What's Cooking With Kids

Jul 8Family Food Challenge – Aiming for Progress

Progress, not perfection. It's what we should strive for - and it will save us a headache in the meantime. The What's Cooking with Kids Facebook community and I have been doing a Family Food Challenge for the past few weeks in an effort to improve our eating habits, one little assignment at a time. So far, the challenges have included: Trying a new grain – I used millet in this muffin recipe Planting something edible – our garden is a work in progress, but it looks like our beans...

Jul 6Win an Ice Cream Maker: Summertime Fun with Kids...

I'll make this post short and sweet - and get right to the point. The folks from West Bend generously offered to let me give away one of their ice cream makers to you! Of course, that made me very happy, especially since it will likely save you gobs of money. Plus, you will be able to use the ingredients that work best for your family. A win-win! But first, I thought I'd share some awesome ice cream recipes, in case you already have an ice cream maker and are inspired make some tasty goodness... Kitchen...

Jul 4Too Hot In the Kitchen - Roast Beets on the BBQ ...

Too Hot In the Kitchen – Roast Beets on the BBQ Instead

Our daughter came home from a week away of summer camp at Full Belly Farm, in Guinda, California. We adore this farm. I buy their produce nearly every week at the farmer's market, and we have attended their Hoe's Down festival for the past several years. I have even lead cooking workshops for kids there...on top of hay bales. This year, Amelia came home from camp with a bounty of fresh veggies, including a bag bursting with multi-colored beets for her daddy, who adores them. It was...

Jul 1What's Cooking with YOUR Kids: Squirt and Munchk...

What’s Cooking with YOUR Kids: Squirt and Munchkin get Cooking

Many thanks to Katy for this installment of What's Cooking with YOUR Kids - a series where we share your stories about kids in the kitchen. If you've ever read my blog, it should come as no surprise to you that I enjoy cooking with my kids. I've always loved cooking, but cooking with your children is a completely different experience. I started letting the Munchkin help out in the kitchen because he wanted to, not because I was pushing him to get in the kitchen. He saw me cook often, and...

Jun 29Making Homemade Kitty Treats with Kids

Every year, I look forward to the classes that I teach with the children who participate in the Marin Humane Society summer camp program. You might be wondering what on earth a cooking teacher might be doing at an animal shelter. Stop that! We are NOT cooking the animals. But we are cooking FOR them! Because so many of you have asked (via Facebook and Twitter) for the recipes over the years, I thought I'd share. See, I'm nice like that :-) Have you ever baked for your...

Jun 27Bouncing for Joy: Homemade Ice Cream with Kids

Summer - the simple joy of my daughter making ice cream with her friend, all on their own. In a creative way, of course. Want to try? My mom got us one of these nifty balls last year...Here is what we put inside to make our treat. Do you have any easy summertime treats in your repertoire?

Jun 24What's Cooking with YOUR Kids: ADHD and Blueberr...

What’s Cooking with YOUR Kids: ADHD and Blueberries

An afternoon with my son… warm, sweet, and tangy by Penny Williams Luke, my special needs son, and I had Saturday afternoon to ourselves -- just Mommy and Buddy. Daddy was working in his shop. Emma was on a spontaneous trip to the movies with a friend. I could sit on the computer all day and night between my blog, my real estate business, reading everyone else's great blogs on ADHD and parenting and family, researching ADHD, writing on my manuscript (I'd like to think it will become a book...

Jun 22Parenting: Progress NOT Perfection

Bring a parent is really hard. This is probably the only parenting issue that I am 100% certain about. We do the best that we know how to do. But let's be honest for a second. Do you ever have the temptation to avoid reality for just a moment, so that there would be less to feel guilty about? Before Robyn O'Brien was forced to look at the foods she was feeding her family, she didn't enjoy being "preached at" about the benefits of drinking organic milk. She had enough on her mind. She...

Jun 20Teaching Kids about Safe Ways to Harvest Shrimp

Children are hungry for knowledge. And they are our future consumers. All the more reason to teach them how to harvest food and shop wisely. DooFAPalooza was the ideal venue to inspire kids to play with their food and learn how to have fun and make good choices at the same time. Clean Fish led an interesting hands on activity with kids, teaching them about how shrimp are currently harvested. And even better than that? They made suggestions for a better alternative. Take a gander... If...

Jun 17Delicious Dessert Recipe – Just 4 Ingredients!

This recipe might surprise you. Especially coming from me. I usually write about healthy recipes and encouraging kids to eat well. But I have to tell you - I love dessert too. I just prefer good quality desserts over processed, packaged junk. And this dessert? Let's just say...OMG. It's easy. It's made from good ingredients. And it tastes good. I mean, REALLY good. I was inspired to make this recipe from my friend Naomi, over at Baker's Royale, who originally made this...