Kids LOVE hands on activities and cooking fits the bill! Like a science project, they measure, pour, mix and poof! Childhood obesity is on the rise, so get your children involved in cooking and it will instill healthy eating habits for a lifetime! I've never met a picky eater who doesn't enjoy eating their own creation!
Meal Maven 5 Steps to get your Kids Cooking!
Step #1 PLANNING:
*Plan a family dinner and start simple - create individual pizzas with healthy toppings! Most stores have dough in freezer section or Boboli makes great thin individual crusts. Gluten free and whole grain options are out there!
*Share a pizza recipe in a cookbook and talk about the ingredients needed. If age appropriate, have them write down the grocery list.
Step #3 SHOPPING:
*Involve them in food shopping, reading grocery list and hand picking the ingredients.
*Make them aware of the check out/money process and ask them to hold on to the receipt for you until you get home.
*Unpack car and bags together and put items in the refrigerator etc.
Step #4 COOKING:
*Wash hands and get cooking!
*While you are slicing and dicing the toppings, they can roll out the dough and mix the pre measured spices into sauce in a bowl on counter (TIP: Thaw frozen broccoli or cauliflower cuts in microwave and mince. Nearly tasteless when added to tomato sauce and looks like spices – wink wink! Add broccoli to sauce before you give it to them to mix in “more” spices!).
*Let them create their own pizza by adding the cheese and toppings!
Step #5 EATING:
*This is the exciting part for them when Mom and Dad rave about the job well done!
Get your kids cooking as often as possible even if they watch you or help you with minor things each day! We are all busy and work hard and the effort will pay off! They will learn to try foods and take pride in what they eat! I have very special memories helping my Mother and Grandmother in the kitchen!
Contact Meal Maven for recipes, grocery lists and other services to help you get your kids cooking! mealmaven@gmail.com
2 comments:
Great ideas! Here's a challenge I have with an 18 year old (last child at home) who seems to be very tired around dinner preparation time. She loves salads and simple meals so she's not hard to please but very hard to involve in preparation at the end of the day - which by the way is also a hard time for me.
Hi Cyndi! Cooking healthy meals takes planning and it's worth the time! I would recommend planning a weekend day to cook with your daughter when you both have more time! Choose 2 recipes in advance that have veggies in them, double each and put the extra portions in the freezer. Any sauce based dish or healthy soups freeze well! I preapre turkey lasagna for example in foil bread loaf pans for my clients to freeze. The Barilla brand, no boil lasagna noodles are paper thin and fit just right!
Happy Cooking!
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