Special Guest Blogger Maureen Hotchkiss

Your Kitchen - mix up more than just good food!

By Maureen Hotchkiss,

Kids Central Kitchen, LLC

School isn’t the only place where your kids can go to learn. You may not have thought about it before, but you have an outstanding learning center right in your own home. Your kitchen!

Baking with your kids can be an excellent learning opportunity! Enhance reading skills by encouraging your children to read and follow simple recipe instructions. Exercise math skills through the measuring and weighing of ingredients. Setting a timer helps with the concept of time. Waiting helps develop the virtue of patience. Creating is important for boosting self confidence. Pride comes from a job well done. Don’t forget to include them in the clean-up process. This is an important life skill that you will certainly find helpful for many years to come! Spending time together in the kitchen also provides excellent bonding experiences for children and parents. And, have you ever noticed that kids are more apt to eat something they’ve helped prepare?

As great as this may sound, the reality is, life gets busy and can throw curve balls now and then. Even on those days when you may find extra time to bake with your kids, you may realize you don’t have all the necessary ingredients. As parents of three active kids, we often found such reasons for not taking the time to bake with them. At the same time, we were becoming increasingly concerned about what they were eating. The alarms went off one day when I looked over the ingredient list and nutrition statement on a name brand oatmeal bar that was supposed to be “healthy.” Here I had been offering my children something with ingredients I didn’t recognize (was this a science project?) and 25 grams of sugar per bar. It pushed me over the edge!

This aha moment made us realize we had to commit to creating healthier snack options. Lack of time could not be an excuse any longer. We experimented for months in our kitchen to create healthier versions to some of their favorite snacks. In our ongoing quest, we noticed the enthusiasm of children grow as they helped us measure, mix, bake and eat our creations. Every time we began rooting around the kitchen, all three children would stop whatever they were doing to come join us.

Eventually we turned our recipes into dry baking mixes we could have on hand to use as needed. We began sharing them with family and friends to enjoy as well. This idea eventually evolved into our family business, Kids Central Kitchen (www.kidscentralkitchen.com). We offer natural, whole grain baking mixes for active kids and their families. We left out all the yucky stuff like trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors and preservatives. Simply add the wholesome wet ingredients (like applesauce and yogurt), mix and bake. It’s fun, easy, healthy and educational! Perfect for those times when you don’t have a lot of time, a lot of ingredients or both! We also offer a new gluten-free baking mix.

Next time you’re looking for an activity for your children, grab a big bowl and spoon and mix up some healthy (and educational) family fun!