The single most important thing to read when you buy packaged food...

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The single most important thing to read when you buy packaged food...

...is the ingredient statement.

Packaged food is a trillion (with a T) dollar industry. The manufacturer of that pretty little package wants you to purchase it. So it's going to look good. The manufacturer is going to highlight all of it's attributes. They will tell you it's benefits and maybe even the stuff it left out. They might even vie for your kids attention by showcasing their favorite characters, songs, or TV shows. But how do you know what that product is really made of?  

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Let your kids 'play' with their food! (sort-of)

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Let your kids 'play' with their food! (sort-of)

Say what?!  Let them create something, and maybe they'll be more likely to eat it!  The options are aplenty: from the veggie boys and girls I made with some pre-schoolers this morning, to giving my 6 year old the chance to knead bread dough after school the other day.  

How does this work? Well, this morning I brought 15 different vegetables to a group of 15 pre-schoolers that I'm teaching once a week.  Some of the parents told me that their kids DO NOT LIKE vegetables, and they were hopeful that my class would encourage them to try new things.  I was feeling a bit of pressure (in a good way).  Rather than bring a bunch of vegetables and ask the kids to try them right off the bat, I thought I might have better success by letting them first play with their food.

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Top 4 reasons to take kids grocery shopping!

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Top 4 reasons to take kids grocery shopping!

The nice folks at our local Trader Joe's store know my crew of 4 kids by sight, and some by name.   That's because they frequently come grocery shopping with me, and have been doing so practically since they were born.  

These trips to the grocery store certainly weren't relaxing, but they did start to teach my kids about food from a pretty young age.  They learned that food doesn't just appear in the kitchen, that there are lots and lots of choices to make, and they became actively involved in a discussion of why I might buy this and not that.  Here are the top 4 reasons why (I think) grocery shopping is good for your kids:

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    Recipe time: Homemade Pizza

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    Recipe time: Homemade Pizza

    Many people love pizza night.  Our house is no exception.  The kids think it's especially fun because they get to participate: punch down the dough, make an odd shaped pizza crust, slather on the sauce, and top it all off with cheese and maybe more, if the additional toppings didn't get consumed while completing the first several steps.  From start to finish, it's a great way to teach kids about food, including both the ingredients and the process all while having some (potentially patience trying) fun!

    Are you interested in how we do it, both as a family and during Real Food 4 Kids cooking classes? Read on for the recipe and process, and some fun pictures too:

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    What's for lunch?

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    What's for lunch?

    My kids make their own lunch. Every family does things differently for a myriad of reasons.  At our house, the kids pick one day a week to get hot lunch, and the rest of the week they bring their own.  And they make it themselves, which in my opinion, helps foster independence and encourages them to think about what they will be putting into their growing bodies around noon-time.

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    Add a little energy boost to your spring break fare

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    Add a little energy boost to your spring break fare

    Whether or not you are headed out of town for Spring Break, your kids are going to tell you they are hungry.  Why not have them make a batch of these Energy Bites to enjoy on the road trip, after sledding (hey, it's going to snow, right?), or about 30 minutes after they finish their breakfasts and claim they are already hungry!  Feel free to swap out any ingredient for something similar to make it more to your liking.  

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    The glass is half-full: involve your kids in the kitchen!

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    The glass is half-full: involve your kids in the kitchen!

    My name is Sue and I’m the founder and owner of Real Food 4 Kids.  I’d love to jump-start or nurture your child’s interest in food.  My #1 recommendation: involve your kids in the kitchen.  Yes, it’s hectic.  Yes, it’s more work…for several years.  Yes, it can test your patience, even on a good day.  But the benefits are real, and if you’re looking at the glass half-full, those benefits can become apparent pretty quickly.  Here are five good reasons to get started:

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    A pre-Valentine's treat

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    Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of working with 6 enthusiastic bakers!  They made some delicious treats from scratch: red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, strawberry ice cream and fresh berry sauce.  Along the way, they ALL tasted some of the ingredients: pure vanilla extract, real lemons, buttermilk and cocoa.  It was a fun afternoon!  Here's what we did:

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    Baking can be a really fun(ny) science experiment!

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    Yesterday, an insurance company flyer came in the mail.  It included a page of recipes that could be made in a mug for single servings.  I tore out the page and left it on the kitchen table.  

    Last night after swim practice, a few of the kids were ravenous for dessert.  One said, "I want to make chocolate cake-in-a-mug from the recipes mom left on the table."  

    While I spent the next 30 minutes putzing around the kitchen, 3 kids (#4 was sick) had loads of fun making 4 (one for dad) chocolate cake-in-a-mugs.  The experience was complete with:

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      4 for 4 with Cauliflower!

