There is no doubt there is a real loss of cooking skills amongst our generation and as a result, our own children’s generation.

The busier life gets, the more we rely on processed packaged foods to get us by.

Which not only means we are missing out on nourishing our families properly, but also that we are slowly losing the art of cooking simple, delicious meals from scratch and passing this lifelong skill onto our children.

In 1984 we made 72 percent of our dinners from scratch, but by 2008 that number dropped to 57 percent …

What will happen with cooking in the future?

And all the while obesity is on the rise. And increasingly, we are seeing more illness and disease creeping in earlier and earlier with our children.

Getting kids in the kitchen goes a long way to improving children’s health and wellbeing both now and in the future.

I would love to see cooking classes become compulsory again in high schools, and I am thrilled my son has elected to do food tech at high school as he delights in food creation, presentation and eating! 

In fact, all that time in the kitchen with me has meant my kids have turned out to be a massive help when it comes to cooking, often helping out with all the meals of the day which substantially lightens my load. We have a good time in the kitchen together too.

The school holiday’s provide a great opportunity to embrace your kids in the kitchen so why not give it a go with this round up of the best healthy recipes to make with your kids these school holidays. 

By teaching your kids to cook you’ll also be …

• boosting their maths and science skills
• fostering their social skills
• teaching them about healthy food and good eating habits
• building responsibility and independence
• creating great memories and conversation
• improving their reading and comprehension
• taking inadvertent steps to unfuss their fussy eating
• and learning a skill that will benefit them for life by keeping them well and happy, and will also one day pass this skill on to their own children

Here’s to our budding chefs changing the future of health and well being.

Let’s get their health back on track.

Bren x

Connection has been something he as craved, but has found difficult to find outside of his family. Sometimes connection is even hard to find within your own family, but as parenting author and educator Maggie Dent says, “the great memories of our childhoods play an important role in our outlook on life….building memories that last occurs simply when we repeat significantly positive experiences“.

Through the ritual of cooking, a major point of connection for Orlando and I (I do not, and will not, play golf!) is the kitchen. For us, it’s a place where we can talk about life’s problems and stresses and fritter them away into the ether, to replace them with a sense of peace, joy and fun.

In the kitchen it’s just me, my son … and food!

Pic: Banana-Choc Cinnamon Icecream from Real Food For Hungry Teens

Everything just feels all right when we are in there together. It’s our own little club where we can relate and speak on the same level, try new approaches and create different taste sensations. I have the extra sense of smell, but he definitely has the highly evolved taste buds!

Sure, we’ll disagree on recipes from time to time (and can’t he put his foot down?!), but for the most part, our time spent together here is a very grounded and deep.

Food and nutrition has been an important part of my life since before he was born. I suppose it’s only natural that some of this will rub off on him, and he has certainly grown up to embrace my love of good food.
Pic: Hearty Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quesadilla

He trusts me enough to tell me when he’s indulged and made some poor choices (which happens more often as he gets more freedom and autonomy), even though he knows I won’t be that happy about it. I guess he feels he can confide in me because he knows the reason I won’t be happy is simply because I love him. I think he trusts me because he doesn’t feel judged, or that he’s let me down.

I do my best not to create fear around food, and the key (to me) is to not be judgmental. Who needs it, right?! It’s about teaching the right lessons and our kitchen experiences allow opportunities for explaining why good, real food is so beneficial. I find that accentuating the positives naturally draws us to positive habits. In doing so, I’m comfortable that I have given him the right set of tools to make the right choices, and can trust him to do so, even if he goes through the inevitable period of rebellion.

My son is big, bustling, sporty, developing and HUNGRY and needs as much nourishment as he can get. It’s critical for his development, but even more important is making sure it’s the right kind of nourishment – the kind that his body requires for sustainable, long term development.

So, this is why we decided to write a recipe book together. And it’s one of the most important things I’ve created in my work because my son and I created it together.

I know I will cherish the memory of this experience forever, as well as all our special moments in the kitchen. I have a feeling he will too.

When I tell him that one day his future wife will thank me for teaching him how to cook, and how lucky his own kids will be having a Dad who knows how to nourish them, he shoots me his proudest grin.

REAL FOOD FOR HUNGRY TEENS is the eBook we created together. We hope you love all the recipes and maybe even create beautiful long-lasting kitchen memories together.

About the eBook: Created by certified health coach, Brenda Janschek, and her hungry and creative son Orlando, this eBook contains a rich variety of over 20 nourishing, real food recipes designed to satisfy the tastebuds and growth requirements of developing teenagers.

