Cooking with Kids

 Modeling healthy eating is one of the most important things a parent can do to set their child up for a healthy life.  Not only can family meals protect children from developing an eating disorder or becoming overweight, but cooking and eating together provides a space to discuss other things, too, and improve family relationships. In fact, youth who engage in regular family meals are less likely to become depressed, to abuse substances, and even show greater academic success1. 

So, we invited parents to bring their children to this cooking class at FTR and let the children do most of the work! Even in this class alone, we saw that children took ownership of their recipe, had fun preparing it, and were more likely to try it than had they not prepared it.

We focused on "kid-friendly" recipes that allowed us to control the amount of fat, sugar, and salt, which can usually sneak in large amounts if we eat out or at a fast food restaurant.

Here's what our Junior Chefs created:

Making your own mini pizza can reduce the fat and portion size of pizza and increase the fiber and veggies!

English Muffin Pizzas

Ingredients:

·       6 English Muffins, sliced down the center

·       1 can or bottle marinara or pizza sauce

·       1-2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       4 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni, thinly sliced and cut into quarters

·       About 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

·       Optional toppings: spinach, onion, bell pepper, corn

Instructions

1.     Preheat the broiler.

2.     Toast the English muffins in the toaster until golden brown and crisp on top and bottom.

3.     Arrange the muffins cut side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Spoon a generous tablespoon of pizza sauce over each muffin half. Top with the Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano.

4.     Place the pizzas under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly golden. Serve warm.

Banana Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 medium ripe banana

4 large eggs

2/3 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Put the banana in a bowl and mash with a fork.

Add the eggs and mix until well combined.

Put the oats in a blender and blend until fine.

Add the blended oats and cinnamon to the banana mix, and stir well.

Heat a skillet over a medium heat with a dash of vegetable oil.

Pour ¼ cup of the mixture into the skillet, cook on one side for about 1.5 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for about 1 minute (or until golden brown on both sides).

Serve (with or without maple syrup) and enjoy.

Zoodles Mac and Cheese

6 Zucchinis
2 Cups Lowfat or Skim Milk
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 Clove Garlic
1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
8 Ounces Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1)Using a spiralizer turn zucchini into zoodles. In a large skillet cook zoodles over medium heat with garlic and olive oil. Once soft and tender, remove from heat and set aside (about 3-5 minutes).

2) In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt butter. Once melted, slowly whisk in flour, stirring constantly. Let cook 3-4 minutes.

3) Reduce heat and slowly whisk in the ultra-filtered milk. Continue to heat 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in cheese and stir until cheese is completely melted. Remove from heat.

4) Pour cheese sauce over zoodles, serve, and enjoy!

Energy balls

1 cup (dry) oatmeal

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes.

1/2 cup peanut butter.

1/2 cup ground flax seeds.

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar.

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions: Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill the dough. Then, roll into balls (about 20-25 balls) and enjoy!

Fruit pops are a great way to get Vitamin C rich fruits in your child's diet!And, adding greek yogurt or protein helps to get some protein in, too! 

Fruit Pops

Strawberry Orange:

½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 cup orange juice

½ cup plain greek yogurt

2-4 teaspoons honey or sugar (optional)

Banana Peanut Chocolate:

1 banana

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder

2-4 teaspoons honey or sugar (optional)

  

Pineapple Coconut:

½ cup frozen, fresh, or canned pineapple

1 cup coconut water

½ cup orange juice

3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

1 tsp honey or sugar (optional)

Place each set of ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Place in popsicle molds and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight. If you do not have popsicle molds, use small kitchen paper cups, cover with tin foil and make a small slit in the middle to hold up the popsicle stick.

Avoid the mess of tacos by putting them in muffin tins! Ground turkey reduces some of the fat compared to ground beef.

Muffin tin tacos

Ingredients:

·    2 lb lean ground turkey, browned and drained

·    6 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 2 packs)

·    1 (10-oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles

·    1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or Mexican blend)

·    36 wonton wrappers

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously coat a standard size muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the skillet and add ground turkey. Cook until no longer pink.

3.Combine cooked turkey, taco seasoning, and tomatoes in a bowl and stir to combine. Line each cup of prepared muffin tin with a wonton wrapper. Add 1.5 tablespoons taco mixture. Top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Press down and add another layer of wonton wrapper, taco mixture, and a final layer of cheese.

4.Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes until cups are heated through and edges are golden.

Makes about 24 muffin tacos.

What recipes do your kiddos like?? We would love to hear and maybe can use them for our next "Cooking with Kids" at FTR in July!

Happy Nourishing!