How To Cook With Your Kids...Stress Free!!

     I'm the type of person that's naturally uptight.  I like everything to be organized, neat, and done in order.

     That type of personality doesn't work to cook with my kids.

     Especially when my middle child believes that the amount of fun you have is in direct proportion to the amount of mess you have.

     But, I also knew that If we were going to cook together, they were smart enough to know I was stressed out.  They wouldn't have fun, it wouldn't be a good learning environment, and they wouldn't be making fond memories.

     In a nutshell, they wouldn't be getting anything I wanted to give.

     So, I came up with 8 tips to make cooking with my kids totally stress free - and I'm gonna share my favorite with you right now!

"The Cooking Tip That Will Let ANY Mom Enjoy

Stress-Free Cooking With Kids!

Stress Free Cooking Tip #3:  Have all the ingredients and supplies ready and organized before you start

     Okay, that may seem simple and obvious now that I've mentioned it.  But would it have necessarily occurred to you that you could organize to satisfy your personality AND the kids not even notice? 

     Hopefully you said, "No", so I don't feel so stupid!

     So, here's how I cook with kids now:

1. Before we start, I set out all the ingredients and supplies on the counter

2. Then I call the kids into the kitchen

3. I have the kids sit at the table with the mixing bowl we'll be using

4. I get the first ingredient- maybe flour -  and take it over to the table.  They use it, and I put it back on the counter.  If necessary, I can do a quick swipe with a washcloth.

5. We continue this process through the entire recipe

     And, tah-dah!!!  They had a blast, I had a blast - and they probably got some subliminal organization skills to boot.

     And hey, this method solved another problem too - it stopped three kids from digging in and eating all the ingredients before we used them!

Continue to Sample Kids Recipe