Teenage years place a great burden on the body as it transforms into adulthood. These tasty recipes are designed to help our growing kids through this period of physical, emotional and intellectual upheaval with food that actually supports their accelerating growth, without simply resorting to a loaf of bread at each sitting.

You can purchase it here.

One of the things I enjoy most about life is how much there is too learn. 

Learning is a lifelong process, it is a self-directed and self-paced journey of discovery which fills me with true wonder at the world.

When it comes to the area of kids nutrition, I’ve learnt bucket loads, through the eCourse Thrive, Raising Kids Who Love Real Food, which I proudly run with great mate Alexx Stuart from Low Tox Life. We are kicking off our only live round this year on the 22nd May 2019! 

There are SO many things I have learnt from interviewing various experts, so I decided to share just three things which have personally made me stop to think, and have made a difference to how I approach nutrition and parenting issues with my family as well as my clients.

1. In my interview with Dr Leila Masson, a biomedical paediatrician, we were talking about genes amongst many other things. It was enlightening to here how inheriting a gene alone doesn’t cause illness. It’s the gene in combination with certain environmental factors, which can trigger the expression of that gene. My daughter has inherited a gene from her Dad (Factor 5 Leiden) which makes her susceptible to blood clotting. This gene has been expressed in her Dad which has caused him health issues and lifelong reliance on blood thinning tablets. So you can imagine how worrying this has been for me. Given my daughter’s healthy lifestyle and reduced exposure to toxins, however, I am comforted that this gene is less likely to be triggered in her. Soooo good to know Dr Masson!

• In my interview with Simone Emery, from Play with Food and who is a Children’s Feeding Expert, I learnt SO MUCH about fussy eaters. Example, have you heard of the term ‘food jagging‘? It’s when your child suddenly gets stuck on a food and that’s the only thing they’ll eat. While it can be incredibly worrying to parents, Simone explains that often it’s simply related to a developmental or cognitive stage they are at, and she provides some very practical tips on how to work through this stage to ensure you child gets proper nutrition.

• My interview with David Bedrick, Counselor and Positive Body Image Advocate, was a huge eye opener not just for me, but with many members who were incredibly moved by the knowledge he shared. For instance, what he discovered when doing some research 7 or 8 years ago, was that more women were dying of eating disorders then they were dying of AIDS. But AIDS makes the headline news, eating disorders only makes the ‘style section’ tucked away somewhere. Eating disorders are deadly and affect 7 million women in America and affect approximately 9% of Australians. I loved David’s advice that one thing we can do is to help our children start to think critically about the ‘ideal female image’ from a young age, with tips and ideas on conversations you can start to have with them.

There is so much to learn about both physical and psychological health of our children and so many positive and simple ways we can overhaul or enhance their lives. Alexx Stuart and I share so much in our course THRIVE, RAISING KIDS WHO LOVE REAL FOOD. We are proud to say the experts we interviewed are the best in the field and we are blessed to have them share their wisdom and passion to help parents provide the best life possible for all of our children.

Join our only LIVE ROUND this year and be surrounded by passionate, likeminded parents on a mission to provide the best life for their kids and where Alexx and I will be daily present in the private Facebook to steer the ship and answer all your burning questions.

Bren x

Simone is a veritable encyclopaedia on all things to do with fussy eaters, and in our expert interview for THE FUSSY EATING BUNDLE, she shares some very insightful and extremely helpful effective strategies to combat fussy eating.

I’m so thrilled to have her on the blog sharing some of her expertise here for you all as well.

Family Meals and Fussy Eating- Guest Post by Simone Emery from Play with Food.

First thing first, I want to thank Brenda for having me here today! I love Brenda’s honest approach to health and wellbeing for the entire family.

Here’s a quick and succinct guest post all about conquering fussy eating stages with your child. My experience and studies in children’s feeding almost make it too hard for me to quickly tell you in a nut shell what to do about fussy eating. However, I can endorse one tool that is essential to get you on track, the family meal.

To effectively have a family meal we need to clearly set up a definition for it.

A family meal does not mean an elaborate roast joint with a million vegetable-laden side dishes, a painstakingly crafted dessert and everyone you are related to over 4 generations sitting down and eating together.

It can simply be just 2 people (you and a child) having a toasted sandwich together at the table.

