Depending on the age of your child, there is plenty they can help with, as the recipes below show. For preschool kids, guide them through the measurements and they can watch from a distance as you put the baking in the oven. For older kids, narrate through the details, such as, “… and it has to go on the middle rack so the warm air reaches all over the pan” or “make sure you don’t sift it too much, or the cake will be too dry.” Younger kids just love the experience of seeing ingredients turn into yummy food. Older kids will be more curious as to why certain foods have to be made certain ways.

Kids love to feel like they are a part of things and if you can include them in this seemingly everyday task, it can not only lead to a fun tradition but also get them interested in healthy home cooking from an early age. So get out matching aprons and play some of your kids’ favorite music in the background for a bit of dancing during the preparation. This is a party that may be functional but will turn the task of cooking into something truly special. Let’s begin!

Sugar Cookie Recipe

As an adult you know that sugar cookies are one of the easiest things to bake. Even if you don’t have a true baker inside of you, this is easy enough to put together. This type of cookie makes for an excellent dessert to prepare with the kids. What child doesn’t love a good cookie?

Start with a simple sugar cookie recipe or if you really aren’t that talented in the baking department or are short on time, get a pre-mixed variety. Either way you want to put together the usual flour, sugar, baking soda, eggs, and oil. The kids will love mixing everything together.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extra

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, have your child stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Together, roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Half the fun is decorating your sugar cookies and that’s where the party activity comes into play. Be sure to prepare and bake these early on so that they have time to cool while you tend to the other dishes.

Put out different colored and flavored frosting such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and rainbow chip. Have handy some sprinkles, M&M’s, cinnamon candies, little hearts, and some colored sugar decorations. Let the kids use their imagination and don’t limit them on how they can decorate these tasty treats.

Have a competition to see who can come up with the best design, the most “glitter”, or the funniest cookie face. You will capture some laughs and love how great it is to prepare and decorate these delectable goodies!

Turkey and Bean Soup Recipe

There’s nothing that offers more comfort and warmth on a cold winter day like a pot of soup. A good choice is a chicken soup or minestrone with fresh vegetables.

Let your child help you to peel carrots or potatoes, pour in the broth, and measure out the noodles. You can just use a simple chicken broth as the base and then add in some favorites like diced tomatoes and potatoes, chopped green beans, zucchini, and perhaps some broccoli. Let them help you to select and throw in the right seasonings and let the soup cook.

Here’s a great turkey and bean soup recipe. Mix together:

Ingredients:

• 2 Boxes of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Package of Ground Turkey, Browned
• 1 Can of Cannellini Beans, Drained
• 1/2 Package of Spinach, Washed and Sautéed
• 1/2 Acorn Squash, Cooked with Seeds Removed
• Blend of Mixed Veggies (zucchini, carrots, potatoes, green beans)
• 1 Cup of Macaroni

Directions:

1. Start with the chicken broth and gradually add all the ingredients, in the order listed. Cook until soft.

Cooking with Colors – Red Cooking Day

You can never go wrong when you cook with a color theme. Announce that today will be “red cooking day” and then go to work creating culinary dishes to match the color and the theme.

• Dessert — First, put together some strawberry muffins using a baking mix as the core. Then take turns putting in chopped fresh strawberries, baking soda, oil, eggs, and milk. Set aside and cool.

• Dinner — Prepare a favorite like spaghetti with some tasty tomato sauce. Do they have this all the time? Sure, but when they get to help you prepare it then it really makes for a fun party and a great way of bonding. Have them help you to pick which vegetables that you put into the tomato sauce, even if it’s the jarred variety. For an extra special party dish have them help you make some simple but extraordinary meatballs. Mix in a bit of diced tomatoes to give it something extra and to pay tribute to the color theme of the day.

• Salad — Try a fresh cherry tomato and mozzarella salad, but let your child make the ingredients into happy faces. On a bed of lettuce sprinkle some basil for the smile, the fresh tomatoes for the eyes, and a cute little mozzarella ball for the nose. (We did this for my youngest daughter’s Elmo birthday party last year, my eldest and I making salads in the likeness of his face.)

