(I want to make clear that yes, I know that in the grand scheme of things, canceling a trip is not a big deal. But, it’s still disappointing.)

We are all a bit bummed, so we decided to make a virtual trip instead. And where else would we start but with the food? Because eating our way through a country is one of the best ways to get a feel for its culture.

Seriously, a lot of times whenever we go on a trip, trying local food is 90% of what we do, and bring back with us if we can.

Spain is one of the largest countries in Europe and has several different regions known for different things. Some for wine and grapes, some for beaches, others for ham so soft and tender it practically melts in your mouth.

To make our virtual food trip both authentic, and simple enough to actually make, we decided to use our Spain box from Raddish Kids. I talk about a lot in this post, but basically it’s an awesome themed box that arrives monthly full of delicious recipes, culinary quizzes, a high-quality cooking tool to be used for one of the month’s recipes, (like a spatula, tongs, masher, whisk, measuring cups, etc.) and some extras to help you learn more about the theme. I love that it helps me have fun while cooking with my kids.

Inside our Spain box the recipes were for Tapas, Spanish Paella and Churros. Tapas are small plates, like appetizers, meant to be finger foods. These were such a hit in our house we’ll definitely be making them again:

Dates wrapped in Bacon, Roasted potatoes and Pan con tomate (bread with tomato) They were all sooo good, and my kids loved them.

While this paella isn’t the most authentic version (there aren’t shellfish, thank goodness) it is pretty close, and definitely kid friendly. Those people at Raddish really do know what they’re doing.

And for dessert we used our included piping bag and made churros with chocolate sauce. I loved that my daughter could help and learned how to use a piping bag to make these .

Oh. my. goodness. They’re delicious! Ours are even gluten free and they turned out perfectly. The combo of the cinnamon sugar, and the chocolate is simply divine.

While eating I quizzed the kids about the different regions in Spain and what they’re famous for, and they colored them in on the included map. (Valencia for oranges!) We also practiced some basic Spanish words and phrases that were included. Since B and K already know them all because they’ve had Spanish for years, they taught them to C who hasn’t. It was fun watching them practice together.

We love all of our Raddish Kids cooking boxes because they make cooking together so fun and easy. The recipes are always delicious, and often more simplified and kid friendly than some strictly “authentic” versions of food. (Like with the Paella not having shellfish or their French Nicoise salad that doesn’t have tuna or green beans. But, I like these versions better myself, so I’m not complaining!)

We especially adore the boxes dedicated to a specific country because we love eating foods from around the world. This box was especially appreciated since it helped us feel a little better about not being able to be there in person–and everyone gobbled everything up too!

The post Cooking with Kids: A Trip to Spain appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

I always seem to have bananas that are going brown on my counter. I swear we mean to eat them, and we do like eating bananas, but like avocados, they’re fine one day and too brown the next.

Anyway, I’m never mad about it, because I can whip up a loaf of this super easy banana bread with my kids and it’s great for breakfast, snacks or dessert.

The recipe

This recipe is based on the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, because seriously anything that Sally makes is perfection! It’s addition of yogurt that makes this easy banana bread extra moist and not crumbly. Even when we make it gluten free.

I also love it for kids because the steps are straight forward and easy to do. Especially the combining of the dry ingredients. My kids love turning the mixer on and off, and adding things to the bowl. It helps build their dexterity and math skills.

Let’s make banana bread:

Add all of the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and combine.

Then cream the butter and sugar together until they’re well combined.

Add the remaining wet ingredients–eggs first, then the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla on medium speed. (It’s important for the eggs and yogurt to be room temperature so that they mix into the other ingredients more easily. To quickly warm eggs, put them in a bowl of warm water for 3-5 minutes.)

Then add the dry ingredients slowly. Add nuts if you’re using them. I LOVE banana bread with chopped walnuts. It gives it such a nice texture.

Add the batter to a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. When it’s done the center will be moist, but not cling to a toothpick. Let it rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then remove to finish cooling.