I consider that the majority of my meals with my kids are family meals. Even if we only sit together on a picnic rug at the park to have a yoghurt that is still a family meal. Your role at the family meal is to be the provider but your children have control over pretty much everything else from the toddler years going forward – how much they eat, what they eat, how they clean themselves, how they motor plan getting the food into their own mouth. Yes, you provide it all but try and let them control it.

A family can, by understanding and playing out their roles effectively in family meals, raise children to be competent, healthy and joyful eaters.

If your child is particularly fussy with a smell, texture, temperature, sound, colour or any other visual aspect of a food increasing their exposure to it via the family meal will help you iron out the root cause.

Here are my tips for holding a successful family meal that appeals to even the fussiest of kids.

Engage the child in some movement before the meal to help them organise or reset themselves.

• Everyone should sit with a 90 degree angle at the hips, knees and ankles. (Special chairs, foot rests or booster seats may be required).
• Decide on the environmental cues that will help your child concentrate on eating (eg. turn TV off, sit in a well-lit area, use a familiar placemat).
• Family style meal serves where everyone takes something from each plate provided – they can put it on their plate or onto their learning plate. Do this instead of plating up for the child in advance. It also saves on waste!
• Try to offer a preferred food, a carbohydrate, a dairy, a fruit, a vegetable and a protein.
• Use this time as a great chance to connect with your children. Eat with purpose and concentration.

Want to raise healthy eaters who eat a wide variety of food? Grab The Fussy Eating Bundle for just $49 by midnight 31st July Sydney time and get your  5 Amazing Bonuses for FREE! FIND OUT MORE HERE.

Simone is a mother of 2 little girls and lives in Sydney. She runs Play with Food. Play with Food offer food experiences to children and their families that aim to delight the taste buds and imagination. Her aim in these is to help families have happy mealtimes. Get her guide “The ABC’s to happier and healthier family meals” via her website.

I do my best to keep 80-90% of the food healthy, or what they know to be everyday food. We don’t keep any ‘sometimes’ food at home, which is reserved for parties, grandparents, friends houses and other events. The food I provide my kids aims to provide them with energy and nutrition so that they can feel happy and healthy each day and in the future.

So I have provided a list of regular foods my kids will eat in the hope this well help you…

Breakfast

• Spelt and buckwheat pancakes (or they are loving my latest banana pancake recipe, which I will try to blog soon)
• Smoothies – they love the Banana Nut-butter Protein Shake by Quirky Cooking from my free breakfast e-book 
• Anti-oxidant smoothie
• Eggs and soldiers – 2 eggs and soldiers made out of Sonoma Spelt sourdough bread with grass fed butter and cut up veges on the side
• Scrambled eggs made with Barambah cheese and milk with baby spinach and a side of  raw vegetables and avocado sourdough toast
  Egg Muffins
• Fried egg and bacon with cut up raw vegetables
• Bircher Muesli or Mamacino’s Feel Good Buckwheat Bircher Muesli from my free breakfast e-book 
• Golden Ricotta Wraps – from my free breakfast ebook
• Natural yoghurt mixed with lots of cinnamon, vanilla powder, frozen berries or seasonal fruit and a mix of chopped nuts and seeds
• Coco- nutty Granola by Sarah Wilson
• Grass fed sausages with homemade baked beans and a side of raw chopped vegetables
• French toast using sourdough bread
• Brenda’s Brekky Ball with a green smoothie
• Notella on spelt sourdough

Morning Tea/Snacks/After school snacks

• Chopped fruit with nuts and yoghurt
• Healthy treats like Chewy Choc-Banana Biscuits, Brownie Cake,  or Date and Cinnamon Muffin
• Home popped organic popcorn (non-GMO corn) with lots of grass fed butter and sea salt (or cinnamon)
• Leftover homemade pizza
• Plate with nuts/seeds, a Medjool date and natural yoghurt
• Kale Chips
• Frozen blueberries or rasberries with cashews
• Mango sorbet
• Home made ice block
• Super Smoothie
• Dips like hummus, pesto and guacomole with vegetable sticks and a small amount of Eat Rite brown rice crackers
• Mix n match muffins
• Cheese on top of cucumber slices
• Lots of water
• Coconut water from fresh baby coconut
• Muesli slice

School Lunch

• Often these are Mountain bread wraps (spelt, rye or rice) with the following fillings (butter and baby spinach are always on the base):
• Goats cheese and olive
• Ham and cheese
• Eggs and bacon
• Leftover chicken and brie
• Egg muffins or leftover quiche
• Home made sausage rolls
• Cheese and spinach Mountain Bread toasties
• Leftovers like homemade pizza, spanokopita (when mum cooks)
• Lately my son is loving taking a “picky plate” which he prepares himself with ham, swiss cheese, olives (Loving Earth), cut up veges and some buttered buckwheat cruskits
• Za’atar (a big favourite!)
• Savoury muffins
• Vegetable sticks, sliced mushroom, cherry tomatoes

