Dinnertime! Cookbook Giveaway

August 26, 2010 By 43 Comments

For many of us, when a new school year rolls around it’s almost like we make New Year’s resolutions just like in January.

“I will make more of an effort to feed my family heathier dinners”
“I will make my kids better lunches.”
“I will try to plan my meals more often so we can save money and our health.”

You get the idea. Even if you don’t have children at home or in school, much of the media is focused on back-to-school, you can’t help but get caught up in it all! And if your plans include looking for some new (and family-friendly!) dinner recipes to try out, look no further.

To help you achieve your goals (and also just because I love this cookbook!), I’m giving away TWO copies of Family Fun’s special issue, Dinnertime! (see my review here) to TWO lucky readers!

Here’s How To Enter:
1. Leave a comment with your favorite ways to get dinner on the table quick or you favorite family-friendly meal.
2. Become a follower of my blog (link is on the left of this page)
3. Like Meal Planning Magic on Facebook
4. Email subscribe to my blog.
5. Blog about the giveaway and leave me a link to your post.
6. Update your Facebook status with a link to this post.
7. “Tweet” about this post.
8. Vote for my blog at Babble.com’s Best Mom Food Bloggers (I’m currently on page 2, #60 but hopefully your votes will move me up!)

Remember, leave a comment for each entry. Only one entry per person per method listed above. If you are already a follower or subscribe to my blog, you can still have an extra entry–just mention that in the comment. Good luck!

Giveaway Rules:
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If prize is not claimed a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be posted on blog and if an email is given, they will be contacted via email. Open to US and Canadian residents only (sorry to my other international readers!)

Disclosure: I, myself, originally purchased this special issue cookbook featured in this giveaway. However, the copies being given away were received from the publisher for promotional use such as this giveaway. The opinions in my review are my own and just that, my opinion! Check out Giveaway Scout’s listing of blogs with giveaways for more chances to win great prizes (seen link to the left).

Filed Under: family fun dinnertime, family meals, giveway, healthy meals, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen, make ahead meals, meal planning

Kids Cook Monday & A Weekend Challenge

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You know how I love to get kids into the kitchen, right? Well, this past weekend I was presented with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up! Several months ago I joined a Facebook group for Mario Bosquez’s Weekend Cooking Challenge on Martha Stewart Living Radio (one of my favorite satellite radio channels to listen to while I’m in the car!) The idea behind the group is that once a month Mario and a guest chef present a recipe for the group’s members to make and then post their pictures, comments, tips and encouragement on cooking day. It’s kind of like a virtual cooking party!

This weekend’s challenge was to make a Blackberry Blueberry Crumble. Since I had (literally) pounds and pounds of both varieties picked at a local farm on an earlier summer outing just waiting in my freezer I was there! So I recruited my daughter to help me out and I cannot tell you how easy it was! Truly, it took us about 15 minutes to assemble and then bake. And the taste…talk about yummy! We served ours with a little whipped cream as we didn’t have any vanilla ice cream on hand. It was a hit. And I must say it made a great late night snack and breakfast too. :-)

So what does this have to do with kids cooking on Mondays? Well, it’s not so much about actually cooking on MONDAY but just getting your kids in the kitchen with you. Kids Cook Monday is program I recently learned about that “encourages families to cook and eat meals together in order to teach important skills to children, such as teamwork, portion control, following instructions, and even motor skills. Research has shown that kids who eat family dinners tend to get better grades, develop communications skills, and are less likely to be obese. Empowering children to take control of what they eat allows them to consider how much and what they’re eating.” The idea is that once a week you and your children plan a meal and cook it together. Partnered with Columbia Univeristy’s Mailman School of Public Health and John Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Health, they are committed to helping our nation end preventable diseases.

I hope to make Kids Cook Monday a regular feature of my blog, too, to hopefully inspire and encourage you all too!

Here are some pictures from our cooking session (recipe follows)!

Measuring out the brown sugar.
Mixing together the filling ingredients…yummm–berries!

Mixing together the crumble topping ingredients!

It’s ready to go into the oven!

Yummy! Our crumble fresh out of the oven–ready to eat!

Here’s the recipe for the Blackberry Blueberry Crumble:

Blueberry Blackberry Crumble
Recipe by: Kate Goodyear, Pastry Chef at Soho House Group

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Crumble topping
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 oz (that’s one 1/2 cup stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2) In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, blackberries, 1/3 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and the lemon juice and toss well.
3) Pour into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish.
4) For the topping, place the flour, oats, sugar, the brown sugar, ground ginger, and the salt in a bowl.
5) Add the butter and mix by hand until it’s in large crumbles.
6) Spread the topping evenly over the fruit, making sure the fruit is covered.
7) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with buttermilk ice cream or the ice cream of your choice.

