Cooking with Kids
Nolan at the end of his class. He made a peach crisp and an apple pie smoothie! I made a reel on IG that shows some highlights from his class.
Doing the podcast with Jenny these past couple of years has introduced us to so many amazing small business owners and people doing some really interesting things in the world. One of our guests last year was one of the co-owners of the Little Kitchen Academy (Illinois locations). In preparation for the episode, they invited us to try out a class, which I knew Nolan would love since he loves to help in the kitchen. It was such a great experience for him (and bonus that I didn’t have to stay with him the entire time). They really focus on independence and life skills all while making a delicious recipe or two. Nolan had his own work station with a chef’s coat, the kids washed their hands, got their ingredients, and then prepared an apple pie smoothie and peach crisp from scratch! He had such a blast, and often says, “I wonder what I’ll make next time!” We’re excited for the LKA Lincoln Park location to open up so he can take more classes!
The folks at Little Kitchen Academy also invited Nolan to join them on a Fox News segment celebrating National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day with them. We met them at the studio downtown, he got his chef’s coat and microphone on, and got prepped in the green room for what to expect during the segment. He helped his cooking instructor prep Zucchini Garlic Bites. I’ve included the recipe below. He had a blast and wants to be on tv again lol.
Zucchini Garlic Bites
Ingredients:
½ zucchini
1 egg
⅓ cup breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 minced garlic clove
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 chopped basil leaves
½ tsp oregano
Pinch salt & pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grate zucchini, then place the grated zucchini in a tea towel and twist to remove moisture (you want to squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can to give these bites a nice crispy outside). Place grated zucchini and remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Scoop out approximately one tablespoon of the mixture, shape into a small ball, and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce or ranch dressing (optional).
Both of my kids love to help in the kitchen, which is something they learned early on at daycare. Their daycare was great and the kids got to try all kinds of fun recipes. When I was a kid, I remember always wanting to help my great-grandmother or my mom in the kitchen, especially baking, and I try to allow my kids to do it too (as much as my anxiety will allow lol). I love finding fun recipes to try on Pinterest, and try to remind myself it’s okay if it looks like a Pinterest fail because it’s about making memories with the kids (and hopefully it tastes better than it looks).
Here are some of our favorite kids kitchen tools (or ones on our wishlist):
Kitchen Helper Stool – The boys like to get in this together (if they’re not fighting over it).
Kids Knives – We have these at home. They are also great for slicing desserts like cheesecake!
Knife Set – This set includes a wooden chopper like Nolan uses at LKA, as well as a crinkle cutter, peeler, etc.
Grater – This is similar to the one Nolan used on the news segment. It’s nice because kids can lay it down and have whatever they’re shredding “go down the slide.” (See news segment to see Nolan demonstrate.)
Apron & Chef Hat – Both boys have their own apron and chef’s hat that they got from their Gigi
Minted has more cute apron options that you can even have personalized.
Cookbook – I love America’s Test Kitchen (and really anything on PBS), so this is a must!
HelloFresh Subscription Meal Kit – We just started these. They typically have a couple kid-friendly meals in their menu each week, so we’re trying these to let the boys cook more (and hopefully expand their palates).
They even offer a discount for military & veterans, teachers, and health care workers. There’s also a subscription available for students, which is great for your college kids.
I don’t have an affiliate code for HelloFresh, but have a few free boxes to send to my friends. If you want one, let me know!
Baketivity Subscription Box – I can’t pass up a fun subscription box. This one has fun things for kids to bake each month.
MasterChef Jr. Kids Cooking Kit Subscription Box – Another subscription box for cooking & baking.
Do your kids help out in the kitchen? What’s their favorite recipe to make?
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