I love when they come home from school and ask me about "high fructose" and "GMO's," etc. They are learning about food in their P.E. class of all places (yay).
Noah is 13 and Faith is 11 and they both have made a point to read labels and or comment about something in the market or even what we have in the house. Being in the kitchen does not just mean prepping meals together or eating, it means learning to help clean up, clear and set the table, rinse the dishes, etc. It is a complete circle.
What are some of your favorite meals to make together?
Even though we do make an effort to eat together every night, this does not mean we eat the same meals. There are nights that my hubby and I make our own dinner "a grown up dinner." If the kids had a favorite meal to make it would be tacos. Seriously, they could eat these almost every night of the week. We don't eat red meat, so these are ground turkey. Honestly, I cringe when I ask what they want for dinner and I see their eyes light up and the word "tacos" come out of their mouths (I am so sick of them.) LOL.Another easy meal would be pasta, they love this and we like to get creative with ours. Either red sauce, I have added Greek yogurt, steamed cauliflower, even almond milk to the sauce. Pesto, we always make this fresh and we do a few different versions...mint, basil and even parsley pesto. Our daughter loves mandarin orange chicken and I was really disgusted by the frozen pre-made package, so I have a great homemade recipe that she helps me with. This will be on my blog this month. Wraps are a huge hit also, they love either a dinner burrito wrap or a breakfast wrap. These are simple and quick and you can fill them with protein.
As I said, my hubby and I do more "grown up" dinners, as I can't live on the kids menu.
What sort of gadgets or small appliance are favored or most used?
Food processor, blender, peeler, grater, colander, rice cooker, steamer.
How can people learn to love their kitchen more this year?
This is a great question, I have somewhat mentioned this on my posts before and in a recent interview. I honestly believe that people can really love their kitchen if they get over their fear of the kitchen. Not that everyone is "afraid" of it, I mean the fear of maybe just getting in their and working. Find your way around, not just the basic refrigerator, plate, utensil. But really get down and dirty, pull out the cutting board, use your knives, get friendly with your food processor, your mixer, your pots and pans.
Go ahead and make that mess (you can clean it.)
Have fun, get creative. Buy fresh, buy color, try something new, read a recipe and go with it or change it up. Chop, cut, saute, cook, steam, bake, broil. Keep a clean refrigerator...take everything out and toss what you know you should not have or you don't need. Are you trying to be a healthier eater? Than this is good. Keep the fridge stocked with the freshest of foods and buy just enough to make some meals for the week, don't go overboard and have things go bad as this could possibly discourage some. Don't try to rush yourself around your kitchen. If you are not a huge fan of being in there and cooking, then wait until you have a day off work or a day with a few hours and use that time.
Keep food in the fridge and be able to see what you have. A clean refrigerator is a happy one and a happy refrigerator means healthy and happy bodies. It is a full circle. Add some fresh flowers to the kitchen, have some candles around. I love to cook and have candles lit {as you can see in some of my photos} I also love having fresh flowers right in the kitchen area. I love the kitchen and I did not always feel this way. My hubby is an ex chef {no in the health care industry} so I have been blessed to learn a lot from him, especially about spices and mixing them together.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, it is the foundation. Make it a happy place and be free to create. If you don't love it now, you will.
Lynda Benson is the name and face behind Fitnessmomwinecountry. She is a mother of 3 children and a advocate of health and fitness. She believes in making smart choices for herself and family and has instilled a very active and healthy lifestyle into each day. You can follow her and read more while checking out some of her original recipes on her site or by following her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ or Pinterest!