Serving
Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois
Kids
in the Kitchen
Healthy eating begins at
home … and today’s kids are
cooking! Children enjoy helping
in the kitchen and often are
more willing to eat foods
they help prepare.
Involve your kids in all
aspects of meal planning and
preparation. Have them help
plan the menus, choose the
recipes, make the shopping
list and do the grocery shopping.
Of course, learning to cook
is great fun for kids and
there are ways that kids can
help in the kitchen from very
young ages.
Hand-washing and Food Safety
are important skills to teach
your children from a very
young age. There are many
aspects of food safety, and
clean hands are one of the
most important. Teach your
children to wash their hands
by lathering up with warm,
soapy water and scrubbing
for at least 20 seconds. To
help them understand that
length of time, encourage
them to sing the alphabet
song. Then, rinse well and
dry completely with a clean
towel or paper towels.
Additional aspects of kitchen
and food safety are:
* teaching your kids how
to properly use utensils and
appliances
* teaching your kids to keep
foods at the right temperatures
* teaching your kids to store
food properly
Here are some great websites
where you and your kids can
learn more about food safety:
The Food Safety Mobile
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/foodsafetymobile/mobilegame.swf
Play the game Food Detectives
Fight Back!
www.fooddetectives.com
Test your knowledge on the
Food Safety Quiz for Kids
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/wash__hands.htm
Recipe’s
… The Secret to Great Snacks!
As soon as kids learn to
read, it’s a great time to
start teaching them to read
a recipe. They are improving
their reading skills, exploring
math skills and learning to
cook all at once. Kids can
find recipes in cookbooks,
magazines, newspapers, and
on the internet. Recipes usually
have two parts:
* a list of ingredients
needed to make the recipe
* directions for how to prepare,
combine, and cook the ingredients
When getting ready to cook,
the first important step is
to make sure that you have
the ingredients and equipment
needed for the recipe you
want to prepare. Second, make
sure to measure ingredients
carefully. Finally, follow
the directions in the order
that they are given. Don’t
guess about when to add things
or do things.
Here are two simple recipes
from the 4-H Tricks for Treats
project.
Fruit and Cheese Kebabs
Ingredients:
Bananas
Other fruit: apples, oranges,
canned pineapple chunks, strawberries,
etc.
Mild flavored chunk cheese
(Cheddar, Colby, etc.)
Equipment:
Small kitchen knife
Cutting board
Meal or wooden skewers or
thin straws
Plate or napkins
How to make it:
1. Peel bananas and other
fruit if needed.
2. Cut fruit and cheese into
bite-size pieces.
3. Carefully push skewer
through several pieces of
fruit and cheese.
4. Place on plate or napkin
to serve.
Zoo Snacks
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons margarine
or butter
1 cup tiny teddy-bear-shaped
cookies
1 cup tiny animal-shaped
crackers
½ cup dry roasted peanuts
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Equipment:
Microwave safe bowl or casserole
Waxed paper
Potholders
Table knife
Long-handled spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
How to make it:
1. Put margarine in a casserole,
and cover with waxed paper.
2. Microwave on high for
30 to 45 seconds, until margarine
is melted.
3. Carefully remove paper,
and add cookies, crackers,
and peanuts. Toss until well-coated.
4. Microwave on high 1 minute;
stir and microwave 1 minute
longer.
5. Stir in raisins.
6. Mix together sugar and
cinnamon, and sprinkle over
cookie mixture.
7. Toss until coated.
8. Let cool before serving.
Measuring
Tricks for Great Treats
For many recipes, you will
need to measure the ingredients.
While it might seem easier
to just add a “little of this
and a little of that,” it
is not a sure way to have
a treat that is good to eat.
Use measuring spoons for
small amounts (less than ¼
cup) of liquid or dry ingredients.
How? Pour the ingredient into
a measuring spoon. Level the
top with the straight edge
of a table knife.
Use a liquid measuring cup
(usually clear with a spout)
for all liquid ingredients.
How? Pour the liquid into
a measuring cup. Check the
cup at eye level to see that
the top of the liquid matches
the measuring line.
Use dry measuring cups for
all dry ingredients and for
fats like margarine. How?
Spoon or pour the ingredient
into a dry measuring cup.
Level the top with the straight
edge of a table knife.
Explore Measuring
1. Go in the kitchen and
find the measuring cups and
spoons (you may want to ask
a parent to help with this).
2. Find at least one liquid
(like water) and one solid
(like sugar) to use to practice
measuring.
3. Practice filling the different
measuring cups and spoons
with these two things. To
avoid spills, hold the measuring
cup or spoon over a plate
or bowl.
4. Find out how the measuring
cups and spoons compare to
each other. Do two half cups
make one cup? How many teaspoons
fill a tablespoon? Compare
other measurements as well.
5. Get out some other dishes
like spoons, cups, and glasses.
How much do they hold? Do
coffee cups really hold one
cup? Would they be good to
use for measuring?
Concoct a Party Punch
Now you can use what you’ve
learned about recipes and
measuring to make up your
own punch recipe. Here are
some basic ingredients. You
pick the amounts and which
ingredients you want to use
and write your recipe on a
piece of paper.
* a fruit juice or fruit-juice
concentrate
* club soda, seltzer water,
ginger ale, or other soft
drink
* lemon or lime juice (a small
amount)
* ice cubes or scoops of sherbet
or frozen yogurt
Explore
More On the Web
Looking for more nutrition
ideas and great recipes?
BAM! Body and Mind – fun
site for kids:
http://www.bam.gov/
Dole Foods – lots of games
and recipes for kids:
http://www.dole5aday.com/
Food For Thought – Ideas
for Parents of Preschoolers
(good recipe ideas for older
kids too)
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/foodforthought
Check What You Eat Everyday
– Nutrition Analysis Tools
and System
http://nat.crgq.com
E-mail:
mmickle@qcfamilyfocus.com
