Simple Quick To Make Recipe – For Lunch or Dinner

This is a simple quick recipe particularly when you are busy, kids want attention and everyone’s hungry. You only need this one dish – it has meat and vegetables – all in one. It is also an extremely easy dish for your kids to prepare. And if you can spare a few extra minutes, teach them a thing or two about the science of plants Read on to find out …


My kids call it Ginger Chicken

Ginger Chicken

It is easy, has good nutrients, few ingredients and fast.
Preparation time including cooking and serving : half hour tops

Teaching Note: The dish is easy enough for your kids to prepare the ingredients and cook it.

Typically, you can only pick one theme to teach them. I have used this recipe to teach about where ginger and onions come from.

List of Ingredients – for 2 adults and 2 young kids

1. Chicken meat cut in chunks - 500 grams
2. Ginger – cut in slices – 4 or 5 thin slices

Ginger

Teaching Note: Show your kids the ginger. Explain that it is a root plant. You plant the ginger and it will grow with big leaves. The root keeps the food. Potatoes, tapioca are similar and of course the humble onion.

3. Garlic – cut in slices – 1 or 2 pips (you can omit this if you like)
4. Onions – cut in fours – 2 onions (more if you like )
5. Vegetables – you can use anything you like – I like to use cabbage or cauliflower
6. Onion leaves – cut 3 inches - use as much as you like – the onion leaves give the dish a good taste, flavor and smell
7. Chili (fresh or dried or both)
8. Cashew Nuts – if you have them great, if you don’t that’s ok too
9. A little soya sauce for taste
10. Oil for cooking

How:

1. Add 5 tablespoons of oil into the pan
2. Add 3 dry chilies cut in 2inches length – tip for parents – this is a secret for the flavor and great smell of the dish – add dry chilies to the hot oil for 30 seconds or so
3. Fry the onions and garlic till brown
4. Add the chicken and ginger
5. Add some oyster sauce if you have it at home – for the extra taste
6. Let the chicken cook and add the vegetables
7. Finish off with the onion leaves, fresh chilies and soya sauce to taste.

Dry Chili in Pan with Oil

Vegetables - Cabbage and Onion Leaves

Add ginger slices to the

And that’s it!

Serve with rice or bread.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

Kids and Cooking - Activities for Different Age Groups

I received several comments sharing their thoughts on the wonderful secret of cooking and teaching kids. One of the comments asked if there could be a list of cooking activity to match the different age groups.

Thank you for the comment. It is perhaps useful to summarize.

We must recognize that each child develops differently and may have different likes and dislikes. I hope you will be able to use this as a guideline to help with cooking with your kids.

I am also hoping to put together recipes appropriate for each age group.


It would be wonderful if you can share your recipes for mums and dads all over the world to equally share them with their kids.


Children Ages 3-6 years:
1. Stirring and Mixing
2. Rolling
3. Washing - vegetables and fruits.
4. Shred lettuce for a salad - tearing large and small pieces
5. Add ingredients to the recipe

Teaching opportunities – motor skills, cleanliness, order and organization, instructions, reading, sizes


Children Ages 6-8 years:
1. Set the table - this is a great way to show organization
2. Use child safe knife to cut soft foods
3. Beating ingredients
4. Fill and measure
5. Prepare simple meals

Teaching opportunities – motor skills, accuracy, math, instructions, sizes, handling knifes, sense of accomplishment


Children Ages 8- 10 years:
1. Prepare recipes
2. Use kitchen appliances
3. Measuring and estimating ingredients

The cooking opportunities grows as the child grows


Children Ages 10-12 years:
1. Prepare more complicated recipes independently
2. Use kitchen appliances such as an oven, microwave, knifes etc
3. Figure out recipes, maybe even create own ones


Children Ages 13-16 years:
1. Prepare recipes with multiple ingredients - helps child organize kitchen skills
2. Prepare recipes independently with little supervision - mastering these skills builds self-esteem and builds trust

Cooking with kids has immense rewards! I believe the best memories center around food. Food is the secret weapon to happiness and calmness and togetherness. And the potential satisfaction to our children and for us to be able to be with them.


