Healthy fast food - get the kids in the kitchen

Its the start of the week - time to menu plan...AGAIN. Get the kids involved with a recipe each. Habits we set up now will hopefully continue through to their teenage and adult years when they need them most.

Recipes can be loads of fun to teach children how to cook. They can learn measurement, serving sizes, cooking skills and learn about different colours, textures and tastes. Best of all they can produce something themselves that they can share with the rest of their family and friends.
Complicated recipes that require you to be in the kitchen for hours on end and require 20 or more ingredients will leave you feeling frustrated especially if the family doesn’t like the end product. Families are also relying too heavily on take away convenience foods these days as many people either don’t like cooking or find it to hard to accommodate cooking in their busy day.
What you need are quick easy, healthy recipes with few ingredients (and ingredients that you don’t need to travel the earth to find.)

Your pantry should have a few essentials
Plain flour
Self raising flour
Brown sugar
Olive oil
Tinned tomatoes
Mixed herbs
Salt, pepper

Fridge essentials
Milk
Margarine
Frozen pizza based
Eggs
Chicken
Mince
Grated cheese

Kids who are taught to cook at an early age and spend time in the kitchen preparing meals will be better prepared to look after their health when they leave home. In an age where convenience food is becoming the norm, nothing beats a quick healthy home cooked meal especially if it has been prepared with the help of loving little hands.

Recipes
Skewers (serves4)
350g skinless chicken cut into large cubes
8 Button mushrooms, washed
Red capsicum, cut to 8 pieces size of chicken cubes
Marinade (1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon soy)
4 wooden skewers

Mix honey soy and oil and set aside
Thread chicken, mushroom, capsicum alternatively
Brush with Marinade
Place on grease proof paper under medium/ high grill
Continue to brush with marinade until chicken is cooked
Serve with salad or vegetables
*kids can thread onto the skewers and brush the first marinade



Spaghetti (Serves 4-6)
500g lean beef mince
400g canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs (fresh or dried)
500 g spaghetti

Lightly fry chopped onion in small amount of oil
Add mince and stir until brown
Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste
Sprinkle with herbs
Simmer

Cook spaghetti in saucepan of boiling water until just firm
Serve mince sauce drizzled over pasta, add grated cheese if desired
Serve with salad or vegetables
*older kids can stir over low heat and sprinkle in the herbs (if you take the pan of the heat the younger ones can have a stir