Healthy New Year!

The New Year is the perfect time to bring your family together and enjoy healthy and delicious meals together! Everyone wants to start 2008 on the right foot… and there’s no better way to do it then by cooking with your kids. For many parents, dinnertime is a full-fledged battle, and the only winner is the family dog. Thought Caitlin liked carrots? She did, on Friday. But today’s Tuesday, and she’d rather injest poision before chewing one more bite of the vitamin rich vegetable. Thrilled that Jake finally loves peas? Got so excited you made fresh pasta with peas and a delicate parmesan cream sauce? No doubt you were devestated by your wasted efforts upon discovering that Jake only loves peas when they are piled up plainly, all alone on his plate. And ‘brushing off’ the sauce just isn’t possible.

If these dinnertime battles have turned you into a desperate short-order cook with little regard for nutritional balance, and defrosting dino nuggets Monday thru Friday, try the only sure-fire way to encourage your kids to become more fearless eaters. Invite your kids on a delicious kitchen adventure; cook with your kids

Children who participate in preparing a meal are much more likely to enjoy the final product than those who don’t help out in the kitchen. Every chef wants to taste their creation, and yours will be no different. Even a child who helps make “icky” veggies or “stinky” fish will feel a sense of pride and success when dinner appears on the table. Encourage your kids to taste throughout the cooking process, introducing them to new textures and ingredients in small quantities along the way. When you give kids lots of heatlhy options, you empower them to make good decisions about what to eat.