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Comforting Carrot cake for those cold winter days

12/9/2018

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I put together this recipe after having too many bland carrot cakes.  My tiny chef, 2.5 year old Bella, has always been keen on flavours and rejects ‘beige' food, so she keeps me on my toes.  This carrot cake has raisins, cinnamon, a touch of citrus and of course carrots, which all combine to create a nice festive feel with the benefit of vegetables.

Ingredients

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  • 65g (2.3oz) raisins, soaked in the juice from half a small orange for at least 1 hour
  • grated zest of half a small orange
  • 100g (3.5oz) carrots, peeled and grated
  • 80g (2.8oz) brown sugar
  • 80g (2.8oz) applesauce
  • 200g (7oz) self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 70ml (0.3 cups) olive oil

Prep work

When baking with young children, prep as much as you can in advance.  This recipe also requires one special step: soaking the raisins in the juice of half an orange.  Let your tiny chefs get their hands nice and sticky as they squeeze all the juice out!  We did this step before nap time, let the raisins soak for a couple hours, and ended up with lovely, almost caramelised, raisins in the cake.

Also I recommend peeling and grating your carrots in advance - this can take awhile and you want to be ready to go once you’ve got your tiny chef ready!

Method

  1. Line an 18cm square tin with baking parchment. Turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
  2. Place grated carrots into a large bowl.
  3. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and sugar on top of the carrot, then add the raisins and orange zest.  Mix everything around well.
  4. Break the eggs into a bowl, then add them to the main bowl along with the oil and applesauce. Mix, mix, mix.
  5. Scoop the cake mix into your tin. Put in the oven for 25-30mins.
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Let the cake cool and decorate with icing, if you wish!  We used some ready-made icing to keep it simple.

Kid tips

  1. Always start by washing hands.  Good hygiene needs to be engrained as a habit in the kitchen, and the best bit is that kids love anything to do with water.
  2. Let them crack the eggs!  This is one of the most fun things to do.  Parents worry a lot about shells (you can pick them out) or the raw egg (in the UK you can buy eggs with the Lion Quality mark; this means they’re vaccinated against salmonella.  Just keep a damp cloth handy to wipe your little one's hands as soon as they’re done.)
  3. Pouring and mixing never get old - but don’t assume which they’d like to do, always ask.  Letting them choose helps keep them involved, rather than only getting to do the bits that they’re told to.
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Mini Pumpkin Pies

10/15/2018

7 Comments

 
A fun fall cooking activity for all ages!

Melissa from Sweet Beets Wellness has joined us to share plant-based recipes and inspiration for cooking with kids. She is a vegan wellness coach who also teaches cooking classes for her son's homeschooling cooperative. 
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Watch the video below for inspiration on how to introduce this recipe to kids!
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 Crust Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1/2 tsp salt (omit salt if you're using salted nut butter)
  • 1/3 cup unsalted nut butter (we used almond)
  • 2 tbsp milk or mylk 

​Puree oats, dates & salt in the food processor until crumbly. Add nut butter & mylk and pulse until it holds together when pressed. 
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Filling Ingredients
  • 15 oz pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup raw cashew pieces
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
  • 2 tsp + 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1.5 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg + 1/4 tsp allspice + 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup milk or mylk
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract​

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and puree until well-combined and very smooth.

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Baking Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
  • Press crust into pie tins (this recipes makes enough for 1 large pie or 3 small pies)
  • Pour filling into crusts
  • Bake pies for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 more minutes (until top is golden and filling is almost fully set). 
  • Let cool completely before slicing. 

Tips for Cooking With Kids! 
  • Kids who are too young to measure still enjoy pouring measured ingredients into bowls, food processors and blenders. 
  • Let the kids pulse the food processor. Have them count out loud, something like: "Push 1 - 2, Stop 1 -2" or "Down 1 - 2, Up 1 -2"
  • This plant-based filling is perfect for taste-testing because it contains no raw eggs! 
  • Show the kids how to press their crust around the sides of the tin and spoon in the filling. 
For more kid-friendly, plant-based recipes, follow Sweet Beets and check out the "Plant-Powered Families" cookbook: "Burton shares over 100 whole-food, vegan recipes—tested and approved by her own three children."
7 Comments

Easy Pancakes Video ~ Cook with your Tiny Chef!

4/17/2018

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The Tiny Chef in this video is 4-years-old and has been preparing food since he was 18 months old. He loves to eat the food he makes! For more ideas and recipes preschoolers love, check out the Tiny Chef recipe book. 
These pancakes are refined sugar-free and gluten-free. You can make them with just 2 ingredients (eggs & bananas) or add a few extras (oats for texture & cinnamon for flavor). Sprinkling blueberries or chocolate chips on top is extra fun for the kiddos! Using coconut oil on the pan and covering them on the first side makes the pancakes easy to flip. 
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Orange Gummies - Refined sugar-Free!

