The kids have been loving being independent in the kitchen lately – they want to do as much as possible without my help. Blender muffins have been one of my favorite projects to give them because they’re pretty much fool proof.
The measurements are forgiving if you go over or under, and thanks to the blender they always mix up perfectly. Whether you’re letting the kiddos fly solo or looking for an easy project for the them to help with, this is a great recipe to tackle!
Continue readingIf you’ve watched any of our live kitchen play dates, you know that my time in the kitchen with the kids is anything but polished. We make a mess, the kids fight, and sometimes they end up not liking what we make.
That’s okay, though, because in the end they’re learning to cook.
Sometimes, cooking feels like a bit of lost art – but it’s absolutely something I want my kids to know and be comfortable with when they strike out on their own. Sometimes, that looks like a really fun dessert… and sometimes it’s just learning how to dress up your ramen.
Continue readingDespite being great eaters and willing to try almost anything, my kids will still always pick pizza – which means we end up infusing pizza flavors into many different forms in our kitchen!
These pizza waffles first entered into our regular rotation when we were redoing the kitchen in our first home and needed meals that didn’t require the oven. Many years and two kids later, they’re still a favorite.
Continue readingOne of my local grocery stores does a special meal-of-the-week. For a fairly heavy discount, you get a meal for four that’s easy to prepare. And often, they come with dinner.
Which is why, nearly every night when we sit down to eat, my kids now ask, “does this come with dessert?”
Today, I’m kicking off a series of kid-friendly recipes – ones they’ll be able to help make and like to eat. I generally get a lot of questions about how I incorporate Jake into the cooking process. There’s nothing really earth-shattering about my approach: I just let him jump in wherever he can. Yes, it’s sometimes a mess. Yes, we have plenty of over-mixed muffins. But, he’s learning – and that’s important.
These mini muffins are a great place to start if you want to get your kids involved in the kitchen. They’re super simple and come together quickly. These definitely ebb on the healthier side of muffins – if your little one has a big sweet tooth, try mixing in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Kids can:
Adults will need to:
Sweet Potato Banana Muffins
(from The Lean Green Bean)
Makes 1 dozen mini muffins
1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Divide evenly between muffin wells.
Bake for 18 minutes.