Every week we plan what meals we are going to eat for the week. On Sunday we pick out 4 dinner recipes and then make a grocery list. We always ask our kids (ages 6 and 9) if they have any requests and have them help with our recipe selection. My 9 year old really enjoys doing this and asks to help every week. The best advice I can offer is to pull out cookbooks with colorful pictures. Find recipe websites online that have pictures with each recipe. Ask your child to pick a few recipes that look good based on the picture. Kids are more likely to try something new if they see a picture that looks good to them. Also, by allowing your child to select recipes, they will gain a sense of empowerment from helping you plan a meal and begin to understand the meal planning process. One of the websites we use is The Meal Makeover Moms: http://mealmakeovermoms.com/. This website was developed by two moms that are both registered dietitians. It was recipes, cooking ideas, cookbooks and a mom's blog. We've also used recipes from the Kids Eat Right website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/Recipes.html which has recipes created and tested by kids! My kids think it's really fun to try recipes created by other kids so this is a fun website to look at when planning for the week. Remind your kids when picking their recipes and thinking about what they want on their dinner plate, to think about My Plate and how to incorporate a fruit, vegetable, grain, protein and dairy as shown here: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/ and have fun with the recipe selection process!Sunday, March 9, 2014
Have your child help with recipe selection!
Every week we plan what meals we are going to eat for the week. On Sunday we pick out 4 dinner recipes and then make a grocery list. We always ask our kids (ages 6 and 9) if they have any requests and have them help with our recipe selection. My 9 year old really enjoys doing this and asks to help every week. The best advice I can offer is to pull out cookbooks with colorful pictures. Find recipe websites online that have pictures with each recipe. Ask your child to pick a few recipes that look good based on the picture. Kids are more likely to try something new if they see a picture that looks good to them. Also, by allowing your child to select recipes, they will gain a sense of empowerment from helping you plan a meal and begin to understand the meal planning process. One of the websites we use is The Meal Makeover Moms: http://mealmakeovermoms.com/. This website was developed by two moms that are both registered dietitians. It was recipes, cooking ideas, cookbooks and a mom's blog. We've also used recipes from the Kids Eat Right website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/Recipes.html which has recipes created and tested by kids! My kids think it's really fun to try recipes created by other kids so this is a fun website to look at when planning for the week. Remind your kids when picking their recipes and thinking about what they want on their dinner plate, to think about My Plate and how to incorporate a fruit, vegetable, grain, protein and dairy as shown here: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/ and have fun with the recipe selection process!
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I think that it is great that you have your children so involved with the planning of the meals. I don't have younger kids, but I always have a menu made out for the week. This helps with planning of meals and making sure that you have the ingredients for what you are preparing.
ReplyDeleteGetting kids interested in food and where it comes from at an early age is a great way to start them on the right track to eating healthier and making better choices when they are on their own.
My kids always enjoyed helping cooking, whether it is measuring out ingredients, help mix items or just pulling up a chair and watching you make a dinner that they will love.