Are you feeling like you are the head chef, the sous chef and dishwasher at home? Would you like to teach your kids how they can get involved in some new family chores and learn some life skills while helping you out?

Getting your kids involved with meal planning and preparation is a great way to begin teaching your kids invaluable food skills and get picky eaters interested in trying new foods!

5 fun and easy ideas to get kids involved in meal planning and preparation:

1) If you’re firing up the BBQ, have your kids help with meal prep by being in charge of assembling vegetable shish kabobs. Depending on their skill level they can be involved with everything from selecting the vegetables, chopping them, or just simply putting them on the stick. 

 2) Helping assemble lasagna is another fun meal prep task for young kids. If you provide them with all the components, they can be in charge of laying down each layer.

3) Similarly, building your own pizzas is another great way to give kids some responsibility in the kitchen. Prep tasks, like spreading pizza sauce or grating cheese, can be divided up amongst children based on skill level. 

4) Rolling up food in tortillas is a cooking task that is perfect for kids! Try spreading the tortilla with nut butter and rolling up a banana. Depending on how adventurous you’re feeling, you can even try vegetable alternatives, like hummus wrapped around carrots.

5) Put your kids in charge of making dessert- Popsicles are a refreshing and fairly fail-safe treat that kids will enjoy creating. There are endless combinations of fruits that your kids can experiment with. Here is a recipe for creamy lemon-blueberry popsicles and creamy chocolate avocado popsicles for inspiration.

Lemon-Blueberry Popsicle Recipe

• • 2c of vanilla greek yogurt

• • Juice of 1 lemon (plus zest for added zing)

• • 2 Tb honey 

• • 2c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Blend ingredients, pour into molds and freeze overnight. 

Chocolate Avocado Popsicle Recipe

• • 2 ripe avocados 

• • 2 1/2c milk or non-dairy substitute 

• • 1/2c-3/4c cocoa powder

• • ⅔c maple syrup or agave syrup 

• • Pinch of salt 

Blend ingredients, pour into molds and freeze overnight.

Do you need help with healthy eating as a family?

Building healthy eating habits and a relationship with food is a lifelong benefit that not only helps to prevent health issues but it also improves energy-levels and how a person feels emotionally on a daily basis.

Contact NutriProCan registered dietitians who can provide the education, tools, and coaching your family can trust. https://nutriprocan.ca/contact/