When my daughters were young scheduling summer activities was always a challenge.  Fortunately, I could always count on my mother-in-law to take them one day a week for various activities, from trips to a museum to the water park to shopping trips to the mall. 

Many times they’d just stay at “G’ma Pat’s” house, where she could keep them entertained for hours (air conditioning and a pool were definite plusses).  Their favorite endeavor, though, was baking with G’ma!

With her home economics degree, G’ma knew her stuff.  They’d start early in the morning…before the heat became unbearable… and would spend hours happily turning flour, milk, water, yeast and various other ingredients into bread, rolls and other  assorted baked delights. My girls learned the joy and satisfaction of literally having their hands in the dough.

If there’s no G’ma Pat at your disposal, there’s the next best thing through a children’s cooking show called Hey Kids, Let’s Cook! This 30-minute cooking show, targeting youth ages 8 to 14, airs on a number of public television outlets throughout California. 

If the show is not playing in your location, you can access a number of archived episodes through their website, Hey Kids, Let’s Cook! 

The host and creator of the show, Kathy Powers, is a teacher who has a passion for introducing children to the fun and sense of accomplishment achieved through cooking.  In addition to demonstrating a wide range of kid-friendly recipes, she is able to share information on nutrition, basic cooking skills, cultural food practices and the agricultural roots of many of the foods we enjoy.

Kathy is ably assisted in each episode by two young assistants.  They enjoy recipes ranging from breakfast items like French toast to snack items like homemade yogurt and parfaits, to lunch and dinner treats like lasagna rolls, chicken chow mein, or macaroni and cheese. 

A complete collection of recipes from all episodes since the program launched (November 2006) is available on the website as well.

Cooking with your children is a wonderful way to enjoy time together.  Even young children can assist in the kitchen.  The earlier and more often you include them in meal preparation activities, the better!  Even preschoolers can help out in the kitchen; you just have to give them tasks that are age-appropriate.

Our tip sheet, Healthy Eating for Your Preschooler, can help guide you in those decisions.  Take your children with you shopping and encourage them to help pick out foods; they’ll particularly enjoy seeing the wide range of offerings at local farmers' markets.

Kid-friendly recipes are plentiful on the internet, including Meals Matter, so check those out as you search for easy recipes that will build your child’s skills and confidence.

So, pull out an apron for you and your child and get started.  Who knows – you may have the next Rachel Ray or Tyler Florence in your kitchen!

Mary Anne Burkman, Registered Dietitian

Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

I used to love to cook when I was a young girl, and made good use of my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Kids.  I even prepared dishes that I didn’t particularly like (carrot and raisin salad in a mayonnaise dressing springs  to mind) just so I could claim credit for the final product.  So, I vowed early  on that my two daughters would have the chance to explore the challenges and delights of our kitchen.

Certain principles guided the way I approached cooking with my kids:

Don’t take the “basics” for granted. Take the time to show them simple  yet essential skills like stirring, chopping, grating, sautéing.  I still remember preparing dinner with about ten girls on a Girl Scout camping weekend.  We were preparing tacos, and one girl was fascinated by the cheese grater.  She could scarcely believe that a block of cheese could be transformed into grated cheese by such a simple tool; she had only seen grated cheese in a package!  That taught me to make no assumptions about cooking skills or knowledge the children might have. Find out what kids can do in the kitchen at different ages!

Deconstruct simple dishes to show them how easy many of their favorite foods are. It was great to see my daughters’ delight with making spaghetti from scratch (that’s right…not sauce from a jar!).  And French toast or waffles that didn’t come from the freezer section. Many of these recipes can still be made in short order, so busy family schedules can be maintained. Find kid-friendly recipes at Meals Matter.org!

One entertaining way to introduce children to simple cooking skills is through Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!  This is a 30 minute cooking show specifically targeting children.  Simple, nutritious recipes that will appeal to children and parents alike are highlighted.  Information about the show can be found at the Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!