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      Yes, it's true, ALL of the kids at yesterday's cooking class liked (or LOVED) the cauliflower!  Four kids ate TWO heads of cauliflower.  And this was after they made their own peanut butter for the dark chocolate peanut butter bites.  And after they made some yummy mac-n-cheese.  Read on for some highlights from yesterday's Mac-n-Cheese Please class...

      • We started off by making peanut butter from.....peanuts! That's it! And it was so good, we had to make a second batch so that everyone could take some home to share. I asked if it was good, or if they thought we needed to add sugar (like most peanut butter's at the grocery store) and the answer was NO! The kids made the peanut butter themselves, using a Vitamix (safely).

      • We used our peanut butter to make dark chocolate peanut butter bites. We used unsweetened chocolate. Everyone already knew that chocolate comes from a bean! Three kids gave it a taste and it did not taste good - in fact it tasted awful. But, the dark chocolate peanut butter bites were delicious!

      • Next, they chopped up TWO heads of cauliflower. The kids tried out both real and plastic knives to core and then chop the cauliflower. They mixed it with some oil, salt and pepper and roasted it in the oven. We put some cheese on top for the last few minutes. Did I already say that they LIKED it!

      • Finally we got to the mac-n-cheese. They sampled the three different cheeses, and got their approval on all. The cheeses were selected because they melt easily. They learned how to use a food processor (again, safely) with a shredding blade, and shredded a pound of cheeses. Next they cooked a pound of pasta and drained it, doing all of the work themselves. Then we made a roux, learned how to incorporate an egg without scrambling it, and patiently whisked until it thickened. They mixed it all tougher, and voila! Everyone had different spice preferences, so they mixed in their own when eating. Paprika was the favorite, with cayenne pepper coming in second.

      • I was impressed with a great group of young cooks! I'm looking forward to teaching this class again!

       

      That's all that's left from 2 heads of cauliflower!

      That's all that's left from 2 heads of cauliflower!

      Sweet!

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      Six little girls were fabulous bakers on Tuesday!  I caught a glimpse of many stolen licks (followed by much hand washing, and re-washing).  Here are some highlights from our Sweet Treats class for 5-7 year olds:

      • Cupcakes:  The ingredients seemed strange (sour cream?) but the end result was delicious! The girls smelled and tasted several ingredients along the way :) The brown sugar smelled like raisins and the vanilla did not taste good!  Everyone cracked their own egg, and we had no shells!  (I scrambled up the extra for diner, thank you!) We talked about when to use dry measuring cups (flour, sugar) and when to use liquid measuring cups (milk, cream). We talked about how to fill dry measuring cups.  They spooned in the flour, and packed in the brown sugar. We talked about how to look at the line when using liquid measuring cups. Everyone used the big stand mixer!  They all took turns spooning the batter into the mixer, locking it in place, and turning it on (gradually!). Everyone took turns using an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners.

      • Frosting: That was easy! The girls tried mixing up the frosting ingredients with a spatula, but several lumps of butter remained.  So, we switched to the hand mixer and they all took turns beating the frosting to perfection!  At their age, it took 2 hands, and a gentle reminder to keep the beaters on the bottom of the bowl. They all did a great job!

      • Ice Cream: Everyone had a role in measuring out and whisking the ice cream ingredients. There was a lot of peeking in the ice cream maker as it turned our liquid into ice cream.  The girls were a big help here - I initially put a room temperature mixing bowl in the ice cream maker, instead of the frozen one, so nothing was happening!

      • YUM! Each girl had 3 chocolate cupcakes, a generous spoonful of frosting, and a full dixie cup of ice cream at the end.  Most of them left with a few cupcakes to share!  I wish I had taken some pictures, but we were too busy!

      Uno, Dos, Tres!

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      We had a really great time during our very first Taco Tuesday class! All of the kids were wonderful chefs. Here are some highlights: 

      • Onions really do sting your eyes, but that didn't stop anyone!
      • We learned how to easily remove the skin from garlic.
      • The food processor made making the salsa a breeze, we even included the stems from the cilantro.
      • Some were initially skeptical, but they all liked the salsa!  We took a quick break to try it with some chips.
      • The potato masher was quite fun to use to mash the avocados.
      • Everyone juiced their own lime, and then took a lick of the remaining pulp. Some liked, some did not!
      • We decided against using the stems from the cilantro in the guac.  And skipped the garlic.
      • Everyone did great with the eggs, so we skipped the video that I had listed on the recipe sheet.
      • Some of them mastered turning on the gas burners!
      • They all did great making their own tortilla dough, and flipped them on the stove.

      It was a great success and I can't wait for our next Taco class. If you are interested in learning more or registering your child click on the link below.

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