Comments on: Speed Dinners http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/ Cooking for Kids, Cooking with Kids. Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:05:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Michelle http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5086 Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:37:41 +0000 http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5086 It's so hard to cook a meal with moody kids under foot! Meal planning has been our salvation...so much so, in fact, that we started a service to help other families! A few tips that have worked well for us: Feed the kids healthy foods when they are really hungry before dinner - carrots, celery, broccoli spears, cucumber slices etc. Get the kids into the kitchen to help prepare the meals - this is practical and good bonding time Cook once, serve twice - make extras so that you can have left overs the following night. Or use cooked foods in a new way later in the week (chicken into chicken salad; rice into fried rice, etc.) Your ideas are great, too!!! It’s so hard to cook a meal with moody kids under foot! Meal planning has been our salvation…so much so, in fact, that we started a service to help other families!
A few tips that have worked well for us:
Feed the kids healthy foods when they are really hungry before dinner - carrots, celery, broccoli spears, cucumber slices etc.
Get the kids into the kitchen to help prepare the meals - this is practical and good bonding time
Cook once, serve twice - make extras so that you can have left overs the following night. Or use cooked foods in a new way later in the week (chicken into chicken salad; rice into fried rice, etc.)
Your ideas are great, too!!!

]]> by: Daisy http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5036 Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:58:43 +0000 http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5036 My crockpot slow cooker is my salvation. I use it at least once a week -- usually staff meeting nights, when I'm staying later at work and have less time to cook. My crockpot slow cooker is my salvation. I use it at least once a week — usually staff meeting nights, when I’m staying later at work and have less time to cook.

]]> by: QSMama / Lea http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5034 Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:23:17 +0000 http://kidscuisine.net/2007/10/29/speed-dinners/#comment-5034 It is such a struggle, isn't it? Last night I did use a convenience item--a Southwestern-marinated tri tip roast from Trader Joe's. I plunked it in a roasting dish, put some peeled sweet potatoes and quartered onions around it, and it turned out pretty well. Still, between cooking and sitting time, it took an hour, and our daughter didn't make it. I fed her leftover pasta and she went on to bath and bed. If she eats early, we gather around her and make conversation as if we were having a family dinner. Hopefully that does the same trick. Your tactics sounds like good ones. Filing those away for future reference.... - L It is such a struggle, isn’t it? Last night I did use a convenience item–a Southwestern-marinated tri tip roast from Trader Joe’s. I plunked it in a roasting dish, put some peeled sweet potatoes and quartered onions around it, and it turned out pretty well. Still, between cooking and sitting time, it took an hour, and our daughter didn’t make it. I fed her leftover pasta and she went on to bath and bed. If she eats early, we gather around her and make conversation as if we were having a family dinner. Hopefully that does the same trick.

Your tactics sounds like good ones. Filing those away for future reference….

- L

]]>