cooking with kids

A Fruit Dessert that Kids Will Love

PEAR-PEACH-PINEAPPLE PUDDIN’: A KID-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Late summer-early fall is a perfect time to find tree-ripened fruit at your local farmers market–should you be so lucky–or at your grocery store. This delicious, nutrient-rich dessert recipe, adapted from The Mayo Clinic Kids’ Cookbook (one of my favorite resources for family cooking), uses fresh pears, peaches, bananas, blueberries and grapes and canned pineapple. It’s simple enough that your child can put it together almost on his own.

Plus, it’s a great way to help your family get the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies a day, too!

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT ZUCCHINI: A KID-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Perhaps you planted a zucchini start and didn’t realize it would spread 40 feet and produce a veritable mountain of squash. Perhaps your neighbor sneaked the zucchini they didn’t know what to do with onto your porch under the guise of being friendly. Or maybe you purchased a box of zucchini because they were such a great deal, you couldn’t resist.

Now what to do with all that zucchini?!

Zucchini latkes are one great, kid-friendly solution. It doesn’t have to be Hanukkah and you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this healthy take on traditional holiday fare. Your kids will have fun getting their hands messy making these little veggie pancakes–and when the pancakes come out of the frying pan and cool, kids can eat them as finger food. Fun!

A “DADDY BLOGGER” TALKS ABOUT KIDS & HEALTHY EATING

I met John S. Green, a.k.a. “Papa Green Bean,” in a local writers’ group and was immediately drawn to his puckish sense of humor. Papa Green Bean is, among other things, a poet, a scholar and a Montessori-trained teacher.

(Okay, so he looks more like a bottle of sriracha sauce than a green bean in this photo, but he can be forgiven–he’s a dad and it was Halloween!)

John’s blog, Papa Green Bean: Sharing Simple Insights for Nurturing Young Children, is thoughtful, playful and relevant for parents who want to raise their kids into “cheerful, curious, creative, and confident individuals.” And don’t we all?

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: A RECIPE FOR SUMMER FUN

Have you ever wished for a magic wand you could wave over your kids to get them to actually like eating healthy foods? Magic Fruit Wands just might do the trick!

There’s nothing like time in the kitchen to get kids’ mouths watering–especially when they’re helping to put together something as easy, fun and fresh as these magic wands made out of fruit. The best part is that after you’ve cut up the larger fruits, your kids can make these special treats almost entirely on their own.

The recipe is adapted from weelicious.com, where chef Catherine McCord reigns supreme. It’s a marvelous site, filled with healthy, kid-friendly recipes of all kinds. I’ve signed up to get posts in my inbox on a regular basis. I think you’ll like it too!

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: 2 EASY, BREEZY SUMMER SALADS + 1 COOL DIP

When kids sink their teeth into healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, lean meats and whole grains, they develop a taste for those foods that will stay with them for a lifetime. To get kids invested in healthy eating, the next best thing to having them grow their own healthy foods is to have them cook it. One of my favorite resources is The Mayo Clinic Kids’ Cookbook (Good Books 2012), which introduces kids ages 8-12 to the kitchen–not only with fun and healthy recipes but with nutritional information, cooking abbreviations, conversion charts, kitchen equipment and safety tips. Most kids love kitchen projects. Let them at it!