By Tracey Dowdy
According to National Today, October 4, 2019, is National Taco Day and National Cinnamon Roll Day. It’s also National Vodka Day, but that’s a post for another forum.
Whether you’re celebrating your love of tacos or the ooey-gooey deliciousness of cinnamon rolls, it’s a perfect opportunity to get your kids into cooking. Cooking together is so much more than providing life skills that will help your kids avoid a steady diet of ramen throughout college. Research from Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that kids who eat family dinners get better grades in school, develop communication skills and are less likely to try drugs. It also improves math skills, helps them understand what’s in the food they eat, appreciate the work that goes into preparing the food they eat, and teaches them how to work with others. Raising an adventurous eater takes patience and persistence, but pays off in big ways. On the other hand, raising picky eaters not only means more work for you but may lead to health challenges for them down the road.
These websites offer delicious, nutritious recipes that you and your child can prepare together and build memories you’ll treasure forever.
Spatulatta was developed by a mom, her two daughters and their neighbor for latch-key kids. The recipes range from the very simple to more complex, so no matter your skill level, there’s something you can tackle. Choose from a variety of categories, diverse flavors, and styles. They have a YouTube channel so you can watch demos of their recipes.
The Kids Cook Monday is actually an initiative that encourages families to be intentional about eating and spending time with your family every Monday. The webite provides examples of family-friendly recipes and video demonstrations of its recipes along with a Weelfree starter family dinner toolkit – making it easier for families to commit to cooking and eat together every Monday. “Start your week off right: Make Monday family night!”
It’s no surprise that The Food Network has its own Cooking with Kids site that encourages families to work together in the kitchen to create simple, kid-friendly meals. Familiar Food Network personalities like Ree Drummond, Tyler Florence, Giada De Laurentiis, and Guy Fieri demonstrate kid-friendly versions of their recipes like Ree’s Prarie Sushi, Giada’s Spaghetti Nests, and Bananimals.
Weelicious was created as a resource for parents to see how easy it is to expose children to wholesome, delicious homemade food. Recipes are divided into useful categories like Occasion, Sensitivity, Ingredient, and Cook Time, making it even easier to search for recipes your kids will love. Host Catherine has demonstration videos, ideas for school lunches, and useful resources like tips for how to make groceries stay fresh longer.
Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.