When in doubt, we go to the kitchen. Bad day? Kids not getting along? Let's go to the kitchen!
PLAYIN IN THE KITCHEN
Another homeschool mom, Hollie, recommended the cookbooks for kids by Mollie Katzen since her daughter has been enjoying using them so much. Sam, Wil and Ben have all found them to be lots of fun. Right away, the cooking began. Sometimes, it feels a bit too chaotic for me while I'm trying to cook and they start theirs. We have created some guidelines that have put me at ease.
We borrowed both Pretend Soup and Honest Pretzels from the library. I have also used a few recipes from her book The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest with great success. Although Pretend Soup is geared towards younger kids, Sam can do everything by herself using this book so she loves it...very empowering! Sam began with popovers and pancakes. Ben decided on sticky buns and pretzels. William made a great rasberry fruit dip that turned into a dip for whatever we were eating at the moment (french toast in the picture below).
Even in the middle of winter, we like our home-made ice cream (peppermint choc chip). It gives even more reasons to snuggle.
THE GREAT BREAD ESCAPE
Each week we make bread dough that we can refrigerate and make fresh loaves as needed. I really like to use glass rather than plastic for food items. Well, I don't have a bowl with a lid that is quite big enough. If I let it rise too long, this is what happens. As you can see by the grabby hands, the kids don't mind and will nibble whatever they can get off the edges.
OUR BACKUPS
Please tell me you have days when you can't seem to please your child's palate? In winter, especially towards the end, these moments seem much more frequent. I feel like we aren't able to use the typical favorites of other children...mac & cheese, grilled cheese, spaghetti since at least one child will protest (loudly) about each one. Part of the backup process is suppose to be ease for a parent right?
Our two favorite backups are...
the classic banana with peanut butter
This actually only works for two of the kids but I'll take it!
Tacos. Somehow, this always works. I like it because it is a fond memory of childhood for me. I always loved having them. We often end up with a plate like the photo below. Just piles of stuff. I think this began with "walking tacos." You just take a single serving sized bag of doritos, crush them up in the bag, and cut the top of the bag off. Then, fill it up with your toppings and eat with a fork right from the bag. This tradition started where we used to get our Christmas trees each year. It moved to the food at every birthday party. I actually cringe when I buy Doritoes (my tongue swells when I eat them) so we have moved to a more neutral place with healthier, organic, non-coated chips or taco shells for our dinners. For parties though, I would stick the the Doritoes because the no clean up is fantastic!
HAPPY EATING!
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