Serve as breakfast, a snack or at a party–it’s guaranteed to be gone fast!

Easy Banana Bread: A Simple Quick Bread for Kids to Make

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Breakfast, Snacks, Dessert, AppetizersCuisine: Quick breadDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

loaf

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

This quick and easy banana bread recipe is moist, full of flavor and great for weekend breakfasts or mid-week snacks.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar–light or dark

• 2 large eggs, room temperature.

• 1/3 cup plain yogurt

• 2 cups mashed bananas, about 4 large very ripe bananas

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl
• Using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• On medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined.
• With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ones until no flour pockets remain. Don’t over mix.
• Fold in the nuts, if using.
• Set the oven to 350 and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 55-60 minutes. You can loosely cover with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark so it doesn’t get too dark on top.
• A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when it’s done. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow it to cool 10-15 minutes, then remove from the pan to continue cooling so the bottom doesn’t get soggy.
• Cover and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Video

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Enjoy!

The post Easy Banana Bread: A Simple Quick Bread for Kids to Make appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

That’s one of my favorite things to read in a recipe. The fewer ingredients the better, in my opinion, because I’m more likely to have them, and it usually means the recipe is easier to make–which I love.

So, when I stumbled upon this recipe from the Beaming Baker, and made a few tweaks to make it my own, I was hooked! We make this at least once a week because it’s a lot cheaper to make than buying granola from the store, and I control what goes into it too.

What makes this a healthy granola is that it’s packed with nuts–which are packed with brain-boosting nutrients and healthy fats. It’s also refined sugar free, the only sweetener coming from maple syrup. Yum!

The oats give the granola fiber, which is lacking in many diets and is essential for good health and digestion. Plus, did I mention the nuts are also full of protein, so you’ll stay fuller, longer.

Another reason to like this healthy gluten free granola is that is goes with so many things. It makes a great breakfast with some milk–or, if you don’t do milk you can do like my kids, and top it with some yogurt. This is their favorite breakfast combo.

When you’re on the go–as we will be again some day–it’s a great snack because it won’t spoil, takes up little space, and gives instant energy.

Ok, now you’ve heard why it’s amazing, let’s get to the recipe, shall we?

Making your granola

Start with the nuts. You can use any combo you would like. We often do almonds, walnuts and pecans. But, if we’re out of one, it doesn’t matter, we just add more of the others. I’ve made it solely with almonds before. They just need to add up to the right amount.

Chop them so they’re in pieces.

Then add all the rest of the ingredients together and stir till they’re well combined.

Spread it all on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or a baking mat. Though I do prefer the parchment paper a bit more. It should be flat and pretty evenly spread.

Place in the oven at 325F for 20 minutes.

Then gently flip with a spatula, (gently stirring is ok) you just want to make sure that the different sides of the ingredients are exposed to the heat.

Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it’s just lightly browned. It will still be soft, and will harden as it cools.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and cool about 30 minutes. Store it in an air tight container and enjoy!

Your granola will last 1-2 weeks (if you don’t eat it first!)

Healthy Gluten Free Granola–only 6 ingredients

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Snacks, BreakfastCuisine: granolaDifficulty: eaay

Servings

6

cups

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

This healthy, gluten free granola is perfect for snacking or breakfast. With just the right amount of sweetness it’ll be your new go-to recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.)

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
  

• 1 cup finely ground almond flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Stir all together with a spatula until well combined.
• Pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently nudge the granola into an even rectangle.
• Bake fore 20 minutes. Flip/Gently stir the granola to expose different sides of the ingredients. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it’s just a nice golden brown. It will still be soft and harden as it cools.
• Place baking tray on a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container

Recipe Video

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The post Healthy Gluten Free Granola Even Kids Can Make appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

One of the major misconceptions is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican Independence Day–it doesn’t. That’s on September 16th. What it does celebrate is the victory of the Mexican army over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

As a holiday, it is much more celebrated in America than in Mexico. And originally started with Mexican-Americans in California in 1863 when they heard the Mexicans won the battle. It didn’t become popular in the rest of the United States until around the 1940s. Now it is a celebration Mexican-American culture and heritage.