Serves 8-12

Kate’s Notes:
In the middle of June, with the weather heating up, New York City’s farmers’ markets are beginning to bloom with berries and the first of the stone fruits, cherries. Take advantage of its largesse with a fresh fruit crumble. I like the combination of blueberries and blackberries – the blueberries are a bit sweeter and the blackberries give some tang. In addition, the dark blue/purple of the fruit is gorgeous against some white ice cream. If you can’t find one of the fruits, feel free to substitute anything that looks beautiful and tastes delicious. This crumble recipe works all year long – pair with apples and pears in the fall.

Filed Under: kids cook monday, kids in the kitchen, mario bosquez, martha stewart

Muffin Tin Monday–a new idea! {Menu Inspiration Idea}

July 6, 2010 By 3 Comments


Remember last week I mentioned that I had discovered many new blogs while it was raining so much and we were stuck inside? Well, one of those blogs was Muffin Tin Monday. Here, you’ll find a weekly challenge to serve meals to your family in fun muffin tins. A take on the bento style lunches (more on that later!), muffin tins jazz up the presentation of food and help make it more appealing for kids. Since I’m new to this whole thing my effort this week was a bit low key and I actually didn’t use the muffin tin. Instead, I used silicone muffin cups to hold cut up watermelon, guacamole and sour cream to go along with the chicken and cheese quesadillas I made for the kids.

It was funny because when I served up the plates, both their eyes got big and they got these funny smiles on their faces. They really loved them. And the bonus? They ate nearly all of their lunch! Here’s looking to more ideas to make lunchtime (or anytime) a little more fun this summer–or whenever!

Filed Under: kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen, meal planning, muffin tin monday

Dinnertime! {Cookbook Review}

June 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment


My friends sometimes like to call me Super Mom. Or Martha Stewart. Or even Overachiever (ok they don’t always say that one but I know they’re thinking it!) But I have to say I don’t mind the name-calling anymore because I have a little secret. The secret is that I’m not as creative as I seem…I just know where to get terrific ideas that just make me look like I’m deserving of all those names! You see, I’ve subscribed to Family Fun magazine for eight years now and I look forward to each monthly issue for all the terrific ideas it provides for activities or crafts for the kids, family outing ideas, recipes and so much more!

So when I learned about a new publication of theirs that focused on fresh meal ideas with great kid appeal and required little prep and cook time I was anxious to check it out. It’s called Dinnertime! and I picked up a copy at my local Wal-mart about a month ago. So far we’ve tried several recipes including the Mexican Cheese Fondue, Scrambled Eggs Nests, Crunchy Chicken Tenders with Apricot Dipping Sauce and Granny Smith Slaw.

I have to say there have been more hits than misses. We all loved the Mexican Cheese Fondue. We served ours with steamed green beans, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, bread cubes and Italian American meatballs (that I made awhile back and just pulled out of the freezer). I’m not sure the last time my kids ate that many veggies!
We served the Scrambled Egg Cups at our Breakfast For Dinner night and we all liked them but I think my husband loved them the most! For the other dishes, one child preferred the Chicken Tenders more than the other but the other child preferred the Slaw more than their sibling. So I’m calling this a winner issue!

With over 98 easy recipes (most take only 15-20 minutes to prepare!), the issue is filled with family-tested and approved meals from over 19 years of publication that make for simple and stress-free mealtime. Special sections include:

–Picky Eater Pleasers
–Cheap Eats
–Eat More Veggies
–Kids in the Kitchen
–A helpful Side-Dish Finder (I especially love this because this is my weakest area when it comes to meal planning–so many simple, delicious ideas here!)
–And much more!

I love the helpful hints and tips throughout to make mealtime more fun. And in true Family Fun style, there’s a whole section with conversation starter games, themed meals and more!

Filed Under: family fun dinnertime, family meals, healthy food ideas, healthy meals, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen

I’m A Featured Blogger on Mamapedia!

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I'm a featured blogger on Mamapedia Voices

Hey y’all!  I’m so excited to share with you that I am a featured blogger on Mamapedia.com!  Check out my article on Kids in the Kitchen.  If it seems familiar, that’s because it is!  I posted it on my own blog here last month.  In it you’ll find lots of tips for getting your children…even your toddlers…cooking in the kitchen with you and learning to try new foods.  What a fun way to spend time together!  And the lessons they’ll learn will be more than just learning to cook.  Be sure to search the cookbook reviews I’ve done for family and kid-friendly ideas too.  Have fun and I hope you like it!

