Teaching Kids how to Cook…and use food storage recipes!
I’m assuming most of you have kids home from school today, so it’s a perfect time to post my first “Teaching kids to cook” lesson! Most of you have already downloaded my “Kids in the Kitchen” handout (and if you haven’t, I would by clicking HERE). It gives good basic information on WHY you would want kids in the kitchen, kid recipes, and a guide for knowing which kitchen tasks are appropriate for your different aged children. As you know, I feel very strongly that you should get your kids in the kitchen with YOU. It is a great time for talking, bonding, and teaching. The kitchen is the center of nourishing in the home. Not only for our physical bodies but for our souls as well. Cooking with kids involves all of their senses (smell, taste, touch, hearing, and seeing) which provides more ways for the brain to recall the memory; creating memories that will last a life time. In fact, my mother (who comes from a family of 12) including all of her siblings AND their friends warmest memories growing up is when they were helping my grandmother bake bread. I can honestly say, that my favorite times are spent cooking with my mom and I’m not the only one! Rachel Ray also gained her love of cooking from her mother and I can tell you from experience that it isn’t all about the food. It’s great one-on-one time where you can talk about the day and bond. Trust me, it doesn’t have to be torture for either of you!
In this lesson, you’ll learn great ways to teach your child how to follow a recipe and measure ingredients (along with some fun math and science activities to prove both are vital in every day life…just in case you have a child like me, who never thought I would use math or science past school-boy, was I wrong!) Please use what you can from it and target it towards what your child can do at their age level.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN!
Ode to Pizza-Hot Pockets (aka Pizza Pockets): Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes
I’m so happy so many of you remember this recipe! With all this talk of pizza, I’ve had a lot of people asking for this post so I’ll put it up again, either to introduce you to pizza pockets or to jog your memory! This recipe is SO great & suprisingly EASY (so easy I made a video to prove it)! There is so much for your kids to help with in this recipe. They can knead the dough, help you roll it out, help fill them (I love giving kids options of what they put inside the pockets), and of course EAT them! You can do Hot Pocket flavors like Pepperoni Pizza, Ham & Cheese, Broccoli Cheese and others or you can make up your own! These also freeze great and re-heat in the microwave well. (So great for lunches on the go or for your hubbie to take to work) Or you can make them for a dinner party and let everyone choose what they put inside. It’s so fun!
2 T. Olive Oil or Canola Oil
Dough by Hand:
Banana Pineapple Freeze: Food Storage Recipes for kids!
This is not only a fun way to sneak some powdered milk into your kids but also a great way to use up the pineapple juice you drain off from your canned pineapple. Let kids cut the banana (age appropriate) with a plastic knife or a butter knife and add ingredients to the blender and watch it do it’s magic. The real treat is drinking it at the end! What a great idea for a hot summer day. If your kids start school today, whip this up with them when they get home and have a great conversation about their first day! Also, if you’ve ever wondered what the cooking abilities of your young children are (and I think you’ll be surprised at what they can do!) make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post. If you can’t tell…I love a cold treat during the summer! I hope you’ve enjoyed all the different kinds of smoothies/milk shakes that are all food storage recipes!
Banana-Pineapple Freeze
1 C. Unsweetened Pineapple Juice (you can use pineapple juice that you drain from using canned pineappe just double check that the juice you drained off is unsweetened – you could also just use crushed pineapple)
1/2 of a Medium Banana, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T. Dry Powdered Milk (non-instant)
1 C. Ice Cubes
Place ingredients in blender jar in order listed. Place cover on blender jar. Turn blender on and use the “Crushed Ice” setting.
For a nice variation: Omit ice cubes and use 1 C. frozen strawberries.
Makes two 8-ounce servings.
Make Ahead Milk Shakes: Powdered Milk Food Storage Recipes
If you’ve every tried to serve milk shakes as a fun treat with dinner then you know the problem with them. You have a SERIOUS timing issue because they need to be served RIGHT AWAY or they get soupie and then the whole experience is ruined! So why not make the shakes ahead of time? Sounds good to you? Well it sounded good to me. This recipe was delicious and LOW-CALORIE! Since it is made out of pudding and not ice cream! This milk shake is actually kind of healthy! It just takes pudding (which can be the of the sugar-free variety), milk (powdered milk to make it a food storage recipes), and fruit. EXCELLENT!
Make Ahead Milk Shake
3-1/2 cups milk (1/2 C. + 2- 1/2 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 3-1/2 C. Water)
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Vanilla Instant Pudding (can be sugar-free)
1 medium ripe banana, cut into chunks
1/2 cup strawberries
Place all ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute. Refridgerate until ready to serve.
(If you’re wondering why mine is orange, it’s because I drained a can of peaches and made ours a peach shake. That way it all comes from food storage….AWESOME!!!)