Dinner

• • Always includes lots of vegetables
  • Slow cooker meals are their favourite, particularly lamb shoulder
  • Roast chicken with roasted sweet potato, potato, garlic and onion and steamed broccoli with lots of butter
  • Cauliflower and potato soup
  • Pumpkin soup
  • Lamb shank soup
  • Spelt pasta with home made pesto, sustainable tuna and Loving Earth olives
  • Roast chicken with potato, sweet potato, onion, garlic and salad
  • Frittatas
  • Scrambled eggs and bacon with sourdough toast and chopped up vegetables
  • Pan fried fish with peas and salad
  • Stuffed baked potato
  • Chicken burrito (let them build it themselves)

As you can see they eat mainly a whole foods diet aiming for a good mix of protein, fat and carbs (mainly vegetables and some fruit) at each meal, without relying heavily on just one food group (eg. wheat or dairy).

I would love to hear what your kids favourite meals are in the comments below.

Bren x

Jen’s mission is to assist mums in reclaiming their health and confidence through exercsie, no matter what stage of motherhood they are at.

Her  programs cater for women who are at the pre-natal and post-natal stages,  and also for mums who are ready to take it a step further. These are her “Tough Mums” !

I hope you enjoy getting to know Jen and learning about the work that she does as much as I did

Tell us a little about yourself

I am proud mum to Marley (5) and India (3) and I am married to Ben, who is a Gaffer in the film industry. I’m a Personal Trainer and I run a business that has developed specialist exercise programs for mums.

Under my personal brand umbrella sit’s my three programs; Body Before Baby, Body Beyond Baby and Tough Mums.

I am also a keen obstacle racer and have had some great results recently with placing’s at Tough Bloke Challenge, Urbanathlon and the Spartan Race. I’m currently training as part of the first Australian team selected for the Spartan World Championships in Vermont in September.

I have also just published my first book “How to Love your Body as much as your Baby”.

Tell us about your business and what it’s about?

My business is almost 5 years old – it was ‘born’ when my son, Marley was 3months old and has grown from one program and just a couple of sessions a week to what it is today.

Our programs offer the complete solution from pregnancy, through the postnatal period and way beyond that.

What makes us unique is that I am a mum, all of our trainers are mums and we only work with mums. We’ve helped hundreds of women achieve their best ever body and really find what it means to be themselves again after having a baby.

Our Body Before Baby classes help to prepare new mums for what may possible be the most physically demanding job they have ever done, in the most deconditioned state they have ever been in. Remaining strong through this time and knowing what exercise is safe and effective is very important.

We provide nannies at all of our Body Beyond Baby sessions to really help mum to take some time out after having her baby. We equip her with the best postnatal exercises for rebuilding from the inside out and flattening her tummy again.

And our Tough Mum training sessions really push to the next level. We train for an action packed schedule of obstacle races and team runs – by this stage many of our mums are stronger and fitter than they have ever been!

What are some of the things you value most in life?

I value the health and wellbeing of my family and myself. We are so lucky to lead healthy lives and I believe we should nurture and look after our body so it is able to help us do and achieve everything we want to.

I value close family, friendships and support systems; in a world where many of us live far away from our extended family, forming a group of key people around you that will support you in different areas of life is important.

I also value alone or ‘me’ time – as we grow older we become more comfortable with ourselves and taking the time to just be, and to accept yourself for who you are is very important. Then the sooner we can pass this quality onto our children the better!

What is your favourite quote?

“Make it Happen”  – short and sweet but I believe everyone has the power to create their own destiny.

What are your tips to staying happy and healthy?

My top tips to staying happy and healthy:

• Take regular time out for yourself – many mums put themselves at the bottom of the list after having children. I believe it is vital to take time out to nurture yourself, then you can be the best mum you can be.  A tired grumpy mum makes grumpy children.
• Move every day – human beings were designed to move and energy creates energy.
• Eat clean 90% of the time – there is always room for a little indulgence but it should be now and then not part of your daily routine.
• Pass on what you know – I believe that mums can change the health and wellbeing of their whole family and we have a responsibility to teach our children great habits.
• Know your purpose – there’s nothing more powerful than knowing what you are here for and what you want to achieve in life. Knowing and connecting to your ‘why’ makes everything you do in life more meaningful. Whether this relates to being the best mum you can be for your children, pushing through your fitness goals or taking the next step in business.