The point of Cinco de Mayo is to understand Mexican culture better and celebrate what we have in common and what we have shared with each other. One of my favorite things Mexican culture has shared is its delicious food.

In our house Mexican food is one of our favorites that we could literally eat every day. Sometimes we do ; ) And no dish is complete without the salsa (sauce). When it comes to making food, I prefer recipes that are simple and require only a few ingredients. That’s why these easy to make salsas are on the top of my favorites list.

Since Salsa means sauce in Spanish, it can take many forms. One of my favorites is a pico de gallo, which is sometimes called salsa fresca (fresh sauce) because the ingredients are simple and it’s so fresh. It literally means beak of a rooster, which makes no sense, so we’ll stick with the Spanish pronunciation, pee-ko duh guy-yo.

All you need are fresh tomatoes, lime juice, salt, cilantro, pepper and onion. Everything is chopped finely and mixed together. I don’t like raw onion, so I don’t use much and make sure it’s chopped very fine.

Pico de Gallo

Start with fresh ingredients. They’ll make your salsa not only delicious, but more nutritious too!

The tomatoes should be firm and plump. Chop them in a small dice–the smaller the better because you’ll be able to get a better flavor profile and get more on your chip later!

Chop the remaining ingredients finely as well. Kids can help with this using the knife skills they worked on making the Nicoise Salad. This will help it mix better and taste better!

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit 5-10 minutes for the flavors to combine

Variation: Blended Salsa

If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, one of my other favorites uses a can of diced tomatoes. It’s smooth and not chunky like pico de gallo, but has a delicious flavor.

The steps couldn’t be easier–even young kids can make this one nearly by themselves. They might just need help with the can opener and slicing the pepper. You simply add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let it sit about 15 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy.

Now all you need are tortilla chips or tacos or your favorite Mexican food to enjoy these easy to make salsas!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1 cup whole cilantro

• 1-2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1/2-1 tsp salt

• 1/2-1 jalepeno, with ribs and seeds removed

Print

Directions

• Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor
• Blend 10-15 seconds, until smooth
• Let sit 15 minutes to settle. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice according to taste preference.
• Serve with corn chips or with your favorite Mexican foods.

Pico de gallo

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: Lunch, Dinner, SnacksCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

cups

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Pico de gallo is a fast and easy to make salsa using only a few fresh ingredients–tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime and salt–and comes together quickly and easily.

Ingredients

• 2-3 large red tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1 serrano or jalepeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  

• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 small onion, finely chopped, about 1/4-1/2 cup

• 1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste

Directions

• In a medium non-metallic bowl combine the onion, tomatoes, jalepeno, and cilantro.
• Add the lime juice and salt to taste and stir to combine
  
• Let sit 15 minutes and then taste again and adjust accordingly
• Serve as a dip for chips, or serve with a slotted spoon to avoid too much juice from transferring to other foods.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #vibrantmomsociety

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The post Easy to make salsa to celebrate Cinco de Mayo appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

Last year my oldest daughter, Kaia, wanted to learn to cook and Christmas was coming up, so I thought the perfect gift would be something that would help build her cooking skills.

After searching around for ways to teach kids to cook, I found Raddish Kids. And while it’s not a class really, it was just what I was looking for. Raddish Kids is a monthly subscription box for kids that is so much more than just recipes. Click here to get $10 off your first box!

It’s a whole cooking experience that combines building cooking skills, learning to read a recipe, making yummy food, learning about a specific topic (like music, space, Spain or Scandinavia), playing games and having fun dinner conversation too; the perfect way to teach kids to cook!

Let’s break it down and I’ll show you what I mean.

