B Y K R I S T I N R E E S E R
THREE SIMPLE, HOMEMADE MEALS THAT PARENTS AND KIDS CAN MAKE TOGETHER
family-friendly cooking
a fun & tasty breakfast treat
may 2020
IF BREAKFAST is the most important meal
of the day, then starting with a meal your
kids love matters. This is a fabulous home-made
recipe for French toast that any family can
learn to make. It requires limited ingredients, so
go for high-quality items like hearty bread and
farm-fresh eggs.
Young children enjoy measuring and cracking
the eggs. Older children appreciate greater respon-sibilities
like turning on the stove, learning how to
use a spatula, and learning how to safely slice up
some fresh fruit.
hot lunch
IT’S EASY to fall into the rut of cold lunches day after day. Hot homemade meat-balls
can provide a welcome break from the regular routine. They can make for
great leftovers and, because they can be made using ground beef, turkey or chicken
it’s easy to modify them to your family’s meat preference. This high level of substitution
increases the chances that everyone in your home can enjoy them.
It’s probably best to skip young children working with raw meat. As an alternative,
have them mix the breadcrumbs, add the eggs, measure and pour the milk and add
spices in their own bowl. Then, an adult or older child can mix these ingredients with
the ground meat. Older children can also help with pre-heating the oven and scooping
out the meat into balls before placing them in the oven to bake.
something different for dinner
MODERN-DAY families need dinners that don’t take a bunch of time to pre-pare
— there’s no time for that! Having a weekly dinner menu on display for
the whole family to see can take the guesswork out of dinner each night. It
also helps ensure that your meat will be thawed and ready to cook when it’s time.
If your family is tired of the same old meals, shrimp can be a fantastic option. For
starters, it’s mild enough that kids may be willing to give it a try — especially if it’s
breaded. Secondly, shrimp can be cooked quickly for families on the go. And best of all,
shrimp can be easily tossed in with a serving of steamed vegetables or pairs well with
pasta, whatever the family prefers.
Young children may enjoy rotini or large shells and a simple buttery taste. A home-made
scampi sauce can be made on the side for parents or older children looking for a
little more flavor.
Meals like these can be simple enough for little hands and accommodate everyone’s
likes — without a lot of extra work. Bon appetite!
Let’s face it, cooking
and children don’t
always mix. From
picky eaters to busy
family schedules, cook-ing
can seem like a
daunting task. But
it doesn’t have to be.
There are plenty of
simple ways to make it
more enjoyable, includ-ing
recruiting help
from little hands in the
kitchen.
Planning for kid
helpers requires some
thoughtfulness to cre-ate
a successful col-laboration.
Having a
variety of kid-friendly,
age-appropriate skills
that will keep the
youngest to the oldest
engaged is key.
Here are three, sim-ple
homemade recipes
your family might
enjoy making together.
20
WBM
KRISTIN REESER