Teaching your daughter or son to cook is not only fun but a great way to incorporate health and math into the activity. Who says that homeschooling has to be all bookwork??

I saw this book title, Cooking Class by Donna F. Cook, when I was perusing the internet and decided to get it at the library. It not only has recipes, but also has terms that are commonly used in recipes such as dice, chop, blend, and sauté.  In regards to teaching health, there is a section that discusses washing hands and the proper handling of food.  Measuring ingredients is a practical way of teaching fractions and being precise, which sometimes children have difficulty in understanding. Of course, we know this is extremely important in cooking, otherwise, the recipe can be ruined.

I’ll never forget the first time my mom let me make brownies on my own. Desserts were a rare treat at our house when we were growing up and when I was allowed to make them I was ecstatic! I was anticipating licking the bowl and the delicious taste of a brownie with milk. Well, I did not read the recipe correctly and instead of 1/4 cup of water, I added 1 1/4 cups and they were totally ruined! Wahh! Talk about a terrible mistake. 😦

You may have picky eaters at your house and, believe me, I know what that is like! I, unfortunately, was the picky one at my house. I had a really great sense of smell and I believe I could taste things much more than others. So, everything was really sour or really spicy, funny how nothing was ever too sweet though!  If you have a child like that, I feel their pain, oh, I meant yours. lol Perhaps this recipe for roasted vegetables will help alleviate the Battle of the Veggies. If not, keep having them try a spoonful and one day they will eat them! I am almost a total vegetarian now. My mom would be so proud of me.

If you don’t have access to the book, then here are some other recipe ideas that you can use when teaching your aspiring cook.

How about Bread in a Bag? Yes, you read that right! Your baker puts all of the ingredients in a gallon sized bag and mixes it all up by kneading it inside the confines of the bag! It makes two mini loaves and I am sure your son will gobble up the bread he has made. The hardest part will be waiting for it to cool enough to slice. Best Bread in a Bag Recipe

Have you tried spaghetti squash? This is so fun to make with your children! I love the transformation that vegetable goes through! While it really doesn’t taste like spaghetti, the fibrous insides of the squash do resemble it and your daughter will enjoy scraping the squash to see it come apart in strings.

Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe  (recipe from cookingwithmykid.com)

Prep Time: 15 mins  Cooking Time: 45 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground turkey or hamburger (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large spaghetti squash
1 egg
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese or cottage cheese drained
1 1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
5 fresh basil leaves, torn
salt & fresh ground pepper
4 10 oz ramekins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke the spaghetti squash 10 times and microwave for 10 to 12 minutes stopping every 3 to 4 minutes to turn. You’ll know it’s done when the skin starts to buckle. Remove and split open. While it’s cooling off, heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add oil to the pan and blot the turkey meat dry before adding to the pan. Space the meat out in the pan and cook until it is just brown on both sides. As long as it is browned, it can be a little undercooked. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven. Set aside and begin scraping out your squash with a fork. Transfer scraped squash into a colander and let drain while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together sauce, ricotta, egg, 1 cup of cheese, oregano, basil and salt & pepper to taste. Mix in the drained spaghetti squash until it’s all well combined. Place one scoop of squash mixture in each ramekin covering the bottom. Layer browned meat on top of squash mixture and then place another scoop of squash on top of the meat. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of each and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and squash looks set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. PS: If you don’t have ramekins, you can make it in a pie pan as you would a spaghetti pie.

Yogurt parfaits are easy to make and can be customized for each person’s taste preference. 

Yogurt Parfait
In a glass (so you can see the layered effect) add the following ingredients in order.
2 tablespoons of  yogurt
1-2 tablespoons of granola (This varies according to your preference.)
Blueberries or sliced strawberries (buy organic- conventional have the highest amount of pesticides of all fruit)
Repeat layers until glass is full.

Here’s a recipe that even little ones can help you make from laughinhkidslearn.com

Healthy Bites (Toddlers can make too!)