The Box:

Each monthly box revolves around a specific theme. Often it’s a country like Spain but sometimes it revolves around a holiday like Thanksgiving or a season like Spring. This fits really well with our love of travel and learning about food from different places.

When you open the box, this is what is inside:

Inside the packet is everything you need to make 3 delicious recipes (minus the ingredients and utensils). Plus fun facts, conversation starters, a utensil to use with the recipes and a patch to sew on your Raddish Kids apron. The apron comes free with a 6 or 12 month subscription.

Recently we had a lot of fun learning about Sweden and making some of our new favorite foods. This month included recipes for Swedish Meatballs, Nordic Cinnamon Buns and a Scandinavian Smorgasbord. We learned that a Smorgasbord is basically smaller dishes that you’d have at a buffet, but literally means “sandwich table.” See, like I said, very educational.

The tool or utensil included with the kit is well made and of great quality too, which means you can use it for years to come.

Each recipe card tells you what the recipe is for, how long it will take to make, how many servings, and what you will learn by the time you’re done. They’re always tri-folded, with the ingredients and steps on the inner side and additional information on the others. These are very important skills when you teach kids to cook.

When you open it up, you see all of the ingredients along with a picture, to make it easy for young kids who may not be great readers yet. And also a list of the tools you will need. This makes it easy to get all of the ingredients out and make sure you have everything ready before you start.

On the other flap is some bit of information to help you learn more about the recipe–it’s origins, other foods that are similar, a game or even a quiz. My girls always love reading this part because they learn more about the food they’re making and it is more fun that way.

On the inside of the recipe card are the steps to making the recipe with pictures. This makes it easy for young kids who can’t read to understand what is happening, and also makes it so you know that you’re doing it right too since the recipe creators aren’t in the kitchen with you.

On the back flap there is always a culinary skill for kids to learn and practice. These range from washing hands to grating cheese to having kitchen safety and preparing your space.

These are some of my favorites because when you already know how to cook, it can be easy to over look things that are obvious to you–like washing your hands, or preparing your space. But, they aren’t obvious to kids.

So, that’s how the kit looks and works. My daughter made this nearly entirely by herself:

How it works:

Now that you know what’s in the kit, this is how the subscription actually works.

Each month you get an email when your monthly box ships that includes info about that month’s theme, what the recipes are and a shopping list. There are also links to extra recipes, dietary modifications, musical playlists, videos and lesson plans if you want to create a full cooking curriculum.

The Plans:

Currently, there are three plans/subscription lengths you can choose from, either monthly, 6 months or 12 months. Boxes are cheaper the longer you choose to have your subscription. You can cancel the monthly box any time, and cancel you renewal at the end if you wish.

We opted for the 12 month subscription because it was a gift for both of my girls, and I knew it would be something that we’d enjoy.

I’m also a big fan of value and getting things for a cheaper price for doing it longer is something that I personally like to do.

Why we love it:

We have had it for 16 months and haven’t had any repeat themes, tools or recipes. I’ll be honest and say that we haven’t made every recipe. But, we have made A LOT of them and they’re all winners. We also love the culinary skills and quizzing each other on the additional facts about each place. It’s been such a fun and easy way to teach my kids to cook.

I definitely think it is a great gift for any child that likes cooking, or as something to help you and your kids spend more time together in the kitchen and give you as a parent a blueprint for making it happen.

I am someone who enjoys cooking and baking, and know a lot, but when it came to teaching my girls, I wasn’t quite sure where to start. What skills were important? What recipes would be good? Raddish Kids makes it easy because the recipes are made with kids in mind. And included specific skills to learn–right on the recipe card!

Want to get started? I know you do! Click here to get $10 off your first box!

What are some of your favorite things to make?

The post Teach Kids to Cook with Raddish Kids appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

But, when our Raddish Kids box with the French theme arrived and we tried their version, I was hooked, and so were my kids. Even my son who hates lettuce declared it yummy!

