4 Meals That You Can Cook With Your Children

After a week long absence from home due to work, you need to spend quality time with your children. There’s no better way to spend time and teach them valuable skills like cooking with them. Here are a few meal ideas that you can cook with your children over the weekend.

Salad in a jar¹

Most parents complain that it is a hustle to get kids to eat salads. I bet you do agree with me. They may take a bite here and there, but a whole plate, never. You can make them eat by presenting it in a fun and exciting way. Allow them to be in control of the ingredients. Be sure that they’ll be happy to indulge without your usual push.

You will need

Four different vegetables – Allow them to select what to put in the jar. The rule is that they should select not less than four. Try mixing up colors, for example, with our dehydrated/rehydrated carrots, cucumbers, peas, corn, and lettuce.
A fruit to sweeten up the salad, like our freeze dried strawberries, apples, mangoes, or blueberries
A mason jar

Method

Show your children to cut up the veggies using a butter knife or scissors which are perfect for little hands. If you go with our veggies, all you have to do is rehydrate to keep it safe for your children.
Let them layer the chopped veggies on a large platter.
Ask them to take a little at a time as they layer the veggies on the jar, starting from the heaviest to the lightest. They should finish up with greens, in this case, lettuce. A nice arrangement would be to put carrot at the bottom, then peas, corn, avocado, strawberries and lettuce on top.
Refrigerate for eating later. Or if they want to eat immediately, they should shake the jar, and then pour into the plate.

Watermelon and berry cookie-shaped fruit salad²

You will need

Watermelon/ Rehydrated Freeze Dried Pineapple Chunks
Berries/ you can use any of our freeze dried blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
Cookie cutter

Method

Peel the watermelon and cut into flat pieces.
Let the kids cut the watermelon into various shapes using cookie cutters
Mix the blueberries, raspberries, or even Papayas with the melon. Serve immediately.

Banana, peanut butter spread with chocolate chips³

You will need

2 whole wheat tortilla, about 8 inches each
1 banana, thinly sliced/ you can also use our freeze dried banana slices
4 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoon chocolate chips

Method

Let each kid spread peanut butter on their tortilla.
Ask them to arrange the banana slices on half the tortilla.
Let them sprinkle chocolate chips over the banana.
Fold the tortilla so that the halves meet. Cook it in a skillet over low heat until it turns golden brown on both sides as crispy enough according to your preference.
Let them cut up a tortilla into three using a pizza cutter from the folded edge to the center. This avoids the filling from squeezing out.

Taco pizza⁴

You will need

2kg/ 4.4 lbs ground beef
Mixed spices for seasoning
10-ounce refrigerated pizza dough
16 oz Refried beans / our easily rehydratable refried beans are incredibly delicious, without all the extra additives and preservatives
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped tomatoes/ use our rehydrated dried tomato flakes.
¼ cup sliced black olives
4 chopped onions / use our rehydrated chopped onions to reduce tears.

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Fry the ground beef over medium heat until brown. Drain the grease. Then, add the seasonings.
Remove the pizza dough and let it stay at room temperature for five minutes before using. Place the pizza dough on unbuttered cookie sheets, pressing it at the bottom and all sides of the cookie sheet.
Bake the pizza dough for 10 minutes until it’s lightly golden. Then remove it.
Heat the beans in the microwave for a minute. Spread the beans over the pizza crust while it’s still warm. Then, cover with the ground beef. Sprinkle cheese. Add the olives, onion and tomatoes.
Bake for another 7 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately
The kids will enjoy chopping and spreading the ingredients and slicing the pizza.

Are you looking for ways to bond with your children? Cooking with them is a fantastic way to spend time with them and share a home cooked meal.

Please share other meal ideas that you have tried before in the comments!