Silverbeet and Kale Feta Rolls - Healthy, Happy Lunch boxes

Silverbeet and Kale Feta Rolls

I love packing my kids full of greens.
Right from babies I have got them growing their own in our garden and in pots, greens are just so versatile in cooking and so incredibly jam packed full of nutrients. In face when you look at eating styles and trends there is always one constant in them all!
Eat more green leafy things!!

Paleo, Vegan, Raw, Low Carb, Michelle Bridges 12 week boot camps they all seem to agree green leafy things are especially good for humans!
So as a mum I have always given my two girls lots of greens and found so many delicious and clever ways to feed them to them! Because, lets face it too not too many toddlers are going to eat a pile of lightly steemed spinach quite joyously?

My little Violet as a wee thing with a silverbeet she helped grow that was not so wee!

One of my kids FAVE ways to get a big greens fix and a recipe that I LOVE to make for LUNCHBOXES is this super easy and cheap to make,

Silverbeet and Kale Feta Rolls.
Why Kale?
I know it has become trendy of late and sometimes you might think oh kale this and kale that....BUT it is for a very good reason!
Kale is a sensational power vegetable and was in fact a very popular vegetable in the middle ages and is a popular food source in many, many parts of the world. During World War II it was also in the Dig for Victory initiative in the UK because of its nutrient content, where everyone was encouraged to grow it in there gardens.
Kale is extremely good for you and is a source of beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin B6, and rich in calcium and according to *Mind, Body Green has more iron per calorie than beef.
It is also a source of two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin and has other properties which are said to have anti cancer and DNA repair in cells properties.and the combination with fresh basil and a great Parmesan and feta is beautiful.
Kale (Brassica Oleracea) is a green leafy vegetable considered to be one of the highest in nutrients with many health benefits including it is said, to have anti – cancer effects so it is well worth tracking down or growing your own.
It is also a "cousin" to other nutrient rich veggie super heros like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, savoy, collard.
There are many varieties available now including beautiful pruprle leafed types and it is also excellent in things like juicing, green smoothies, all kinds of fresh salads, spinach and kale cheesey scrambled eggs and often made into kale “chips”.
I also put it fresh, shredded very finely in my kids salad wraps, coleslaw.
(Note; if you have diagnosed thyroid issues always lightly cook it first before eating - even in smoothies, just steam then cool and freeze in portions, check with your naturopath for more information.)

It is also extremely EASY to grow!
Look out for organic seeds or seedlings and grow it in a really nice sunny spot (at least 6 hours), in good compost rich soil with plenty of organic matter and good drainage. Water deeply once established to promote a healthy root system and feed with diluted seasol once a week as a baby and then every 2 weeks once established. Harvest as a whole plant or just the leaves you need as you need them.
Grow them amongst marigolds, chives, spring onions, sage, thyme for companion planting.
If your worried you will plant and "forget" and they will die, plant a pot near your front door, amongst your flowers, somewhere were you will see them everyday and remember to water them.
I know for me I love taking 5 minutes of peace in the garden of an afternoon or early morning to have a cup of tea and water, it is actually very relaxing!

Grow things and get the kids growing things from babies

Silverbeet and Kale Feta Rolls Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh silverbeet finely chopped and firmly packed in (or 1 pkt frozen spinach, thawed and drained well will also work fine)
• 1 cup fresh kale, washed and finely chopped. (You can find in Coles and Woolies now or farmers markets and places like Jeffers market on the Sunshine Coast.)
• 3/4 of a 250g pkt feta cheese. (You can use less if you find feta too salty for your palate or more see notes).
• ¾ cup grated cheese.
• 2 sheets puff pastry ( I use butter puff pastry or wholegrain when I can find it and sometimes gluten free puff pastry)

Method

• Pre heat oven to approximately 180`c.
• Combine spinach, kale, feta and grated cheese together.
• Semi defrost pastry sheets.
• Cut each pastry sheets in half to make two long rectangle.
• Line each one down one side with a long strip of the mixture. 
• Pinch the two sides of pastry together right along both sides to make it an enclosed ‘parcel’ or roll over on to itself to make a roll shape.
• Chop up into desired sizing rolls.
• Brush top of pastry with milk.
• Bake them in the oven on baking paper until golden and pastry is visibly cooked.
• Serve hot with fresh salad

Notes

• For a more ‘adult’ version you can add lightly sautéed onion, chilli or spring onion.
• Perfect for school lunch boxes.
• Freeze rolls before cooking for ready to go meals and lunches
• Adjust the amount of feta to you and your kids taste buds. Use a lot less if you generally find it too salty and more if you like a strong feta flavour. I find in general kids do not like a too strong feta flavour but rather just a hint of feta so I often will use 3/4 of a packet, depending on the amount of greens. I would suggest the first few time you make the recipe to tweak to make it with a 3/4 packet and then tweak if needed the next time. I prefer to use a Australian hard feta and just crumble it.

Toddler Tips

• Make them half the size again so they are handy toddler sized sausage rolls.
• Serve with a toddler friendly salad of things like cheese cubes, avocado cubes, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, capsicum slices and carrot sticks.

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Happy Cooking!

Bek xoxo

Recipe and writing (c)RebeccaMugridge2012