Cooking Light + Kids
From McDonald’s to the White House, there’s no doubt that the state of children’s health and nutrition are in the news. Whether it’s born from a smart marketing plan or from genuine concern, most can agree that this is an issue worth your attention.
You may have noticed more kid-friendly recipes in Cooking Light magazine in recent months, and we even have a new Back-to-School guide on our website. What makes a Cooking Light recipe kid-friendly? Well, the good news is that the standards for kids and adults are the same. These recipes must meet our nutritional standards, they must pass through our test kitchen, and most of all, they must be delicious. The real triumph in great kids cooking is that it’s not just for kids. It’s so good that everyone at the table enjoys.
This month, Cooking Light’s The Ultimate Kid-Approved Cookbook will be released, offering a full collection of this kid-friendly fare. The editors brought back Carolyn Williams, mom of two, registered dietitian, and author of Cooking Light First Foods (which I used to the letter when making food for my baby) to write this follow-up for older kids. As a mom of two children myself, I love how this book brings delicious, healthy food to life. I also appreciate that it doesn’t require dinnertime to become a showplace of weird, smiley face concoctions. The food needs to look like food at my house. (But as a parent, I have learned never to judge. If making that salad look like Darth Vader on the plate gets little Sam to eat his veggies, I’m all for it.)
So we’re ready to give away a copy of the book. And our question isn’t just for parents. After all, it takes a village to raise children, and this village needs to do a lot better at feeding our kids healthy food.
Describe for us here in 100 words or less: What would be the one thing you wished you had learned about healthy eating as a child? Entries should be typed into the comments field of this post. Entries are due by Friday, September 9th at 11:59 a.m. EST.
Editors will select their favorites based on originality, creativity, and how well you address our question. Winner will be notified via email by September 16th, 2011.
I wish that as a kid I knew that I should and can eat everything in moderation.
hi all..
“Projects” is the delectable word to describe my explosions in the kitchen. I have tried countless times to “lighten” up a recipe: cutting butter and sugar, adding applesauce and pureed prunes. One weekend, after a satisfactory taste of my lightened up oatmeal cookie, my husband innocently burned my edges: “if people want a cookie, they want a cookie. Go by the recipes, scientists are paid to figure out them out.” My sweetheart wasn’t trying to burn me, but he was right (about the latter part). I crave serving people delicious baked goods that appease their palate and their system.
Balance… Thinking about what I had for breakfast (cereal) and lunch ( sandwich) and then what to have for after school snack?. Usually it was crackers, cookies…more refined sugars and starches. Not that kids need to keep a food log but just think, did I eat any fruit today? Have I had a vegetable today? I find myself today having to make a conscious decision to eat a piece of fruit or make sure we have veggies with dinner, rather than it being habit.
That sugar isn’t a Preferred food group…
that sugar isn’t a preferred food group…
that sugar wasn’t a preferred food group….
One thing I wish I had learned when I was a child was how to cook. My mother was an avid cook and gardener; and with a family of 8, cost of foods was an issue. Without fail, our family meals were full of fresh ingredients! I took advantage of it, and now I regret not taking interest in getting in the kitchen with her. While I am an experienced cook now- I think healthy cooking/eating would have been helpful during my teenage and college years when my peers are most influential on my eating habits- i.e. fast food/pizza/convenience eating.
There are three lessons I wish I’d learned as a kid: Though fried chicken is an easy meal for working parents, it doesn’t qualify as its own food group! Meat does not have to be a part of every meal! And, there’s no need for getting seconds if you start with one well balanced portion of food! My parents did what they could and I’ve learned a lot about my diet since then. Cooking light inspires better meals in my home and, now that I’m a mom, I hope to impart these healthy lessons to my son as he grows.
I had great food to eat as a kid, my Dad was a fresh water fly fisherman and my Mama an avid gardener. But I had huge sweet tooth and would sneak processed sugary snacks or my Mother’s lovely baked goods all the time.
I wish that I would have learned patience. That if I couldn’t have a treat RIGHT THEN, that likely I would be able to have some later.
I worked from an attitude of instant satisfaction, like so many other Americans do, but now in raising my own daughter, though she loves sweet stuff too….I give her homemade goodies and small portions. That way, she does not feel deprived.
We also work very hard on “choice” and I never got that until well into my adulthood.
what a helpful tips for a young parent like me.. thankks
http://www.bestforchef.com/
I do wish that I had learned more about cooking with fresh fruits and veggies. I love fresh fruit as well as my kids, luckily I don’t have to doctor it up to get them to eat fruit. Veggies, however, are a different story. Growing up we usually had frozen or canned veggies and I really want to make fresh ones for my kiddos when in season. However, getting my kids to eat veggies (besides corn and carrots) results in bribery.