Getting Children Cooking

Get little ones involved in the kitchen especially when it comes to cooking healthy recipes. Once you get your kids in the kitchen helping you make nutritous food, it is almost guaranteed that they eill consume what they help prepare.

Kids of all ages can be brought into the kitchen to assist with making a meal. Even when they are barely old enough to talk, allowing them to get close enough to the cooking excitement, they appreciate the excitement of dinner preparation.

You can impress and delight you little ones by having them assist you prepare the family meals. We sometimes forget how vital time is with our little ones. They love listening to you tell them about the time you put peas in your socks so you wouldn't have to eat them.

Relating funny stories and explaining nutritional values during dinner time will make a lasting impression on your little ones. While you delight them with your wit, give them pieces of food to try.

Let them wash and chop vegetables. The time spent making food at a young age will benefit the entire family.

1) If little ones are of the age where they have developed their motor skills, they will be delighted to run the veggie slicer or cut the tops off the carrots for you.

2) Allow the kids combine together the dry ingredients for muffins, cupcakes, etc. Let the kids stir the egg mixture and stir it together. They can even spoon the batter into the pan.

Once the meal is done, they will consume it and brag to the other members of the family about their accomplishment.

Allowing children to participate in the kitchen, gives them a sense of empowerment. In some ways they feel more in control over the foods they eat. Feeling more in control, kids will consume what they help to make.

A favorite family dish is vegetables with pasta. The little ones can slice up the vegetables, cut up the sprigs of dill, and help stir the pot with your supervision.

Veggies with Pasta

This dish is a favorite little one friendly yummy recipe. It provides some family time in the kitchen and gets kids to eat their vegetables.

Although this pasta recipe started as only pasta and carrots that cook at the same rate, you might want to test the cooking time for the other vegetables that we added. Some alternatives on the recipe may include different rates of cooking for other vegetables like broccoli, snow peas, sugar snaps, etc. separately, and then combine with pasta after both are cooked.

Ingredients:
*8 ounces of pasta
*One 10- ounce package of pre-peeled baby carrots
*2- small zucchinis cut up into bite sized pieces
*1 cup of fresh broccoli tops
*3 sprigs fresh dill
*2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
*Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Fill a large pot 2/3 full with water and set over high heat to boil.
2) Place the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli and pasta in a plastic pitcher.
3) When the water boils transfer the pasta carrots, zucchini and broccoli to the pot
4). Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, approximately 8 minutes.
5) Test the pasta - it should be slightly chewy but not hard or stiff,
the vegetables & carrots will be done also.
6) Drain the combination into a colander--

While cooking let the little ones use scissors to snip the fresh dill and place in a bowl.

7) Place the pasta and vegetables back in the pot,
8) Melt the butter over the pasta and vegetables
9) Add the dill.
10) Add salt and pepper to taste.
11) Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and serve immediately.