Recipes for kids

Are you living with a young Julia Child, someone who climbs the walls to see what you are doing every time you start to prepare a meal? If so, you and your child can cook together preparing a meal or snack without you the parent losing your mind.

There are a number of ways your children can help out in the kitchen, they can help you prepare nutritious snacks, tasty meals along with creative crafts that you make in the kitchen. Not only will your children be helping you out, but they are learning how to use mathematics while measuring, preparing, dispensing the ingredients all along while having fun.

1. Read books that involve food, like the The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Kraussm, pictures by Crockett Johnson (Scholastic).

In this classic story, a little boy plants a carrot seed, waters it, weeds it, and waits patiently for the carrot to grow. Everyone thinks it will never sprout - but it does.

And it’s a carrot as big as the little boy himself!

a. Talk about the story with your child. Ask: What did the boy do to take care of the carrot seed? Why do you think the boy was so sure it would grow into a carrot?

b. Have a snack of raw carrots or make carrot cake or bread with your child.

2. With your child, look through your cupboard and refrigerator for fruits, vegetables, grain products and other nutritious foods that you can try in new combinations as snacks. For example, cut up different fruits, arrange them on toothpicks and then serve them with a dip made of plain yogurt mixed with honey and cinnamon. Or spread whole-grain crackers with low-fat cream cheese and sprinkle shredded carrot on top. Encourage your child to suggest ideas and invite other family members to add their creativity.

3. If your looking for something creative to do that is non - edible try this:

a. Scratch and Sniff Watercolors - Materials: 1 Tbs. unsweetened powered drink mix; 1 Tbs. warm water; Muffin Tin.

b. Mix water and unsweetened drink mix together in a small bowl. Repeat several times, using various flavors of drink mix to create different colors of paint. Divide each kind in the muffin tin. Allow finished works to dry overnight before scratching and sniffing. (Source: The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions by John Thomas and Danita Pagel).

4. Be creative with snacks for your children, they like to see food in different shapes and colors, for example: Take cookie cutters in different shapes and sizes to your children’s sandwiches, they love that. Look for something that is of interest to them, weather it be sports, letters of the alphabet, animals shapes. They can all be used on sandwiches or on toast in the morning. Pancakes can be cut out with the cookie cutters also. This is something that your child can do by themselves with your supervision.

There are also all kinds of ideas that you can create with your children. Snacks or whatever the time may call for. Here are a few ideas that just might do the trick.

CRUNCHIES

Raw vegetables with or without dip:

Asparagus tops

Green pepper rings, slices, squares

Broccoli tops

Lettuce wedges or chunks

Cabbage wedges or chunks

White or Sweet potato cubes or slices

Carrot strips, circles, curls

Peas, snow peas

Cauliflowerettes

Radishes

Celery sticks or chunks

Turnip slices or cubes

Green beans

Zucchini strips or rounds

SMOOTH SAILING

Banana chunks

Apple sauce with raisins, cinnamon, and or nutmeg

Avocado slices, cubes, dip (hide fruit in dip or decorate on the top)

If your more into cooking something then here are a few recipes for you and your little ones to try.

GIDDYUP GRANOLA

2 1/2 cups regular roll oats

1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 cup sesame seed

1/2 cup sunflower nuts

1/2 cup dark corn syrup or honey

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

In an extra- large mixing bowl let your child, combine oats, almonds, coconut, wheat germ, sesame seed, and sunflower nuts.

Stir together syrup or honey and orange juice. Pour over oat mixture, stirring till coated.

Spread mixture evenly in a greased 15 x 10 x1 inch baking pan.

Parent should do this part - Bake in a 300 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes or till brown, first stirring every 15 minutes then several times during the last 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Stir in raisins, if desired. Transfer mixture to another pan. Cool, store in an air tight container up to 1 month. Makes about 5 cups.

GRAB AND GO MIX

2 cups dried banana chips, apple or apricots quartered

1 cup corn bran cereal, round toasted oat cereal or bite-size wheat, rice, corn or bran square cereal

1 cup peanuts or unbalanced whole almonds

1/2 cup pumpkin seed (optional)

Have your child combine fruit, cereal, nuts and pumpkin seed, if desired in a plastic bag.

Close bag and shake well. Store in the closed bag or in an airtight container up to 1 month. Makes about 4 cups.

Crafts can also be created in the kitchen with the help of children.

YOUR CHILD’S HAND PRINTS

3/4 cups of hot water (Parents please do this)

2 cups flour

1/2 cups of salt

1 tablespoon of oil

In a bowl mix in water, salt until dissolved. Add flour and oil mix well. Knead the dough well and place in a pie tin and flatten, press your child’s hand or foot in the dough maybe a little messy so wash you child’s hand/foot as soon as possible. Make a small hole in the top of the dough above the hand/foot print so you will be able to hang it up later. Place in the oven at 300 degrees for one hour.

Decorate with paint, and tie a colorful ribbon in the hole. You could use these as gifts for grandparents for Christmas or for Fathers Day for Daddy. Any time of the year would be great for one of these prints.

With everything that you do with your children always have fun, but be careful when working in the kitchen. Make sure all sharp objects are well out of reach, never leave your children alone while in the kitchen and please keep them away from the stove and oven. If you have little ones make sure that while cooking on the stove top to turn all handles inward away from the little ones' reach. Enjoy your creations together: these memories will last forever.