Filed Under: Cooking With Kids, healthy meals, kids in the kitchen, mamapedia, toddler, toddler friendly

The Family Kitchen Garden {Cookbook Review}

March 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This book is just what it sounds like–part gardening, part cookbook. As you may have heard before, if children are involved in growing fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to try them (and hopefully learn to love them)! The authors have organized this book by month and give you step-by-step instructions for planting, harvesting and preparing the foods you grow. A recipe (or more) is included for each month like Carrot & Ginger Soup (in November), Fruit Ice Pops for kids (in June) or Homemade Ketchup (in September) and are sure to appeal to just about everyone. A basic primer on gardening is included in the beginning of the book to help you figure out what supplies and tools you will need.

The last section of the book provides much more detail for both vegetables and fruits. Step-by-step strategies to start you off right. They also include tips for planting companion plants that lead you to success…for example, if you’re planting onions you should also plant carrots (because the onion smell distracts the carrot flies) and parsley (to destract the onion flies). Who knew?

Adults and kids alike will find this book to be a great start to get you growing your own food, learning to love eating it and best of all, spending time together!

Check with your local Agricultural Extension Service to find out what your area’s growing season is for the fruits and vegetables highlighted in this book.

Filed Under: Cookbook Reviews, gardening, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen

Kids In the Kitchen: More Than Just Learning How to Cook

February 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

For as long as I can remember I’ve been cooking in the kitchen. I’d have to say it really took off when I was a teenager. I even planned themed parties for my friends and all the food. So it was only natural that when I had children of my own I would include them in the kitchen as soon as I could.

My children have been cooking with me pretty much since the time they could stand up. We started with a simple recipe: banana bread. What kid wouldn’t like mashing up a banana? Now that they are a bit older, they help in lots of different ways in the kitchen. The added bonus: they are much more likely to try new foods (or even old foods) when they’ve helped prepare them!

When I first started bringing my kids into the kitchen, I mainly viewed it as another way to spend time together. But over the years, I have discovered that it is an opportunity for them to learn so much more. They learn patience as they wait for me to measure out ingredients or while things bake or cook until they are done. Vocabulary is boosted when they learn new words for the ingredients you use or techniques. As they grow, practicing reading the recipe helps them learn new words and make the comprehension connection when they see how everything goes together. Math sneaks its way into meal prep too; counting the number of ingredients to include, learning about different units of measurement and more. Practicing teamwork is an added bonus as they learn to take turns with you or with sibling helping too. For young children, motor skills are enhanced when they learn how to pour, mix, roll and stir. New textures are also introduced with the opportunity to notice differences between liquids, dry ingredients, batter and doughs. Other shapes and textures can be noted in the ingredients as well like different types of fruit, nuts, whole grains and more.

Tips for Getting Started:
• Use plastic bowls, measuring spoons & cups and other equipment, if possible.
• Expect a mess! And at the end, use that mess to teach them how to clean up—a valuable life skill!
• Be patient—kids sometimes take a long time and are messier than you might be.
• Bring cooking down to kid level; use a small table to prepare on or provide a chair or stool to stand on.
• Check your moods before starting—your child’s and yours! Choose a time when everyone is well-rested and in a good mood.
• Prepare ingredients in advance, if possible like pre-measuring ingredients, chopping items, etc. This will make things go smoother and more quickly—especially since kids’ attention spans can sometimes be really short!
• Teach children that ovens and stoves are hot and that is for the grown-ups. I taught my children to stand in the same spot on a nearby rug every time I opened and closed the oven—it’s a habit they still practice today!

Are you anxious to bring your kids into the kitchen with you but need a little guidance on what they can do? Here are a few guidelines by age:

One- to two-year-olds can:

  • dump in premeasured dry ingredients and help stir
  • help shape cookies and other dough
  • tell you when the timer goes off
  • hand you an egg or other ingredients

Three to four-year-olds can also:
  • help measure ingredients
  • help crack eggs and mix ingredients
  • help pour batter into a pan
  • hold a mixer with you (his hand under yours)
  • arrange food on a serving plate

Five- to six-year-olds can also:
  • help read a recipe
  • learn how to measure and mix dry ingredients
  • crack eggs and learn how to separate yolk from white
  • learn how to safely use mixer or wire whisk
  • set a timer

Seven-to eight-year-olds can also:
  • read a recipe out loud
  • follow most of a recipe with your help and supervision, except placing things in or pulling them out of an oven

Nine-year-olds and up can:
follow a recipe without help

Now go make some memories and yummy food and get your kids into the kitchen with you!

