Cooking With Your Children

25 Aug Cooking With Your Children

Hello dear reader,

Whether you’re a mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, foster parent, aunt, or uncle – the list goes on and on, if you’re raising a child on a daily or weekly basis, you’re someone special in their life who they look up to and learn from. So why not teach them simple things, like cooking or putting together a meal for themselves? No matter what age they are, they can start creating their own little meals as soon as they start walking. I know it seems crazy, but have you seen the little two-year-olds on social media preparing their own fruit and veggie platter? I mean they cut and serve on their plate, get themselves a napkin, the plate, and walk their food over to the table. Pretty amazing I’d say. Of course, they use a butter knife and kid-friendly utensils.

As a mother of four children myself, I didn’t start teaching them how to cook at two years old, but I did show them how to take care of themselves when I’m at work or gone running errands and if they get hungry, they can pop something in the microwave or simply go in the fridge and create their own meal. My children are now eleven and older. So, with proper instructions from me, they can safely use the stovetop and cook themselves some bacon and eggs (which they do), then form one of their favorite recipes I make, which are bagels topped with bacon, cheese, eggs, and voila they have a meal that has all the nutrients they need.

It was a “proud mama moment” for me when I saw a picture of my bagel recipe on Instagram, posted and made by one of my older boys. When they were young they watched me make it often for our weekend brunches. By watching me and knowing the ingredients in the recipe, they became familiar with the recipe. My older son is out of the house now and creating that meal for himself and his friends. You see it doesn’t take a scientist to create a meal and you don’t have to be a professional to know how to cook. Simply find a recipe that both you and your kids love and create that meal together. You know your child best and what they can handle, whether it’s having them get right in and dirty with you or simply assisting. And what a beautiful memory you’ve created with them! That’s something they will always remember.

You can make it your special tradition and eventually you can create new recipes together. Wouldn’t it be fun to have them reach a certain age and they bring a meal to you in bed that they created just for you? Umm, yes! And what confidence that creates for your special ones, they feel safe and not hopeless in the kitchen. Plus, one day when they do grow up and move out on their own you know that they can go back to the memory of creating food with you in the kitchen and now can create food for themselves. Plus you will worry less about them being on their own and going hungry.

The food you create with your children doesn’t have to be too fancy or expensive or too hard. As a matter of fact, you should start with very simple, cheap and healthy meals. Gosh, I’ll even put our bagel recipe in here for you just in case you want to try that with your child.

Little Rules in the kitchen while cooking with your kids:

Rule number 1:

Don’t stress about the kitchen getting dirty or the mess you’re creating.

Rule number 2:

Let your child create it his or her way don’t try to perfect their creation.

Rule number 3:

Have fun, maybe listen to music to help you relax, and take pictures for memories.

Recipe: BAGEL WITH BACON & EGGS

Recipe feeds 6 people. Adjust for your family or make more to freeze for later on in the week.

Ingredients:

1. Bagels
2. Eggs
3. Bacon
4. Cheese slices of choice
5. Butter
6. Milk
7. Salt
8. Pepper

Additional Ingredients we add to bagels for the non-picky eaters: Slices of avocado, tomato or homemade Pico-de-Gallo, salsa, pickled jalapeno peppers.

Directions:

Set oven to broil on high

1. Mix 6 eggs with about ¼ cup of milk of choice. Splash in a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk together and cook in a pan over medium heat to create well done scrambled eggs.
2. The easiest and less messy method is getting a cookie sheet, top it with foil, and put your bacon on the cookie sheet and broil anywhere between 4 to 6 min on each side. Keep an eye on the bacon so you don’t overcook.
3. Cut your bagels in half. Toast them in the toasted for up to 3 min.
4. Rub butter on the inside of each bagel, top and bottom of bagel.
5. Now top your bagel in this order; eggs, slice of cheese, bacon.
6. Place the bagels with their ingredients in a separate deep cookie sheet.
7. Broil for only 1 to 2 minutes or just turn off the broiler and leave them in there for 5 min with the oven door closed.
8. When done, take them out of the oven and eat while warm.

Additional toppings: I use whatever I have in the kitchen. Sometimes I have homemade Pico de Gallo and sometimes I don’t. For the times I don’t my older children and husband will top their bagel with jalapeno, salsa, and avocado. When I do have Pico de Gallo they replace salsa with that. You really can top these with any other toppings you like. Get creative and enjoy! I mentioned we do a brunch before. What I’ll do is lay out some cut-up fruits and berries with yogurt on the table and my family likes to eat that as a dessert after they finish their bagels. Adding your favorite morning drink or coffee with the meal is always a plus as well.