One of the best parts of this easy Nicoise salad is that my kids can literally make the whole thing without me–well, almost; they still need help with the can opener.

Let’s get started with our easy Nicoise salad that kids can make, shall we?

Making your salad

Start by slicing your tomatoes into quarters or eighths, whichever size you prefer.

Peel your hard boiled eggs. You can find our tutorial for making perfect hard boiled eggs in this post.

Open the can of olives and white beans and drain them both.

Slice the olives and set aside. You can slice them however you like them best. We sometimes do many slices, just in half, width wise or length wise.

Chop your lettuce into bite sized pieces. We use romaine and spinach or spring mix. Any lettuce that you prefer will do. Add to a bowl and set aside.

Once all of the ingredients are chopped, mix up the dressing. Add 2 Tablespoons of the dressing to the lettuce mixture.

Arrange all of the ingredients on a serving tray. We like to do it all in a line. Then drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad ingredients and serve!

We never have left overs with this one because it’s soooo good! The secret is the dressing. We never buy dressing from the store because it’s so easy to make quickly at home, and this is our go to recipe.

And there you have it, easy Nicoise Salad that kids can make that will become a quick easy meal for your family.

If you want your kids to gain kitchen skills, but don’t know where to start, you might like our post Teach Kids to Help in the Kitchen.

Easy Nicoise Salad Kids Can Make

Recipe by Kirsten, adapted from Raddish KidsCourse: Dinner, LunchCuisine: SaladDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

minute

Total time

21

minutes

This easy Nicoise Salad is simple enough for kids to make and delicious enough for the whole family to enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 tomatoes

• 3 hard boiled eggs

• 1 can white cannellini beans

• 1 can pitted black olives

• 4-6 cups romaine lettuce or spring mix greens

• Dressing

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp mustard

• Juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 Tbsp

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

• Slice tomatoes into quarters or eights, depending on the size you want.
• Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs in half or quarters, depending on the size you want.
• Open olives and drain. Slice.
• Open beans and drain. Set aside
• Chop lettuce, if necessary, into bite-sized pieces. Add to a bowl
• Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
• Pour 2 Tablespoons dressing over salad greens and mix well.
• Arrange all salad ingredients–lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, olives and beans, on a serving tray in rows, keeping ingredients from mixing.
• Drizzle remaining dressing over salad ingredients and serve.

Recipe Video

The post Easy Nicoise Salad Kids Can Make appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

And while some time I might go into some of the other awesome ways to cook eggs, but for today we’re sticking with the hard working hard boiled variety.

My kids LOVE eggs, and we go through them pretty quickly. The reason we like making hardboiled eggs is that once they’re made, they’re a great easy snack that is good on the go, or can just be grabbed from the refrigerator!

While it may seem tricky to make them perfectly, this recipe/method is one I’ve used for years and makes perfectly cooked eggs every time.

First–Get some eggs. I try to make a dozen at a time because it’s more time efficient.
Lay them on the bottom of your pot and fill the water to an inch over your eggs.
Add about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp vinegar to the water to help them peel easier and if any do break, the vinegar will keep any broken eggs from spilling into the water.
Bring the water to a rolling boil, then cover and turn off the heat.
Let sit for 10-12 minutes.
Then drain and rinse with cold water. To cool them even faster, place them in a large bowl with ice water.
Put the eggs back into the refrigerator after they are cool.

How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs With Kids

Recipe by Kirsten ReederCourse: breakfast, lunch, dinnerDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

78

kcal

Total time

15

minutes

Make easy delicious hard boiled eggs with your kids.

Ingredients

• 12 eggs

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp vinegar

Directions

• Put eggs into the bottom of a large pot
• Fill with water to 1-2 inches above the eggs
• Add the salt and vineger
• Put pot on stove and bring to a rolling boil
• Once at a rolling boil turn off heat, cover and let sit 10-12 minutes.
• Once done, drain water and add to an ice bath. If you don’t have an ice bath, rinse with cold water until cool.