You can’t go wrong if you mix up a simple recipe that also happens to be fun to create together. That’s what a cooking party is all about—making something truly delicious together as a family but having a lot of fun doing it together!

Have the kids help in the kitchen! What yummy recipes will you be sharing with your children this month?

Top photo courtesy of Flickr.

Chris Molnar does most of the cooking in his family, so much that his wife bought him a 350 watt stand mixer one Christmas. His specialty is chicken paprikash, a Hungarian specialty that everybody loves (even his 2 year old, who right now will only eat chocolate chip cookies, rice, spaghetti and Cheez Whiz sandwiches.) Chris works at home and is editor of a themed party site for kids.

• muffins
• brownies
• cakes
• cookies
• pancakes
• waffles
• sweet bread
• soup
• chilli
• lasagna
• pizza
• smoothies
• ice cream
• lemonade
• fruit juice

The Benefits of Going Green by Cooking from Scratch

The following are the benefits of cooking from scratch:

• Eliminates the need to recycle, reuse and/or throw away hundreds of boxes, cans and plastic packages every year.
• Creates healthier meals by ensuring that there are no harmful additives and preservatives.
• Allows for moderation of calories, fat, sugar, carbohydrates, etc.
• Customizes recipes so that ingredients can be substituted to suit specific tastes and/or accommodate for food allergies.
• Saves money.
• Makes the food taste better.
• Creates family bonding because kids love to help

Pantry Checklist to Help You Cook From Scratch

The following is a pantry checklist for going green by cooking from scratch:

• flour (whole wheat flour is healthiest)
• sugar (or sugar substitute)
• brown sugar or molasses
• baking soda
• baking Powder
• yeast
• salt
• baking cocoa
• eggs (or egg replacer)
• Various spices and seasonings
• butter or butter substitute
• vegetable oil
• cooking spray
• chocolate chips
• rolled oats
• milk (cow’s milk. rice milk, soy milk etc)
• applesauce

Learning to cook and bake from scratch might seem terrifying at first. However, once you learn how to improvise and use substitutions for ingredients that you may not have on hand, everything starts to click and the fear suddenly turns into a sense of accomplishment.

The most important thing to remember is that cooking from scratch doesn’t happen overnight. Start small and before you know it, you’ll have a long list of things that you know how to whip up at a moment’s notice. I started with brownies. What will you start with?

 What foods do you love to cook from scratch?

Tracey Lenac is the founder, editor and publisher of Raising California, an online magazine that highlights elements of holistic, organic, GREEN lifestyle     choices along with homeschooling and spirituality.   She is also the founder of Soul Centered Kids in Los Angeles, California, where she teaches soul centered skills such as meditation, reiki and yoga to children of all ages and developmental abilities and the founder of The Souls of Boys, an online store specializing in non violent, non toxic, soul centered toys, books, media and resources for boys.  Tracey has a Master of Arts degree in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is also a registered Reiki Master/Teacher, organic gardener, the mom of two boys and a secular homeschooler.

When I came across this idea on Pinterest, I knew I had to try a Snowman Pizza as well. It was super easy to make and I had enough dough leftover to make a few small pizzas as well.

We decided to do three different flavors: the bottom pizza was a Hawaiian flavored pizza, the middle was a cheese pizza with ranch dressing as the sauce, and the top layer was a regular cheese pizza with regular pizza sauce. I made the crust myself using the same crust as mentioned here but, you can use premade, frozen or a dough mix.  Really, whatever you like. For the eyes, mouth, and buttons, I used olives and the nose is a carrot.

