Our Favorite Resources for Cooking with Kids

February 15, 2016

In our last blog post, I shared my 2016 New Year’s resolution about keeping myself and my family healthy. As part of that, I want to make it a priority to cook with my kids and get them involved in the food selection and dinner creation process! We actually had a great opportunity to kick this off in a preschool-related event, where over one hundred kids got together for a Great Mini Challah Bake! Each child got their own apron, hat and pre-measured ingredients and. Even though my kids are 2 and 4, they really took the reins themselves and were pretty proud of the final product. I loved letting them go at it themselves – whereas, when I’m at home cooking dinner I feel as though I need to do it myself so I can put an edible meal on the table. The experience taught me that they are more than capable of helping out themselves (well more so the 4-year old!)

So, today on the blog I wanted to share some of the great resources out there to get kids involved in cooking!

Cooking Class Kid’s Cookbook: Written by Massachusetts author, Deanna Cook, her cookbook geared at kids from 6-12 offers basic cooking techniques as well as fun and creative recipes for kids to make themselves. Giving kids their own cookbook is a great way to teach them independent cooking skills and allow them some freedom to try recipes out on their own. Also, be sure to check out her website with plenty of additional recipes to try out along the way.

Melissa Clark’s Recipe Box at the New York Times:  Melissa’s list of recipes is one of my favorite sources for new recipe ideas for my family. She’s got all kinds of things to offer that sound amazing – although the focus is not necessarily on healthy versions of meals, but there are many varieties to choose from, so you could pick and choose healthy options. She also posts 3 minute videos to go along with each recipe, which is great for the kids.

Super Healthy Kids: Whether you are looking for a quick, healthy snack option, a special treat or a full day’s worth of meals that your kids will actually eat, this website is a great source for endless healthy recipe options. They also have a whole area of the website devoted to special diets, like nut-free and dairy-free. Their blog posts also offer great tips and tricks for getting a healthy meal on the table with kids in tow. All-around – great resource to use on an everyday basis!

Food52: If you’re looking for some upscale recipes to try out or to expand your child’s food horizon, then check out the endless amount of international food options on Food52’s recipe list. You could literally spend an entire day browsing the beautiful images of their recipes and think about what you could potentially make. They also offer a blog chock full of food-related ideas, like dressing your table and products that come in handy during cooking!

Happy Healthy Kids: Local to Boston, this blog offers a variety of advice about keeping your kids healthy and happy. Although food is just one of their components along with fitness, fun and mental health, they pull together vital info for busy working parents to keep health a focus for kids in all aspects of their life. Their blog has great info like go-to healthy weeknight dinner ideas, ways to cut back on sugar and seasonal recipes!

Please share the resources that you use to keep you and your family healthy and eating delicious, nutritious meals! And, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we share healthy meal and snack ideas!

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