Recipe Video

The post How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs With Kids appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

I’m sure it’s happened before…you’re trying to get dinner on the table for your hungry family and your child wants to help…

Your blood pressure rises as you envision how much longer it’s going to take. Not to mention the much bigger mess it will make. You say in your most disappointed, sorry voice that it’s just not very fun and that they won’t like it, then hurry them out to go do something–anything–until dinner is ready.

But….then you feel bad because you actually do want your kids to learn how to cook and enjoy helping in the kitchen. You know that once they really know what to do that’s less cooking for you!

I know. I get it. I’ve totally been there, and heck, sometimes I still would rather just do it myself because it’s faster and easier. But, I’ve also learned that having my kids in the kitchen is a pretty fun way to spend time with them.

Here are three ways to teach kids to cook by letting them help in the kitchen while you all stay calm and have fun.

Pick the right time to start

Is there a right time and a wrong time to teach kids to cook? YES!

The wrong time is when you’re in a hurry or constrained on time in any way. If everyone is hungry, taking extra time to show techniques or fix mistakes is not what you want to be doing.

Pick a time when you have nothing else pressing going on and everyone is pretty well fed. After a meal or snack is great. Saturdays or Sundays tend to work best for this if you have school aged children, but really any time you have some time is great.

This lets you all relax and take things slowly, which is increases patience and you child will be more likely to listen.

Start small

When you’re teaching a child kitchen skills, small and simple is the best place to start. This is not the time to make anything that takes a long time or is elaborate or requires a lot of steps.

Think about the things you want them to know what to make. What will be helpful for you and for them? These are the foods to start with, because if you don’t get very far they’ll at least have the basics.

At the beginning they’re also less likely to have a long attention span. Keeping the recipe it short and simple will give them a sense of accomplishment when they’re done.

Teach skills they can master

When starting out, kids like to know that they’ve accomplished something. They want to feel capable and proud of themselves. But, it’s hard to do when they’re trying to get good at too many things at once.

When you’re cooking together, pick a couple of skills that your child wants to learn or that you want them to know. You can also pick recipes you want them to learn to make and focus on those.

It can be any skill. Like stirring or mixing or spreading with a knife. Little ones can wash fruits and vegetables or grate cheese. If you have an older child they could learn to chop vegetables too.

We love using our Raddish Kids box to help with specific skills. For a lot more info on that, check out this post all about it.

The key is repetition. So, take the time to show them how to do it right, then have them practice. This could become their new “job” in the kitchen whenever you need it.

For example, my kids love quesadillas. I got tired of grating cheese all the time so I taught my daughters how to use the cheese grater and grate the cheese. It took some practice, but now they do it perfectly fine on their own.

Now they get the tortillas, grate their cheese, put them on a plate and microwave it until the cheese melts. They love being self sufficient and doing it themselves.

Even little ones can wash fruits and veggies if they have a stool, and it does feel like a big help to them.

If you want your kids to help in the kitchen without you losing your patience and it taking way longer than necessary, pick the right time to start, start small, and teach them skills they can master.

One of my favorite recipes to get started with is Healthy Gluten Free Granola because it’s very simple and they can practice measuring and stirring skills.

The post Teach Kids To Cook by Helping in the Kitchen appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

After having the ingredients on hand for weeks, I finally decided…it was time! I don’t know what I’d been waiting for. So I called my daughter into the kitchen and we made up a batch in about 15 minutes–even with her doing most of the work.

I’d suggest you stick to the original recipe, because it’s just sooooooo good! But, my husband is mildly allergic to peanut butter, so we used sunflower butter instead. It tastes pretty close to the original and has the same consistency, so it all incorporates just the same. Not quiiiiiite as good, but these are the sacrifices we make for love ; )

Once you melt the ingredients together, it’s important to mix the chocolate mixture and cereal well, otherwise the powdered sugar won’t stick, and no one likes that. Even when it looks like you can’t cover any more pieces and you don’t have enough chocolate mix, you do. Keep stirring gently!