Snowman Pizza Recipe

Directions:

1. Make dough of choice (following instructions for preheating oven).
2. Roll dough out into three circles varying in size.
3. Prepare your cookie sheet with either a piece of parchment paper or cooking spray and sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on top (you can skip the cornmeal if you don’t have it on hand).
4. Place the largest circle of dough at the bottom of your pan and top with your choice of toppings.
5. Place the medium size circle on your pan and top with toppings of your choice. Make sure to overlap your bottom piece just a bit. Place your smallest size cirlcle on pan at the top. Again, overlap the medium circle just a bit.
6. Apply the toppings after all of your layers are in place. Sprinkle one more layer of cheese over your entire pizza. Feel free to use olives as your buttons, eyes, and mouth. I used three olives for the buttons and five for the mouth. Also, you can wash a carrot and cut to size to use as the nose.
7. Bake according to your dough instructions.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr.

 Brandi is the creator of The Creative Princess. She is a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful girls, avid couponer, crafter and a Pinterest addict.You will find awesome tutorials, creative couponing, cooking and crafting on her blog, she also takes you down her crazy journey of life around her small Oklahoma town.

My younger sister, Lisa, has five children, runs the books for her husband’s business, and is really good at carving out time for her hobbies and interests.

About three years ago, she had the opportunity to join a cooking club. Her club consists of 13 women from all over the Salt Lake Valley. This club has not only given my sister a way to connect with woman that she normally wouldn’t have come in contact with, but it has given her more confidence with her cooking skills. The woman in the club all have different interests and hobbies, but one thing they have in common is the importance of making and eating good food.

When I was talking to my sister, she shared some of the things that her cooking club does to make it fun. I thought it would be fun to share them with you in the event that you wanted to start your own cooking club.

5 Simple Ways to Make a Cooking Club Fun and Fresh

Follow Guidelines and Recipes

The cooking club is once a month. Each one of the women in the club has a chance to host the group in her home and make dinner for them. There are no guidelines as far as what to cook, as long as the meal is homemade and they provide the recipes.

Host a Couples Night

Because there is an extra person in the group, once a year two of the woman host a couples night. This is a fun way for the group to invite their husbands to their cooking club. Because each person is only hosting a dinner once a year, they have plenty of time to find a recipe that is new and different. There is no pressure here. Some people like to go all out with their dinner presentation. It is completely optional. My sister is in charge of the couples meal this year and is excited about introducing a new rib recipe that she found. She thought the men would especially like this meal.

Go on a Retreat

Once a year the cooking club goes on a retreat. One person is in charge of picking a location and working out all the details of the trip. Last year, the group took my sister’s motor home and went to California to see “Wicked,” She said that this was a really fun way to connect with the whole group and expand their interests.

Host a Cookbook Exchange

In December, the cooking group goes to a restaurant for dinner. They each bring one of their favorite books and they do a book exchange at the end of the meal. This is a fun way to make the holidays less stressful and to make sure they are staying connected.

Participate in a “Favorite Things” Exchange

For the month of January, the group each brings 3 of their favorite things to the cooking club night. This has been a fun way for the group to get to know each other better. At the end of the evening, each person goes home with three different things.

After being in the club for three years, my sister is realizing how rare it is that a group of women with different ages, interests,  and backgrounds can come together and really enjoy one another. She is realizing that the group is more alike than she ever thought. They all love to socialize, and connect. The group is really supportive and non-critical. They all make it a point to try everything that is served, and it has been a great way for all of them to learn how to make some quick, easy, and delicious recipes for their families.

It is important to make time for your hobbies. It should be something that you can take time out of your schedule to do. Make your hobby fun and exciting and be willing to include others in on your hobbies as well.

What are some of your hobbies and interest? How can you make sure you make time for yourself?

 Picture courtesy of flickr.

In our class, Michelle shared some of her favorite recipes with us. She told us how she started cooking as a young girl with her mother and now enjoys cooking for her own family. Cooking is the way that Michelle shows her family that she loves them. She believes that food brings people together in a very special way.

When you are with Michelle, you immediately feel like you are one of her closest friends. She is passionate about delicious food, feeding her family, and showing love by cooking. Michelle’s books were intended to introduce food as a love language, enhancing traditions, fortifying relationships and celebrating life.