Share the mentoring duties with family and friends.  I’m not a baker, but my mother-in-law is.  From her, my girls learned the proper techniques for all manner of rolls, biscuits, pie crust.  A favorite aunt was able to teach them how to make jellies and preserves. And sharing time with extended family in this way is a treat for all parties involved.

When each of my girls turned 10, they were given the “privilege” of planning and preparing the family dinner one night each week.  If the menus skewed towards burritos, quesadillas and personal pizzas with more frequency than I might have preferred, that was okay.  Beyond the basic skills fostered, the cooking experience helped them connect to family traditions through favored recipes.  It’s doubtful they would have grown to enjoy Southern dishes like cornbread, mustard greens or deviled eggs without that link!

So, I encourage you to welcome your children into the kitchen as junior chefs.  It’s an experience you’ll all enjoy.

Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.

Mary Anne Burkman, Registered Dietitian

Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

Family meals when I was a child did not conjure up a Norman Rockwell sort of image.  You see, my father loved the concept of eating dinner on a TV tray, perched in his favorite chair, watching Walter Cronkite and the Evening News.   I vowed early on that when I had a family, our mealtimes would be different.  And this was long before I understood the many benefits for children associated with shared mealtimes – improved academic achievement and higher self-esteem to name a few.

Family meals became a routine in my home from the beginning…often to the amazement of my daughters’ friends (“You sit down at the table, without TV, most nights?  Really?”).   I won’t pretend it was always easy, as our schedules often kept us running, usually in opposite directions.   But some “barriers” could be managed pretty easily:

Think a family dinner has to be complicated and time-consuming?  Not so!  Lots of simple dinners can be prepared and eaten in less than an hour.  Check out these quick meals.  Even if you’re bringing home take-out food, serve it on actual dishes…sit down around the table in a relaxed manner, even for just 20 minutes.

Think dinner is the only meal you can share as a family?  Branch out.  For example, our daughters loved Sunday morning breakfasts we shared when Dad would pull out the waffle iron and work his culinary magic.

Think that all family meals have to be at home?  Not necessarily.  When our daughters were young, my husband was still working Saturdays in his dental practice.  We’d often bring him a picnic lunch to share in his office – great fun!

Feel overwhelmed doing all of the planning and preparation yourself?  Delegate!  Have your children suggest their favorite meal for one night of the week.  As they get older, involve them in the preparation with simple kitchen tasks.

Mealtimes are so much more than just the food.  For my family, this became a place where we could celebrate successes and commiserate over disappointments.  We shared, debated…and laughed!  Think of family meals as an opportunity to nurture your children in addition to nourishing them.  With a little planning, and a willingness to be flexible, family meals can become part of your routine.

Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.

Mary Anne Burkman, Registered Dietitian

Shoppers invariably look for a “deal” when making decisions on purchasing items ranging from cars to television sets to shoes…and, yes, food.  They’re looking for the biggest “bang for the buck”!  For those products, shoppers will be looking for the best value or quality features for the dollars spent.  With foods, that value and quality are probably best embodied by the “nutrient-rich” concept.

Nutrient-rich foods are those that supply a high ratio of key nutrients to calories.  Those foods, which provide the nutrients we need for growth, development and health maintenance, form the foundation of a healthy eating pattern:

• Low-fat and non-fat milk, cheese and yogurt
• Colorful fruits and vegetables
• Lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts and beans
• Whole, fortified and fiber-rich grains

The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition has assembled a number of resources that underscore this positive and inclusive approach to eating – with a focus on those foods we can include as part of daily choices. 

You might be wondering, however, if this simple approach can work for you.  Maybe you’re someone who doesn’t prepare a lot of their meals from scratch – you’re more of a “grab and go” type.  Conversely, maybe you love to cook and often experiment with new ingredients that top the latest culinary “what’s hot” list.  Rest assured that regardless of your approach to meal planning and preparation, nutrient-rich foods can serve as the anchor.

The Food Personality Quiz on Meals Matter is an easy, fun way to discover your true food personality, with profiles ranging from “Gourmets” to “Last Minute Meals”.  Upon completion of this quiz, you’ll receive personalized recipe recommendations, access to healthy lifestyle tools, and more suggestions and tips.  Regardless of your food personality type, almost all of us desire nutritious meals, and a focus on nutrient-rich foods is a great start!

