Cooking with Kids

It’s a bear! No, it’s a lion! No, it’s … a veggie tray ! Anyone else getting creative in the kitchen lately? I’ve been having my kids help out in the kitchen with the basics, and they absolutely love being involved.

My youngest is great at stirring – anything and all things. My five-year-old year is starting to learn how to measure out things by finding the numbers on my measuring cups and pouring to the line. She’s pretty proud of herself when she gets it just right. (I am, too!)

Back to the veggie tray – isn’t he cute?

He’s inspired by Pinterest^® and has Spinach & Herb Dip in the middle. (Tip: You can easily make any Tastefully Simple dip or cheese ball made into a dip with ½ cup mayo + ½ cup sour cream.) All you need is a few carrots, half a yellow bell pepper, a small red pepper and string cheese. If you want to make his little face, you’ll need a few black olives and celery for his whiskers. The great part about having a veggie tray around is that my family will be able to eat from it for a few days, since all the fresh veggies will be ready when someone wants a snack!

Another great project for kids in the kitchen is to make fruit kabobs. I used up a few strawberries, kiwi, a chunk of watermelon and grapes. Sometimes you look at your fruit and you just know it’s got to be eaten or it’ll go downhill fast. My five-year-old loves to make patterns, so this was really fun for her to string the fruit onto the skewer, while doing quality testing at the same time. (And fun for me, because … fruit dip, ya know?) J Go ahead and make a batch of this fruit dip; you won’t regret it.

What are some veggies and fruit without a main dish? Mama Mia Lasagna Cups – an easy take on pan lasagna – are a total hit at our house. I use wonton wrappers, but you could easily swap in crescent rolls. Brown any kind of ground meat, add a can of tomato sauce and Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix to combine, then pour into the wonton cups. I didn’t have any ricotta cheese on hand, so I had my daughter measure a little more mozzarella cheese to put on top!

Anyone else get a sense of satisfaction when they cook from of their pantry instead of running to the store to make a delicious meal?

What are you up to in the kitchen? Have any kids at home with you that you could do a little “home ec” with? Now’s the perfect time!

Rebecca