Michelle and her daughter Abby made some of the most delicious food I have ever tasted. Some of my favorites were her Tomato and Rice Soup, Chinese Chicken Salad, and Caramel Popcorn. We ate until we were completely stuffed.

I love beautiful cookbooks. Michelle’s books are not only beautiful but the recipes are simple to make. They also share original tablescape ideas and a ready-to-use shopping list.

It was almost surreal that we were at the exact location where Michelle photographed this incredible book. Thanksgiving point has a variety of beautiful gardens and gathering places. It offers so many wonderful activities for our community, and this cooking demonstration did not disappoint.

I am in love with Michelle’s cookbooks. They are not only practical but fun to look at too. You don’t have to take my word for it. You can order “The Gathering of Friends” cookbook  right now on her website or at Thanksgiving Point and take advantage of her buy 3 get 1 free deal.  Hurry, this offer doesn’t last long.

Taking this class has changed the way I look at making dinner. I am so thankful to Michelle for inspiring me to show my love for my family through cooking. I am also excited to come back to Thanksgiving Point and attend other cooking classes and enjoy the beautiful grounds with family and friends. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful place in our community.

What types of foods do you like to cook? How has food brought your family closer together?

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free class and a copy of the Gathering of Friend’s Cookbook Volume 4. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This week, we are focusing on side dishes.

In my family, we have some non-traditional side dishes we like to make, like sauerkraut. It’s a family tradition we enjoy at all major holidays.

But one side dish that always remains the same is the mashed potatoes. Jen and I decided to mix it up a little bit and stick with our goat cheese theme. We tried out this Creamy Mashed Potatoes With Goat Cheese and Fresh Sage recipe and just like the appetizers, it did not disappoint.

Recipe: Creamy Mashed Potatoes With Goat Cheese and Fresh Sage

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 5 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
• 1/4 cup (or more) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• Fresh sage sprigs

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
2. Peel and cut potatoes into small pieces. Place the cut potatoes into the boiling water. Cook the potatoes until the potatoes are soft. Drain well and return the potatoes to the pot.
3. Add cheese, milk, and butter to the potatoes and mash until smooth.
4. Mix in the sage and season with salt and pepper.

What is your favorite holiday side dish? What makes this dish special?

This week, the Mom It Forward team researched a variety of appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, desserts, and drinks. Each week from now until Christmas, we’re presenting you with our Christmas dinner menu, starting with the appetizer.

Bacon is all the rage these days. So, why not give your family the gift of bacon at your holiday dinner this year? These delicious goat cheese appetizers rolled in bacon and pecans are sure to be a huge hit!

Goat Cheese Pops With Herbs, Pecans, and Bacon

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese (not whipped)
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme or basil, divided
• Cracked black pepper
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked
• 1/4 cup pecans

Directions:

1. Pour the cream cheese, goat cheese, and one tablespoon of herbs into a food processor. Pulse until all of the ingredients are combined.
2. Form small balls of the cream cheese mixture and place them on a plate that is covered with parchment paper. Insert lollipop sticks into the center of the balls. Place the balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Clean out the food processor and place the bacon, one tablespoon of herbs, and the pecans in the food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are fine and crumbled.
4. Take the balls out of the refrigerator and roll them in the bacon mixture.
5. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

What do you serve as appetizers during the holidays? What is your favorite finger food?

Here are three ways to enjoy the dinner beyond Thanksgiving day.

1. Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe

My favorite part of Thanskgiving dinner is not the dinner; it is the leftovers. And nothing beats my mom’s Turkey Noodle Soup recipe.

Ingredients

• Leftover Thanksgiving turkey
• Onions
• Celery
• Carrots
• Green Peppers
• 2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 Package Egg Noodles (can substitute with rice)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Poultry seasoning
• Italian seasoning

Instructions

Take turkey carcass and cut all of the leftover meat off.  Put the carcass in a pot large enough to completely cover with water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 4 hours.  Remove the carcass and put cooled pot in refrigerator overnight.  Next morning, skim off fat.  Add lots of favorite vegetables but onions, celery, and carrots are a must.  Add a can or two of diced tomatoes.  Cut leftover turkey into bite-size pieces and add to pot along with salt and pepper to taste, Italian seasoing to taste and 2 tsp of poultry seasoning.  Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer until veggies are tender.  You can add rice or noodles (I prefer noodles!) and cook until either rice or noodles are done.  Rice should be added at same time as veggies whereas the noodles only need about 10 minutes cook time.