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

I am very selfish with my training time – it just has to happen and it is locked into my schedule everyday.

I also try to take moments to check in with my week. If I am feeling overwhelmed or that I have too much on my plate I am becoming very good at taking things out. I will cancel a meeting that isn’t absolutely necessary on that day and take a little time to work through whatever I’m feeling.

I think checking in with yourself regularly is important. Whether it’s in life at home with children or in business taking a moment to think about how you are feeling, connecting with it and then figuring out how that will effect your decision making and reactions at that time is important.  It is very easy to charge through life and disregard your personal feelings just to get things done. I am learning to respect myself and my needs more and STILL get things done.

What does healthy eating mean for you?

I’m one of those boring people who eats for fuel rather than for enjoyment. Of course I love a great meal at a great restaurant with my husband or friends but it’s not essential for me to cook elaborate meals every evening.

Healthy eating is about eating clean, unprocessed, fresh food wherever possible.

What are 5 of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Although healthy eating is really important to me I am not a massive cook so the most important items for me enable me to make simple, quick and healthy meals. My top 5 essentials; almonds, tins of tuna, coconut water, salad and chicken.

What do you indulge in?

I am an all or nothing girl – chocolate is my weakness, if it’s in the house it won’t last long!

What do you and your family like to do on the weekend?

Sunday is generally our family day. I like to take the children out to experience things and go places with them but it doesn’t have to be fancy; having breakfast at a café, going to the beach or the park and seeing them playing is great. India and I spent time just sitting watching the ocean and chatting last weekend which was really nice – the most important thing is taking time out to really ‘be’ with them.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

I’m all about healthy kids snacks. I don’t believe in giving my children sugar so I am often coming up with inventive ways of giving them treat foods but making sure they are good for them:
Healthy Iceblocks

• 1 Banana
• 1 can coconut water (I love Nakula)
• 10 strawberries

blend

pour the blended mixture into the mould and then add the chopped strawberries

Freeze and enjoy!

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Jen

www.facebook.com/ToughMums

www.facebook.com/bodybeyondbaby

https://www.facebook.com/jen.dugard

Instagram @JenDugard

Twitter @JenDugard

Youtube @JenDugard

www.jendugard.com

I’ll let you in on a little secret early on … it’s possibly not as interesting as the contents of Kate Moss’ or Miranda Kerrs’ handbags (and doesn’t have Orlando Bloom’s number either, darn it). But if you’re still interested, join me on a journey into the unknown as I try to locate the secret pockets, chambers and small community halls that my husband insists are in there.

As my children are now seven and nine years old, the contents have substantially changed. Nappies are now a no-no, and I can’t hide my excitement! Muesli bars, cut up fruit, snacks, textas and toys have also worn out their welcome.

Once diving into my bag (not literally), I thought I would find plenty of empty space, but minimal-me doesn’t sound quite right when I pull out 19 items.

1) Business cards and postcards

2) Wallet

3) Lipstick – my current fave colour is all natural and a sexy pink!

4) Organic Lip Balm – natural and organic & my numero uno must-have in my bag. No chemical nasties.

5) Tinted Lip Balm – I adore this Ere Perez product, perfect for a hint of colour, as well as conditioning for the lips.

6) Teabag – as I don’t drink caffeine I tend to bring my own … just in case.

7) Mobile Phone – goes everywhere with me, just like a baby.

8) Car Keys

9) Scarf – my favourite Jac & Jac scarf perfect to have on hand for these unpredictable autumn days.

10) Book for the waiting room. At the moment it’s Optimum Nutrition for your Childs Mind (nerd alert).

11) Acorn – my 7yr old is a bower bird and insists on keeping little nuggets of nature she finds along the way.

12) Water bottle – can’t leave home without it. Staying hydrated is necessary for me.

13) Tissues – being a hay fever sufferer these are essential.

14) Dental Floss – to save me from potentially embarrassing poppy seed moments.

15)  Sunglasses- love my classic Chanels.

16) Green shopping bag – for any spontaneous health food shopping.

17) Activated nuts – to quell the hunger attacks when I’m on the run.

18)  Organic green apple – my favourite portable fruit & goes well with the nuts.

19) Hand moisturiser – for my dermatitis flare ups.

My handbag clearly reveals that I’m a real natural new age mum & also that I may need to downsize!

