Cooking With Kids

                         

Involving children in the kitchen can be a fantastic bonding experience for both the parent and the child.    I'll admit that it can be difficult for several reasons:

Cooking with children takes much longer.

Children are NOT clean in the kitchen.

Reaching in for a handful of raw eggs and sugar seems like a good idea to a toddler.

I took the plunge with Mr. Cheeks, though, and we both learned from it.  We were up early on Sunday morning and decided to make these banana muffins.  Bananas are a favorite of Mr. Cheeks, and one of the few words he can say!   

Unsure of exactly how to involve him, I though he could be successful mashing the bananas, and I was right:

He was engaged throughout the entire process, helping dump each measuring cup or tablespoon into the bowl.  The teacher in me didn't hesitate to highlight all of the counting that goes into baking.  We waited patiently near the oven, checking on our prized muffins every 30 seconds.  When the timer finally went off, here was the result:

Last month, I wrote a post about an App for the IPAD from Kraft Foods called Big Fork, Little Fork.  This was a big resource and motivator for me to cook with Mr. Cheeks.  Here is an example of one of the numerous things I learned from using Big Fork, Little Fork:

"Toddlers and Preschoolers are great at tuning in to their tummies and know when they've had enough to eat.  Let them decide when they want more food or when they've had enough.  This sets the stage for healthy eating habits throughout life."

Knowing how to handle meal time with Mr. Cheeks has been difficult, and this was a great reassurance.

Big Fork, Little Fork has these great tools to offer:

Cook:  Recipes that are grouped by meal (includes a section for picky eaters!)

Learn:  Cooking Skills (grouped by age!), Safety Rules, and Setting up a Kid-Friendly Kitchen

Watch:  Both How-To and Recipe Videos

Tools:  Generate a Shopping List or Chat Live with Kraft

I hope that Kraft decides to make a version of the App for IPhone, so this resource will become available to more moms.  

We are snowed in again today in HOTLANTA.  Mr. Cheeks and I will probably find ourselves back in the kitchen to keep us busy!

If you have any great resources on cooking or nutrition, be sure to include them in your comments.

Also, don't forget to enter my first giveaway, which ends tonight at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be announced tomorrow!