My daughter arrived with her 5 boys for a two week visit. Yes, our normally quiet, somewhat orderly home, is a delightful thing of the past; and so is our food budget! I had forgotten how much boys can eat, and how picky some of them can be, the 3 year old in particular.
However, I have found that when they become a part of the food process, great things can happen in the kitchen. Even boys enjoy picking out food from a grocery store, and preparing it in the kitchen. Below I have listed some things that I have learned. Please share your experiences with our readers as well!
1. Take discount food coupons to the grocery store and pass them out. Have
the children take their own basket and search for the desired food. This
will teach them thrift along with the adventure of hunting.
2. Allow the children to choose their own menu for dinner. It is hard for
even the pickiest eaters to turn down something they voted on!
3. Have breakfast for dinner. My grand-sons think I make the best French
toast around and love having it for dinner. Besides, they love taking turns
cracking the eggs, adding the cinnamon, stirring and flipping the bread in
the pan.
4. Cooking is a great way to introduce reading (especially when I can’t
find my glasses), and math. Often, my recipes will require that I
double, or even triple the amounts required. It is great to stand back
and watch the children work together to figure out exact measurements.
5. My boys love to “squish” food in their hands and they are better than
any mixer or blender around! If you don’t believe me, next time you are
making mashed potatoes, guacamole, banana bread, (see recipe below)
or just mixing a fruit salad, tell them you need their hands for mashing.
They will think you are the coolest grandma!
6. Teach them the roll of good nutrition in their lives. Talk about their
favorite athletes, and what they think these athletes eat to ensure
maximum strength and agility. Then have the child figure out a
menu that would include the required fruits, vegetables, protein and
calcium.
If you really want to impress them, practice kicking the
soccer ball, or shooting baskets, take a bike ride or play baseball. My
grandsons still talk about the day I played soccer with them and actually
rolled down the side-walk on a skate board!
7. Teach them that good cooks clean up the kitchen as they go. This saves
time in the long-run and their future wives/husbands will love you for it!
Banana Bread
1996, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. (or have the children mix with their hands!)
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or hands. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.
Download this recipe.