If you want to check out what’s in other new age mums handbags go to Natural New Age Mums blog.

What’s in your handbag and what does it say about you? I’d love to know!

Bren x

From My Kitchen inspired itself, it came to me and I rolled with it. I was jobless,
lifeless and From My Kitchen inspired me to live a life where I do what I love. I spent
some time last year rediscovering myself, I realized I didn’t know anything about
myself or what I wanted in life. I was in a career that I didn’t enjoy and was rather just
living in a mundane routine without thought. Taking time out has been best thing I
couldn’t have ever done. I discovered a lot about who am, what I want from life and
my true purpose. It exposed my love and passion for cooking and due to that “From
My Kitchen” was born.

From My Kitchen is a home cooking and catering business. All the ingredients are
100% organic, using only the finest natural products and super foods available. All
the products are sugar free, gluten free and vegan. From My Kitchen caters for
events, runs workshops for teenagers and deliveries snacks packs to the connivance
of your door. From My Kitchen also offers in house cooking days, cooking in your
own kitchen for any event or dinner based on your request.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE TRUFFLES

These a delicious sweet treat to put into your children’s lunch boxes for school or as
afternoon snack. They are nut free, gluten free, refined sugar free and vegan.
(Makes Approx. 12 Balls)

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp. Rolled quinoa
• 2 tbsp. Shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp. Cacao powder
• 1 tbsp. Grated orange zest
• 5 Dates, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp. Raw honey
• 1 tsp. Chia seeds
• ½ tsp. Vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• Cacao powder & desiccated coconut for coating

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix well so it forms a batter.
2. Test the mixture, if too dry had warm filtered water and combine in the food
processor. If too wet add a mixture of the dry ingredients and combine in the
food processor.
3. From the batter, form small balls. Choosing your desired size. I like bite size
balls.
4. Roll the ball in your preferred coating.
5. Store in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer for up to two weeks.

We are so lucky that Rachel will be providing one of her yummy, healthy treats in the Plentiful Workshop take home gift bags in February!

Have a delightful day!

Bren x

As a parent, which would you prefer? Kids in or out of the kitchen?

These days, I’m one of those parents who loves hearing, “Can I help with the cooking, Mum?”.  But it wasn’t always this way, and I still have to silence that part of me that groans that having them involved will delay me from my 1000 other parental tasks. And let’s not even talk about the mess!
But, mostly these days I’m as excited as they are when they fry an egg, flip a buckwheat pancake, mix some kale with coconut oil with their hands, slice some cheese or tomato (ok, this one still stresses me out a bit), and read and measure out ingredients. Even better, they don’t even realise they are increasing their knowledge of nutrition, as well as increasing their academic and life skills! It may come as no surprise that healthy treat baking is when they are the happiest assistants, the only downfall being that my husband and I have lost our bowl-licking rights.

Having our kids in the kitchen is beneficial in many ways:

• LEARN: Learning how to cook is an important life skill not only that but cooking provides a great opportunity to teach our kids about nutrition – what’s healthy, why and why that’s good. In addition it teaches safety habits (sharp objects, fire, gas etc)
• READ: Reading recipes and flicking through recipe books encourages them to read and follow instruction (later, they will learn ‘improvisation’ and ‘multi tasking’)
• MATHS: The recipes also use maths concepts (measurement, fractions and proportions), which helps to improve their numerical skills by giving them context
• BONDING: It provides important bonding time which, in turn, helps to build their confidence. It also presents opportunities to praise your child as they complete a task, contributing to their self-esteem
• EXPLORE: They are introduced to new foods, which they are more likely to try given they are preparing them
• MOTOR SKILLS: Fine motor skills are honed in the kitchen, as are their five senses: see, hear, smell, touch, taste (thanks XTC! Showing my age.)
• CREATIVITY: Kids have an opportunity to express their creativity – eg. using cookie cutters to make different pizza or sandwich shapes, collaborating on a new healthy cake recipe and decorating it, deciding on the design and ingredients for a fruit kebab, choosing ingredients they like to include in their smoothie and so on……

My kids are just as happy being dutiful assistants at dinner as they are ordering me to bring out the flour and water so they can goo and sludge their way to a dough that will invariably become known as “the best bread ever”. This is a joyous, bonding activity, whilst also being subliminally educational. It’s hard to think of a better way to teach our children life’s lessons.
So why not choose a recipe with your kids and let the kids into the kitchen this week? I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how rewarding it can be!

Bren x