The pressure of a first post! What is it I want to say? Isn't that true of life - not just blogs or posts? I'll begin with why I've started Kitchen Kids. As a mother, wife, and woman in her 40's, health & nutrition has become increasingly important and of interest to me. Like many, I've spent a lot of time researching and reading about health & nutrition, and trying to put into practice what I've learned. What I have found - and want to share - is simple: the best and most sustainable way to have a healthy diet is to cook.
So many of us have lost touch with this most basic skill. We are overwhelmed - by time or expectations - and have handed over responsibility to the "food" industry. In today's world, there are so many resources ... we can find a recipe for anything at the touch of a button and ingredients are readily available. It should be easier than ever! But somehow, this barrage of information has become intimidating. Many of us seem to think that home cooking needs to be "restaurant quality." That if we're not a master chef, we're not good enough. So we aren't cooking ourselves, and we certainly aren't passing knowledge onto our children. Eating well is not difficult. We don't need a diet company or a manufacturer to sell us good food. We can take care of ourselves. And that's something we should share with our children. Plant the seed! If you're concerned you don't have the ability to teach your children, begin by teaching yourself or learn together. And don't worry, making mistakes is fundamental to learning! As Julia Child herself said, “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
In my Kitchen Kids' classes, I'm delighted to pull a chair up to my counter and show children how to knead dough, crush garlic, measure flour. They're excited to learn. They're thrilled with the thought that they can do it - all by themselves.
So many of us have lost touch with this most basic skill. We are overwhelmed - by time or expectations - and have handed over responsibility to the "food" industry. In today's world, there are so many resources ... we can find a recipe for anything at the touch of a button and ingredients are readily available. It should be easier than ever! But somehow, this barrage of information has become intimidating. Many of us seem to think that home cooking needs to be "restaurant quality." That if we're not a master chef, we're not good enough. So we aren't cooking ourselves, and we certainly aren't passing knowledge onto our children. Eating well is not difficult. We don't need a diet company or a manufacturer to sell us good food. We can take care of ourselves. And that's something we should share with our children. Plant the seed! If you're concerned you don't have the ability to teach your children, begin by teaching yourself or learn together. And don't worry, making mistakes is fundamental to learning! As Julia Child herself said, “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
In my Kitchen Kids' classes, I'm delighted to pull a chair up to my counter and show children how to knead dough, crush garlic, measure flour. They're excited to learn. They're thrilled with the thought that they can do it - all by themselves.