If you make an extra large pot, consider freezing some of it to enjoy for weeks!

2. Turkey Sandwich

The best thing to do with all that leftover cranberry sauce? Put it on a sandwich along with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Just grab a roll, spread the cranberry sauce on both sides, add turkey and any other vegetables or dressing you’d like, and you have a simple lunch solution to feed the whole family.

3. Sides

But what to do with all the leftover sides? Here’s a few suggestions:

• Eat pumpkin pie for breakfast. When has it ever been too early to get in your vegetables?
• If you make turkey noodle soup, heat up the sweet potatoes and stuffing and voila! You have a delicious meal that will last for days.
• Save some of the vegetables and dip from the veggie tray to use in a garden salad.

What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? What is your favorite recipe?

When I reached adulthood, I discovered that adding color to your Rice Krispy Treats wasn’t the norm and that my mom did that to make that experience special for us.

Wanting to give my kids this same thrill, we made Rice Krispy Treats in the shapes of autumn leaves, using a Wilton cookie cutter (the same one we used for this pastry). We divided the Rice Krispies and colored each section a different, bright color and ended up with an array of colorful autumn leaves both beautiful and delicious.

This is a simple and fun activity and one that your kids are sure to remember!

What is your favorite after-school snack to make with your kids? How do you make simple activities like cooking and crafts veer from the norm?

Choosing stress-relieving actvities—those that help calm you down, give you time to think, help you gain perspective, get your endorphins up, and get your creative juices flowing—can actually increase your productivity.

10 Stress-Relieving Hobbies That Can Increase Your Productivity

Check out these 10 ideas for relieving stress and focusing on what matters most:

1. Clean. Having an organized house and office in and of itself can be calming. But, doing the actual cleaning can be a healthy distraction as well as boost your endorphins.

2. Cook. Personally, I like the creativity and the stress-relieving process of cooking. I love to make up recipes, combining different ingredients for awesome results. And my favorite? I love to chop vegetables. I find something very stress relieving about it. Veggie trays are my favorite to make!

3. Exercise. Working out has several benefits. I love the natural high I get as well as spending an hour listening to upbeat music.

4. Play calming music. Whether you put on a CD or play a musical instrument, making time to play some softer songs has a calming effect on any environment.

5. Spend time by yourself or with loved ones. I don’t know anything more welcoming than being around people who love you precisely because of who you are.

6. Travel. Exploring foreign places, even within your own city or state, can be exciting, fun, and at the same time, stress relieving.

7. Write. Writing comes in so many forms: blogging, journaling, scrapbooking, creative writing, writing a book, emailing, texting, writing thank you cards by hand, and more. For me, journaling helps me get perspective and make more well thought out decisions.

8. Spend time in nature. My happy spot is a local flower garden called Thanksgiving Point. I can be having the toughest day in the world and have it all wash away after a couple of hours in that place.

9. Get some sun. If I’m too busy, don’t have a lot of time, but need to lose the stress and a boost in productivity, I will often go lay on the trampoline and soak up the sun. Even 15 minutes can make all the difference in my day!

10. Ponder. Focusing on areas other than those that bring stress into your life is a quick way to reduce stress. Activities that allow you to ponder can include prayer, mediation, yoga, and others. Make time for this every day and watch your productivity increase.

Aside from adding stress reducing hobbies, one of the most important things you can do to relieve stress in your life and to be more productive is to remove stress-increasing relationships and activities when possible.

What are your favorite hobbies and activities that help you reduce stress? How does making time for yourself help you to be more productive?

Photo courtesy of  Flickr.