching the length of the table, with yorkshire puddings and carrots, peas and broccoli standing up on either side.
And of course, the scene wouldn’t have been complete without the breaded dinosaur shapes that were dotted along the mash.
The highlight of the experience was when the mum poured hot gravy down the volcano and river.
The mum explained how the whole scene had taken “not as long as I thought it would”.
She explained: “About an hour and a half to cook and put together …. and about 10 mins for them to eat.”
The gravy had helped keep the food hot and it seemed to be a big hit with her children.
Many people were hugely impressed with the dinosaur dinner, with one person writing on the video: “Something so simple like this creates best childhood memories.”
Another added: “I’m 40 and would love this.”
And a third commented: “I am standing to applaud you.”
We previously shared how a nutritionist has revealed the foods that can help your kids to sleep at night.
Speaking to Fabulous, Olga Preston, who works at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition’s Brain Bio Centre, said: “Foods can have a profound effect on your children being able to concentrate during the day and sleep well at night, as well as on how long it takes them to fall asleep and on how long they stay asleep for.
“Lack of sleep affects school performance and our children’s ability to learn and develop, it leads to temper tantrums, irritability from exhaustion, day time sleepiness, overeating, depression, and in some extreme cases paranoia and hallucinations.
“There are foods that can raise anxiety levels and there are foods that have a calming effect. “Eating the right foods will have an effect on whether your child is able to sleep or not.”
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Try to give your child food rich in omega-3 (essential fatty acids), such as oily fish including salmon, trout, mackerel and sardines.
Vegan sources include chia seeds, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, hemp seeds, walnuts, seaweed and algae.
Olga said that magnesium is a “calming mineral that supports sleep”.
You can boost your intake by eating dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans, lentils, chickpeas and wholegrains.
The nutritional therapy practitioner said that calcium has a similar “calming” effect to magnesium.
She advised you should aim to eat more kale, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, spinach, blackstrap molasses, fish with soft bones like canned sardines or canned salmon, sesame seeds, tahini and almonds.
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