Get Creative In The Kitchen With Your Kids

Cooking for our family can be a mundane and stressful chore. Have you ever brought your children into the kitchen with you to cook up a meal together?

I recently attended the blogging conference BlogHer16 where I saw actress and entrepreneur Sarah Michelle Geller speak about her new children’s healthy baking business Foodstirs. She explained, “Cooking is a wonderful creative outlet for children. And creativity leads to innovation in our society.”

Her company’s mission is to offer high quality, convenient, and delicious products that help families create meaningful experiences in the kitchen. The Foodstirs products–from pancakes to brownies to cookies and more–are made with premium and real ingredients, free of artificial preservatives, dyes, and flavors. They strive to use organic and non-GMO ingredients when available. The mixes and kits are sold in recyclable boxes. The company also has a philanthropic angle, donating time and resources to different charitable organization each month.

Cooking offers so many wonderful ways for us to spend calm, quality time with our kids. Here are five ways to make that time extra special:

• Eat mindfully with your children. This practice allows us to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that can come from preparing and eating food. Instead of shoving food into our mouths and never really thinking about it, mindful eating awakens us to an entirely new experience with food. We can take a moment to savor and truly enjoy what we are eating. Teach your children mindful eating with these activities.
• Give away your delicious creations. Children can learn so much by making food and donating it to those in need. Some ideas include baking cookies for community helpers in your area, putting together sandwiches for a soup kitchen, or bringing treats to a nursing home.
• Express gratitude for the food we have. When children have the chance to help create what they eat, they begin to understand how lucky they are to have dinner on the table each night. Use your family cooking time as an opportunity to express gratitude for the delicious food we have access to everyday.
• Grow your own food. Gardening is a great way to encourage our children to spend more time outside in nature. It is also a way to instill an appreciation for where food comes from and the work involved in making every meal we enjoy. Learn more about how you can grow and prepare your own meals with tools from Healthy Kids Inc.
• Have fun in the kitchen. The kitchen is the perfect place to laugh and be silly, whether your are putting flour on each other’s noses or licking the batter from the bowl. Don’t miss this opportunity to have some real fun with your kids.
• Teach your children about the science of baking. Check out this infographic that explains how and why the most common ingredients do what they do.

How have your shared time in the kitchen with your children?