Cooking with Your Kids

Gwen D. Ehlers, RD, Clinical Dietitian, SJRMC

Cooking with Your Kids

Quick Tips from Gwen D. Ehlers, RD, Clinical Dietitian

How can you get yours kids to beg for bananas instead of brownies?  What could convince them to choose carrot sticks over candy bars?

• Eating healthy is a lifestyle, and needs to begin at an early age. Help your kids start by including them in the selection and preparation of food.
  
• Ask your little ones to pick out their favorite color fruit or vegetable at the store.
  
• Snack with dips that include peanut butter, light salad dressing, low fat yogurt or salsa. This will encourage young ones to expand their choices of fruits and vegetables.
  
• Cook with your kids! While you’re spending quality time together, they are learning new skills, whether it is mixing, measuring, or cutting.

Try these recipes with your child:

Wonderful Stuffed Potatoes

• 4 medium baking potatoes
• ¾ C low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
• ¼ C milk
• 1 TB soft margarine
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Prick potatoes with fork. Bake at 425° for 60 minutes or until fork is easily inserted. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out potato leaving ½” pulp inside. Mash pulp in large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients, except Parmesan cheese. Spoon mixture into shells and sprinkle top with 1/3 tsp Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 15-20 min until tops are golden brown.

Chicken & Veggie Wrap

• Flour tortillas
• 1 C diced cooked chicken
• ½ C chopped cucumber
• ½ C chopped red bell pepper
• ½ C chopped raw sugar snap peas
• ½ C chopped lettuce
• ½ C hummus

Combine chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, peas, and hummus in a bowl. Lay the wraps on the counter and cover each with a lettuce leaf. Divide the vegetable mixture among them and spread, leaving half-inch border around the edge. Roll up tight, tucking in the edges as you roll. Cut in half.