Cooking With Kids

Cooking with kids is an important way to guide their development, both nutritionally and emotionally. When kids participate in the preparation of a healthy meal, they are more likely to want to eat it, and it provides bonding time with family members. The memories of sharing this experience with you will stay with them throughout their lives, and shape their own parenting and grandparenting styles. If you have an herb or vegetable garden, you have the added opportunity to teach kids about where their food comes from by having them help you to tend and harvest your herbs and veggies! Kids feel a sense of pride, of accomplishment, and derive self esteem from these activities. So get ‘em in the garden, and get ‘em in the kitchen!

Our granddaughter was really excited about the idea of us starting a homebased cookie business, and was inspired to create, so that’s what we did this past weekend! Such a simple way to thoroughly entertain a child! She was so proud to take her finished products home to share with her family there!
Another meal we like to prepare together is great for breakfast, lunch, or even a quick and easy dinner. It’s based on a traditional Irish scramble, but I’ve modified it a bit to eliminate a lot of cutting and chopping, so that a small child can safely participate in the preparation;

Irish Soul Scramble (or Tater-Tata)
¼ lb thick cut peppercrusted bacon, chopped and browned or same amount breakfast sausage, cut into bite size pieces
½ bag frozen tater tots
1 cup frozen diced onion
2 cups frozen bell pepper strips
1 cup fresh grape tomatoes, left whole
1 6oz can low sodium pitted black olives, left whole
1/2 pint presliced mushrooms
¼ cup fresh flatleaf parsely, chopped
6-8 jumbo eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 400F. Place tater tots in a single layer in bottom of large, heavy skillet. Bake 10 minutes till browned on bottom. Turn tots over, add meat(s), vegetables and parsely evenly over potatoes (you can hold the skillet and have your child carefully add these ingredients…take care not to let them burn themselves!). Add eggs making certain they are evenly distributed in skillet. Combine Parmesan and breadcrumbs, top skillet mixture and bake 15-20 minutes, till top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.