8/29/2017

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Ask your young kids to join you in making a tasty treat! These gummies are a great snack (refined sugar-free) and work well in lunch boxes. Kids love whisking, squeezing a dropper to fill the molds, and testing the mixture as it gets stickier and hardens. 

What You'll Need:

(some of these are affiliate links)
  • bowl
  • whisk
  • molds & dropper
  • orange juice
  • gelatin
  • honey
  • stevia (optional)
  • placemat (optional)
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Directions:

  1. measure out 3 cups of orange juice
  2. whisk in 1/2 cup of gelatin
  3. heat on low-med heat until warm to the touch (do NOT boil)
  4. add 1/4 cup of honey while heating (& dash of stevia if using)
  5. remove from the stove and cool to room temperature (about 1/2 hour)
  6. portion into silicone molds (non-stick cupcake pans work too!)
  7. refrigerate until set (about 1/2 hour)
  8. keep in fridge for up to a week

Tips for cooking with kids!

  • Let them pour the OJ into the bowl.
  • Let them whisk while you add the gelatin.
  • Let them use a dropper to portion out the liquid.
  • Let them test to see if the mixture has cooled down.
  • Ask them questions about what will happen when the gelatin mixture cools down in the fridge.
1 Comment

TASTY CAULIFLOWER FOR A COOL DAY

6/8/2017

5 Comments

 
After a few days of hot weather, today's cool rainy weather inspired me to roast veggies. Our Tiny Chef loves roasted cauliflower, but it has to be nicely caramelized and soft.

​Here's what we did:
1. preheat oven to 400f
2. wash & core 2 small heads of cauliflower.
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Here's a photo of a cored cauliflower from Nom Nom Paleo (I forgot to take a pic!).
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This is a fun way to core cauliflower for kids because you can just hand them the whole thing and ask them to break it into pieces!
3. set a sheet tray out and ask your child to break the cauliflower into pieces
4. while they are breaking, pick out the big pieces and cut them down (aiming for florets all the same size)
​5. drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the cauliflower (I held my 3-year-old's hand on the bottle and we did this together)
6. sprinkle seasonings (give your young kids just the right amount of seasonings - they tend to want to put them ALL on the food) - we used salt, pepper, garlic powder, & smoked paprika 
7. with clean hands, mix the cauliflower, oil and seasonings on the pan and then make sure they're covering the bottom of the pan in a single layer
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8. when the oven is preheated, put the cauliflower pan on a middle rack and set a timer for 20 minutes
9. after 20 minutes, use a spatula to flip the cauliflower over & set the timer for another 20 minutes
10. when the timer goes off, flip the cauliflower over one more time (it should be browning now)
11. after a final 10 minutes, take the cauliflower out to cool down (it would be a good idea to test it with a fork to see if it needs to be in any longer to get soft)
12. adjust the seasonings as needed and serve warm (we added a bit more salt to ours)
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Happy cooking!
5 Comments

SQUEEZE THAT CITRUS!

6/6/2017

5 Comments

 
I'm always looking for ways to help my preschooler develop hand strength (to make his pencil grasp easier to learn). Squeezing citrus is a great exercise! It's fun, productive and tasty, all while building important gripping muscles. 
What you'll need: 
  • a cup or bowl
  • unflavored water or sparkling water
  • lime, lemon, &/or small oranges
  • a kid with clean hands
  • damp towel
You or your child can massage and roll the citrus on the table before you cut into it (to loosen up the juices). Wash the citrus (it's likely the juices will run across the peel on their way into the cup) and then cut it in half. You may need to start the squeezing process before handing it to your child (if the citrus is still stiff). Help them pour water into a container and demonstrate a little squeeze into the container. Then set them loose! Ideally, they'll enjoy squeezing and tasting the different juices.
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Quick Tip: Check your child's hands for cuts & scrapes before you hand them a citrus half (I'm sure you've experienced that open cut burn!). They may want to avoid one hand or just watch you squeeze the first time, until their cut heals. Use the damp towel to quickly wipe your child's hands if they start to hurt or if they just don't like how sticky they feel. 
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Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Raisins

4/6/2017

5 Comments

 
We made some quick and easy oatmeal in our Instant Pot pressure cooker (affiliate link) and my 3-year-old LOVES IT! It stores well in the fridge and is hearty enough to keep you full for a few hours. 
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1 cup of steel-cut oats
2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk (any variety of milk will work)
pinch of salt
handful (1/4 cup) of golden raisins
maple syrup & other toppings to taste

Mix all of the ingredients (except the toppings) together in the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on Manual for 4 minutes (10 minutes natural pressure release). Add toppings and enjoy!

Kid Tips! 