Filed Under: Cooking With Kids, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen, picky eaters

Kid Friendly Kitchens Help Kids Help Out

February 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
look inside >
54 55
Create a Kid Friendly Kitchen

I’ve been subscribing to Family Fun magazine for many years now and I love it because it provides so many fun activities and ideas for our family to do and go to together and lots of other solutions to common parenting challenges.  So guess how excited I was to read this month’s issue and the article on how to create a kid-friendly kitchen!  It was something I had written in my mind for awhile now and here it was already done!

It’s not too tough to get your kids into the kitchen.  Simple things putting plates, bowls and utensils at kid level in a lower drawer or cabinet encourage kids to help prepare their own meal or snack.  Or a simple set of kitchen shears will help kids chop and dice like a pro without the same worries that using a knife would bring.  Check out the link above for more ideas (and be on the look out from me for more tips on how to get your kids in the kitchen) or check out some fun kid cooking videos like the ones from Activity TV that we love at our house!

Filed Under: Cooking With Kids, family meals, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen

Cookbook Review: Around the World Cookbook

December 9, 2009 By 1 Comment


This cookbook is the book I’ve written in my mind for so many years and now I’ve found it already done! As you may know, food is not only a form of nourishment but it can also take us on an adventure right in our own homes. What I love about this book is that it written for kids and organized in a way that makes sense to kids. The pages are full of colorful pictures and clearly written recipes and directions. A basic glossary of Gear, Lingo and Skills helps kids get off on the right foot to preparing the recipes on their own or with the help of an adult (there’s also plenty of cautions about staying safe in the kitchen too!) There’s even a page that tells kids to clean up when they’re done!

The cookbook jumps right in highlighting a region of the world first introducing the country or region and some basic facts about countries within that region included on a map of the area. Then there are several representative recipes for kids to make. For example, Asia includes a recipe for Vegetable Fried Rice; The Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean includes a recipe for Greek Pork Kebabs or Gazpacho; Russia and Northern Europe includes recipes for Swedish Meatballs or Scones with Jam. South America, Mexico & The Caribbean includes recipes for Mexican Chocolate Pudding or Jicama Slaw and the United States & Canada region highlights Jambalaya or Apple Oatmeal Crumble. Little notes throughout add to the recipes to help readers learn more about their culinary adventure.

When we cook from different regions we sometimes get our globe out and find the country where we are eating from. It is a fun way for our kids to travel with their taste buds! What a fun way to introduce kids to cooking and the world–this book’s a keeper!

Filed Under: Cookbook Reviews, family fun dinnertime, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen, mario bosquez

Cooking Fun With Kids!

October 9, 2009 By 1 Comment



We were at the library a couple of weeks ago and came upon a fun-looking DVD from ActivityTV. What treasure we had stumbled upon! We first picked up the Lunches & Desserts program. Each segment can stand alone or you can watch them all in a row. Each one sounded more appetizing than the next! Soon, we had a plan to make our Sunday dinner and dessert together. We decided on the Chicken Quesadillas and Baked Snowcaps.

What I love about this series is that the host clearly explains all the equipment and ingredients that will be used and also goes over kitchen safety rules before each segment. Then, she involves three kids in preparation of the recipe. The kid-helpers ask plenty of questions that help real kids understand the process (and sometimes the science) of what they are making.

I’m not sure if it’s just because we made it together, but I have to say the quesadillas we made were some of the tastiest ever! We served ours with all the toppings–guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes and salsa. Yum–it’s making me hungry now. Even better, we had enough leftovers for us to send in the kids’ lunch the next day (using one of our insulated lunch containers of course)! And it’s no secret that when you involve your kids in cooking what you want them to eat they’re more likely to actually eat it if they helped prepare it–yes, even for the pickiest eaters!

There are recipes for Beginners through Expert and really, I’d say even young children can tackle some of the more advanced recipes–they may just take a little longer and require a bit more hands-on help from a grown-up. The video gives you plenty of time to write down all the ingredients and instructions or you can just go to their website to print a copy of your recipe with everything you need to get started. Check out your own local library

We can’t wait to try some of the other recipes! Be sure to check back soon (or better yet, subscribe to get my updates regularly) as I’ll be reviewing some neat cookbooks for kids that we enjoy using in our own home.

Filed Under: Cooking With Kids, kid-friendly, kids in the kitchen
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