Happy Cooking and Teaching!

What Kids and Cooking and Teaching Means? And How to Do it?

I  found this wonderful video on UTube. It shows how 2 very young children (5 years and a toddler) prepare a wonderful smootie! See how they do it. An execellant example of kids and cooking and teaching while cooking.

Watch the kids confidence and the fun they are having. There is a lot of encouragement and guidance. They need to mix and think and move - there is muscle movement. And they have their own preparation building pride for their work.

Kids and Cooking and How and What They Learn

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

My Nine Year Old Made Dinner!

My nine year old boy made dinner today! He did not touch the stove. He called it "Vegetable Curry With Treats".

My little boy said that he will make dinner. My boy tends to use vegetables and meat from the fridge, mix them together with water. And finishes with the sauces available.

This time he used some cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage and spinach.

"Vegetable Curry With Treats"

He some some curry powder and pepper and had some ketchcup on the side.He added some bread as a side dish.

We did not eat it of course! But if you think about it - he provided his veges with flavour and there is nothing wrong with raw veges.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

Secret of Making Cup Cakes and Teaching Kids

This is the best cup cakes recipe and it is perfect to teach kids - it is simple, quick, easy and very cost effective. This recipe is the best I found and I did not not get it off the net! I added something extra to the recipe to make it extra special. And the best part is my kids were independent – all I had to do was to turn on and off the oven.

This recipe is excellent for children above 9 years old. My 5 year old joined in. He was given tasks that he could handle and everyone had quite a bit of fun!


Shopping Cart for the Cup Cake Recipe


Makes about 6 to 7 cupcakes


For the cup cake


100 grams of caster sugar (you can reduce it a little if you don’t like your cakes too sweet)
100 grams of very soft butter (use good quality butter – it helps with the softness and moisture)
100 grams self raising flour
2 eggs


For the icing


200 grams soft butter
200 grams icing sugar (you can reduce it a bit if you don’t like too sweet icing)
Colourings, sprinkles, nuts and whatever your kids fancy


Firstly, to help your kids with reading the recipes, print or write it on a piece of paper in big letters:

1 Ask a grown up to turn on the oven to 180°C.

2 Get a big bowl – stainless steel is best

Weigh the sugar and place in the bowl. Your kids will learn how to weigh and how to read the weighing machine


Weigh the butter and mix it into the bowl.


Kids, you can mix and beat the mixture. It is a great to enhance your motor skills.

Secret Number 1 is to use a beater. It will let the mixture be even and soft. The longer the better.


Get a grown up to help you.


Sift in the flour. Weigh it carefully


Secret 2: I added some baking soda (half a teaspoon)


3   Break the eggs into a separate bowl. Don’t forget to spoon out bits of shells.

Add to the batter.


Add the vanilla essence

4 Use a spoon and place it in paper cases.

Add batter to into the paper case and the cake bowls

Ask a grown up to place in the oven for 20 minutes

Making the icing.

5 While the cupcakes are baking, make some creamy icing

Mix the butter and cream it with the icing sugar.

Add colouring as you like. My boys love orange.

Use an icing bag or simply role some of the icing onto some paper shaped like a ice cream cone.

6 Let the cakes cool properly .

Pipe the icing onto each cake and decorate as your like.














Parents,


Your kids learn tones from this simple recipe. Prepare the shopping list. As you can see this cup cake recipe does not cost much and easy to do. Splendid for dessert and for guests.


Your kids are reading, weighing, estimating, and bonding.


Does wonders to the self esteem and confidence .

This entry has links to where you can get some of the things such as ovens and other baking stuff.

And yes Secret Number 3 as to why it is the best cup cake recipe ever is because your kids made it!

Happy Cooking and Teaching