Recently, I have been all about movements and initiatives for a healthy lifestyle. I came across one on the internet yesterday while finding kid friendly recipes called The Kids Cook Monday. It is a pretty simple initiative that encourages families to set aside the first night of every week for cooking and eating together. It is very important to me that my family sits down for dinner and reconnects after our days apart. Some dinners can be hard because of the restaurant but I always make sure I am home several days during the week.
So now, not only is my family participating in Meatless Monday, but always The Kids Cook Monday. This will be a great way to get my children into cooking healthy vegetarian meals that they enjoy. My kids love helping out in the kitchen, when I am cooking and baking so this will give them something to look forward to every week.
I believe that teaching young children to cook is an essential life skill they need to learn. The joy I see on my kid’s faces when they are stirring something together or cracking an egg is priceless. Although those helping out often turns into a kitchen mess, it is so worth it. Cooking enforces portion sizes while they are learning about the vitamins and nutrients in the ingredients. It also strengthens math skills, teamwork, and following instructions. My daughter is beginning to learn about fractions in school so cooking is a subtle way to have her practice.
Yesterday the kids had their mind made up on making a pizza…their favorite. I like to add a subtle twist to the pizza by using a cauliflower crust. My kids have no idea and absolutely love it, I highly recommend trying it! Here is the recipe I used to make the cauliflower crust before the kids got home.
Ingredients-
• ½ head of cauliflower
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
Instructions-
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or pizza stone with oil.
• Remove the stems and leaves from your cauliflower, chop it into chunks, place into food processor and pulse just the texture is similar to rice.
• Sauté the cauliflower “rice” over medium heat until it is translucent, about 6-8 mins.
• In a large bowl combine the cauliflower “rice” with garlic, cheese, egg, basil, and oregano and mix thoroughly.
• Spread the dough evenly on the greased cookie sheet or stone about 1/3 inch thick.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until the crust is golden
When the kids got home, they spread the pizza sauce, added the cheese, and their personal favorite vegetables; green peppers, tomato chunks, carrots, olives, and mushrooms (precooked). And then we baked our special pizza for about 5-10 min until the cheese was melted.
It was a great kid’s cook Monday and Meatless Monday in my book. The kids had a great time making the pizza and liked eating it even better. I think it is important to put time aside every day to connect as a family. Our family dinners are always filled with laughter and good conversation. A family that cooks together and eats together is a happy family.
Go Green and Stay Keen,
Julie :)
So now, not only is my family participating in Meatless Monday, but always The Kids Cook Monday. This will be a great way to get my children into cooking healthy vegetarian meals that they enjoy. My kids love helping out in the kitchen, when I am cooking and baking so this will give them something to look forward to every week.
I believe that teaching young children to cook is an essential life skill they need to learn. The joy I see on my kid’s faces when they are stirring something together or cracking an egg is priceless. Although those helping out often turns into a kitchen mess, it is so worth it. Cooking enforces portion sizes while they are learning about the vitamins and nutrients in the ingredients. It also strengthens math skills, teamwork, and following instructions. My daughter is beginning to learn about fractions in school so cooking is a subtle way to have her practice.
Yesterday the kids had their mind made up on making a pizza…their favorite. I like to add a subtle twist to the pizza by using a cauliflower crust. My kids have no idea and absolutely love it, I highly recommend trying it! Here is the recipe I used to make the cauliflower crust before the kids got home.
Ingredients-
• ½ head of cauliflower
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
Instructions-
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or pizza stone with oil.
• Remove the stems and leaves from your cauliflower, chop it into chunks, place into food processor and pulse just the texture is similar to rice.
• Sauté the cauliflower “rice” over medium heat until it is translucent, about 6-8 mins.
• In a large bowl combine the cauliflower “rice” with garlic, cheese, egg, basil, and oregano and mix thoroughly.
• Spread the dough evenly on the greased cookie sheet or stone about 1/3 inch thick.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until the crust is golden
When the kids got home, they spread the pizza sauce, added the cheese, and their personal favorite vegetables; green peppers, tomato chunks, carrots, olives, and mushrooms (precooked). And then we baked our special pizza for about 5-10 min until the cheese was melted.
It was a great kid’s cook Monday and Meatless Monday in my book. The kids had a great time making the pizza and liked eating it even better. I think it is important to put time aside every day to connect as a family. Our family dinners are always filled with laughter and good conversation. A family that cooks together and eats together is a happy family.
Go Green and Stay Keen,
Julie :)
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