Learn more about this new approach by following our blog series, Positive Eating Approach.

Mary Anne Burkman, Registered Dietitian

Find related posts on Twitter by searching #NYNA.

In his 1945 #1 hit (yes, it’s old), Bing Crosby encouraged people to “accentuate the positive” and “latch on to the affirmative.”  I flashed back to this song recently when I was reading a summary of the 2010 Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey results conducted by The American Dietetic Association Foundation. One of the overarching conclusions from this report was that families are more aware of what they should not eat than what they should eat.

I feel that the focus on negative dietary advice has gone too far.  In the past five to ten years, I’ve seen the focus of nutrition recommendations and policy guidelines focus more and more on the negative—what “sinful” foods should be eliminated, restricted or taxed because of their fat, sugar, calorie or sodium content.  But this approach of “villainizing” an ever-expanding list of foods just doesn’t work!  

At Meals Matter, we believe you have to teach people about the nutrient-rich foods they should eat as part of their healthy family meals.

Throughout the month of January we will be sharing tips and practical advice for taking a positive approach to healthy eating and family meals with our New Year, New Approach blog series.

If you don’t already, be sure to subscribe to our blog.

Rather than focus on the negative, we need to heed Bing’s advice and focus on what we can “do” to eat healthfully; spend less time on the “don’ts”. A positive approach to eating also takes into account family cultural traditions, as well as cost and convenience. Respecting an individual’s food tastes and cooking preferences is part of the positive and realistic approach to eating that helps people eat healthier over a lifetime.

I am certain that once we take a positive approach to eating and preparing food, we will start to see that people can make healthy choices that are sustainable for long-term good health! 

Mary Anne Burkman, Registered Dietitian

What holiday better showcases family food traditions than Thanksgiving?  Our traditional pecan pie always reminds my family of my Southern roots.  And even when my daughters spent Thanksgivings away from home during their college years, they managed to fashion a cornbread and sausage stuffing recipe as close to Mom’s as they could manage (a particular challenge in Italy!).  Those specific tastes and smells conjure up all sorts of good memories.

Over the years, I’ve hosted Thanksgiving dinners serving anywhere between 2-15 people. Can it be stressful?  You bet!  But over time I’ve tapped into some strategies that bring the “frantic” level down to something manageable.  I work fulltime so don’t have days ahead to prep.  The mantra I’ve adopted is “KISS – Keep it Super Simple”:

• Make it a potluck. In our family, the “host” supplies the turkey, stuffing and gravy – everything else is up for grabs. Be sure, however, to find out what people are bringing ahead of time, so you can plan refrigerator and freezer space accordingly, as well as oven time needed.  
• Don’t be overly ambitious. Those home and cooking magazines can tempt you to try several new recipes all at once. That can make for anxious moments in the kitchen when you’re not sure if the result will be a hit or a miss. Try adding just one new recipe to your pool of tried and true dishes.
• Tap into people’s strengths. While my older daughter is a whiz in the kitchen, my younger daughter likes to point out that she has other “skills.” Her assignment? Ambience! She does terrific centerpieces and flower arrangements and set a table to rival Martha Stewart – which is a major time and stress saver for me.
• Take advantage of Wednesday night prep time.  Pies, rolls (if you’re baking from scratch), cranberry sauce, dips all do very well when prepared the night before.
• Don’t overdo appetizers; plan one or two at the most.  You don’t want to spoil appetites for the main event.  
• Consolidate re-usable plastic containers ahead of time so that dishing up leftovers for family and friends to take home is a breeze.

Your Thanksgiving meal can be memorable and fun-filled without your sacrificing hours and hours chained to the kitchen.  Remember that the point of the day is to reconnect and enjoy your loved ones.  This is a chance to celebrate and showcase your family and cultural traditions. Take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy it yourself!

What are some of your tips for keeping the Thanksgiving meal ranking low on the stress meter?

Mary Anne Burkman, MPH, R.D.
Director, Program Services