Monthly Archives: August 2010

Aug 30What's Cooking with YOUR Kids - Beyond Baking......

I love today's story from Laura at the Spiced Life. Her trepidation is something we can all relate to and I am so grateful for her honesty! When I first spoke with Michelle about doing a guest post on her fabulous blog about cooking with my kids, I automatically assumed I’d be baking. My kids are still pretty young (3 ½ and 5) which can really limit how much help they are when cooking—especially for an all-too-frequently impatient mom like me. Measuring baking ingredients and stirring? ...

Aug 26Realistic Kid-Friendly Menu Plan for the Week

Last year, the Let’s Move campaign launched a new arm of the plan called Let’s Cook, with the intention of helping families across America select healthy recipes to cook for their families. Chefs would share menu plans, and families could print the recipes and share them with their friends. But these recipes are too time consuming and expensive for the average family to prepare. Because I am a busy, working mom, I wanted to share a realistic and affordable week-long menu plan for families...

Aug 25Cooking with Kids Demo at the Noriega Street Hea...

My kids joined me today as I did a cooking demonstration at a health fair in San Francisco, sponsored by Senator Leland Yee. While my daughter helped me prep some of the vegetables, my son ran around with the Flip video camera, catching some of the action. I did my best to edit the video he shot to spare you the need for Dramamine! He's only 8, and I didn't offer him any suggestions on what to film - so under the circumstances, I think he did a great job. Here is the official version of...

Aug 23What's Cooking with YOUR Kids, Kitchen Conf...

As a parent, it is so easy to be rushed. It starts first thing in the morning if you're anything like I am; brushing teeth, packing lunches, dressing multiple people, combing through snarls... by the time I get to dinner, I really just want to order take-out or have it delivered. I can't do that though. I must be financially responsible and eating restaurant food would blow through my grocery budget much too quickly. My mom always had a great meal on the table every night of the week and sometimes...

Aug 20Sustainable Farms – Methane as Power not Pollu...

On a recent farmer's market tour with my students, we talked to a woman from the Strauss Family Creamery. Here, she tells us about one of the unique ways that their farm is sustainable. Instead of methane being released into the atmosphere as pollution, they use it for power! Check it out: I'd love to hear about one of the sustainable things that your family does to help the environment. Do you recycle, compost, or grow your own food? Please share your story. You can even send a...

Aug 18Teaching Knife Skills to Kids and Suggestions fo...

In my 7 years of teaching children to cook, I have encountered countless parents who wistfully express their desire that their children would eat more vegetables. After a few classes, those same parents enthusiastically report that their kids are eating better and are more open to tasting new foods. What’s the secret? Nothing surprising – just the simple fact that kids who cook become better eaters. You may be thinking, “Wait a second. Not all kids are ready to use “real” cooking...

Aug 16What's Cooking with YOUR Kids, 12 year old Kayla...

I am proud to introduce Kayla - my guest blogger this week. Parents, this post is for you. Kayla has some words of wisdom about how parents can encourage their kids in the kitchen. Hi everyone! Let me introduce myself! My name is Kayla, I'm 12 years old (yes, I know, shocker!), and I am the author of the blog http://soyouthinkyoucancook.wordpress.com . On my website I blog about all of my cooking adventures and all things related to food. Cooking is my passion, and if my mom didn't let me...

Aug 11Farmer's Market with Kids: Scavenger Hunt

Sometimes it seems as if the most popular areas of the farmer's market at the bouncy house and the puppet show. But armed with a few ideas, families with children can have an educational adventure as they explore the farmer's market aisles. The most popular day of our cooking camp is always our walking field trip to the farmer's market. We eat our way through the crowd, juice dripping from our chins, and talk to farmers. We always learn about sustainability, good farming practices, hard work,...

Aug 9What's Cooking with YOUR Kids: London and Paris,...

London and Paris: Countries of Wonderful Tastes By Archie O’Dell This summer, I traveled to London and Paris. I experienced several wonderful new and exciting dishes. In London, meat is one of the prized foods. It was served in all the restaurants I went to, whether it was ½ lb. filet or a cheeseburger. One of the best dishes I had was the steak and mushroom pie. Underneath its crunchy, delicious crust was a swamp of steak and mushroom. The two flavors blended together perfectly, and I loved...

Aug 6Sustainable and Humane Meat – Defined for Kids...

There is nothing quite like leading a group of bright-eyed, curious children through the farmer's market. I introduced them to some of my favorite growers so that they could learn where our food comes from. Here, we meet somebody from Prather Ranch, and he explains why the meat from his company is sustainable and how the animals are treated humanely. It's good food for thought...