Once you add the powdered sugar it’s time to shake it baby! Get that sugar onto every piece and make it mouth-wateringly delicious! But don’t shake toooooo hard, you don’t want to break your pieces!

That’s it! Really, super easy and fast to put together, and oh, so delicious! Ours would’ve been gone in under an hour if I didn’t give everyone separate servings.

Print

Ingredients

• 9 cups Chex cereal

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or sunflower butter)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Print

Directions

• Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside
• In a microwavable bow, add chocolate chips, butter, peanut butter. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer, or until mixture can be stirred smooth.
• Stir in vanilla
• Pour mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated.
• Pour into a 1 or 2 gallon size resealable food storage plastic bag. Add the powdered sugar.
• Seal the bag and shake until well coated. Enjoy!

How long will yours last?

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I’m not going to lie–I don’t always plan my meals out before hand. I’m as guilty as anyone of thinking that I’ll just get ingredients I like and then I’ll decide when it’s time to make something. Buuuuut, I’ve also learned that’s when we waste the most food and I spend way too much time deciding when I don’t actually have the time to be deciding. I need a meal NOW!

So, why do we do this to ourselves? I think one reason is because figuring out what to feed your family day in and day out is daunting. Meal planning is hard. Well, I mean, it isn’t hard, as much as it can be time consuming. And you know the most time consuming part? Deciding what to make!

That’s the trick, right? The deciding part. Which is why having a system in place makes it sooooooooo much easier, and faster and less exhausting. Because when you do go to the store, you know what to buy, don’t waste ingredients and can actually make meals faster because you know what you’re doing.

Here are 3 things that I’ve done to make meal planning easier and faster:

Pick a weekly theme

This is helpful for lots of reasons. One, it helps you narrow down your choices, so it’s not as hard to decide. Also, you’re more likely to be using similar ingredients, so you’ll waste less food. My favorite though is to use it to learn about food from countries around the world.

Here are a few ways you can choose a theme to make meal planning easier.

1. Cuisine type–you could do a week of salads. These could all be green salads, or you can broaden you definition to include pasta salad, chicken salad, etc. Or you could do breakfast foods, bowls, casseroles, backyard BBQ, appetizers only, soups etc.
2. Country or region–This is one of our favorites. We pick a country, find recipes that originated there, or are part of that country’s culture and make them. With more than 175 countries in the world, this can keep you busy for a while! A friend of mine went through the alphabet in order and chose a country with that name to make food from to teach her kids their letters too.
3. Designate each day with its own theme: Monday is meatless, Tuesday is tacos, Wednesday is leftovers, Thursday is casserole, Friday is fish and seafood, Saturday is take out, Sunday is Slow Cooker.

Make meals with the same ingredients

This isn’t the same as a theme. There are several meals that use the same ingredients but are very different from each other–in just about every way!

I had used this method before, but I didn’t really do it consistently until I found the Cook Once, Eat All Week Cookbook by Cassy Joy Garcia. Seriously, it’s one of my favorites ever!

Her method is simple–each week there is a protein, starch and vegetable and 3 meals that they make (plus bonus dinner options) that are diverse, healthy and made fresh. Honestly, when I first started using it I didn’t even prep cook. I just started each recipe from scratch and it worked fine.

You can easily incorporate this method, either with the cookbook, or on your own. Just pick your protein, starch and vegetable and look up recipes that use them.

Pick one source for recipes

Instead of scouring the internet, or all of your cookbooks, for meals just pick one source. This dramatically cuts down on the decision making necessary for planning. One friend told me she only makes meals from Rocco DiSpirito’s website. So, find a food blog or website you think looks good, or pull our your favorite cookbook and stick with it–at least for a week.

When it comes to meal planning, having that plan be simple and repeatable is key to making it as painless as possible. I hope these tips help make your meal planning faster and easier for your family.

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