  • pour the (pre-measured) oatmeal and liquid into the pot
  • pinch the salt out of your hand or a container and sprinkle it into the pot
  • pour or scoop in the raisins 
  • stir the ingredients together (before cooking)
  • scoop the leftovers into a serving bowl (see video below!)
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Book Review From Babies to Bookworms

3/16/2017

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We are honored and excited to be featured on the Babies to Bookworms blog! Please click here to check out their wonderfully detailed article and book review.
"At 20 months, my daughter already loves to cook. She has her own apron, and she insists on helping with most of the food preparation around the house. While I prepare a meal, she pulls out her step stool and asks to help. She loves to stir, dump ingredients, or count out ingredients as she adds them to a pan. When it comes to teaching kids to cook, I realize that she may not always be as helpful. (Eating handfuls of cheese does not constitute “helping Mommy to make pizza”). However, I love that she is excited about it!
​

My mother always told my sister and I that..." (read more)
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What Kitchen Skills Can My preschooler Learn?

2/17/2017

9 Comments

 
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All kids develop abilities at a different rate, depending on a mix of genetics and environment. However, check out any mommy blog and you'll notice that we still want to know what kids can and should be doing at certain ages. Below, I've included some examples of activities many preschool-aged kids can to do in the kitchen. 

​REMEMBER, these skills are things kids can do WITH HELP and they will only build on their abilities with practice. That means your 4-year-old will likely need to start with the activities in the 1-year-old section if they've never cooked before (although, they'll certainly learn them faster than a 1-year-old). Now go have fun in the kitchen!

1-year-olds

  • Washing produce (in a bowl)
  • Snapping fresh beans
  • Dipping vegetables and fruits

2-Year-Olds

  • Scrubbing vegetables and fruits with a brush
  • Tearing lettuce and salad greens
  • Using tongs
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3-year-olds

  • Brushing oil or butter on food or a pan
  • Skewering fruits & vegetables
  • Cracking raw eggs

4-year-olds

  • Making balls & forming patties
  • Using a garlic press
  • Measuring ingredients
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Ages 5+

  • Cutting safely with small knives
  • Using a can opener
  • Peeling fruits and veggies with a vegetable peeler

​Please remember these activities all need to be SUPERVISED, especially learning to use sharp tools and machinery!
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Looking for more ideas?

​I created a free chart with EIGHT more suggestions in each age range. I’d love to email it to you! 
Send me the chart!
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9 Tips for Staying Sane While Cooking with Kids 

2/17/2017

7 Comments

 
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1. Wash or wipe their hands before they even get to the kitchen. Kids are going to touch every ingredient and put things in their mouths, so at least this way they won’t be contaminating everything!

2. Set up a work space before they get there. Lay a towel down or set out a placemat with some tools and ingredients so they know exactly where their work area is (i.e., not YOUR work area). 

3. Plan for the mess. You already know they’re going to make a mess, so plan to get out in front of it. Try putting a tablecloth down that you can just shake off and throw in the washing machine when you’re done. Also, tell them before you even start exactly how you expect them to contribute to clean-up.

4. Don’t expect them to be precise. Have them measure ingredients into smaller containers that you can double-check if needed (especially if you’re baking!). Adjust expectations according to their age; for example, have toddlers hold containers or stir instead of using measuring spoons (they’re also pretty good at sprinkling and shaking spices!). 

​5. Keep it simple. I recommend AGAINST including your toddler in a marathon cooking session of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. But if you insist on making it, they can join you for just a few minutes to help peel garlic or remove fresh thyme leaves from the stem. Choose a small task and genuinely thank them for their help afterwards. What cook doesn’t like having someone else peel their garlic?

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6. Choose their cooking tasks wisely. Don’t give them an task that’s way too hard, you’ll both get frustrated (i.e., don’t get mad at your 2-year-old when they can’t roll a perfect ball of cookie dough). If you want to challenge them, choose an activity that they can ALMOST do by themselves but not quite (maybe they can scoop the dough, but can’t get it out of the scooper yet). By working on it together, you will reinforce what they can already do and help them build a little bit of new skill. Next time you cook together, see if they’ve learned to do it by themselves!

7. Remember that they’re (unpredictable) kids. Even if they’re physically capable of doing a task, they may not be ready mentally or emotionally. Check to see if they’re tired or hungry or need to go to the bathroom. Also, are they really interested in cooking or is it something you’re trying to get them interested in? You might need to start small with extra fun tasks to spark their interest (decorating cookies, topping muffins with chocolate chips, etc.). 

8. Don’t try too hard to “teach.” Cooking together is so enriching. Your kids are learning about science and math, in addition to developing their fine motor skills and executive functions. The great thing is, these learning experiences happen without even trying! They’re just a natural part of the cooking process.

​9. Remember to have fun! In the end, cooking is all about enjoying each other’s company, so try to keep your cool and go with the flow. You’ll have a great time together and enjoy some tasty food after all of your hard work!

For more tips about cooking with kids, check out our "Tiny Chef Kitchen: Getting Started Guide" ebook. 
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